New Criticals


Humor: Attitude and self-deprecation. Along with quotes that provide serious inspiration, Pinterest users share e-cards that are silly and light-hearted.   These e-cards often jokingly focus on certain values related to shopping, eating fattening food, drinking alcohol, and so on.  They enable the women of Pinterest to justify their own habits by admitting their downfalls and laughing about them.  For example, one e-card provides an old fashioned picture of a woman wearing an apron and carrying a tray of food.  The quote reads, “My daily meals include: breakfast, brunch, lunch, pre-dinner, dinner, pre-dessert, dessert, dessert #2 & a post-dinner snack.”  This “pin” provides a tongue-in-cheek way for female users to admit their dieting failures and rationalizes their inability to follow a strict eating plan.  “Pins” such as these also satirize the effort that women must go through to appear attractive to men.  For instance, another user “pinned” an image of a woman in pajamas peering into the bathroom mirror.  The pin states: “You know the weather is warm when shaving your legs becomes a part of your routine again.”  This quote publicizes the disdain that women have about feeling compelled to appear feminine to the general public.  It suggests that women would never shave their legs if it were not for the social pressure.  Similarly, another user’s “pin” shows an image of a girl wearing a sweatsuit.  The quote reads: “The first thing I do when I get home is make myself look as publicly unacceptable as possible.”  This message illustrates the wish to rebel against having to wear uncomfortable clothing (such as dresses, pantyhose, high heels) in order to appear as an acceptable representation of a woman.