No worry over sexy selfies, thanks to #MeToo
When Lisa Schwartz started her public-relations career in 2007, she was extremely self-conscious about what she posted on her social media.
Instead of uploading racy selfies, she posted inoffensive landscape shots of places she traveled to, worried what her colleagues and clients would think of her.
“You don’t want to come across as too sexy, or showing too much skin,” Schwartz, who’s now 35 and works with Diamond Public Relations in Miami, tells The Post. “There’s a perception that if you [post sexy photos,] you’re not as professional and your priorities might be a little off.”
But in the past year she went through a breakup, started hitting the gym and sharing her body transformation on social media. She’s no longer shy about posting photos of herself doing side planks in a bikini in Miami Beach, or sipping on a cocktail while in a swimsuit in Jamaica.
She credits the #MeToo movement with her newfound lack of inhibition.
She used to feel like she had to be modest to protect herself from judgment from male co-workers and clients, but no longer.
“Before, as a woman, you fear[ed] that other people are gonna think because I’m showing skin I’m a bimbo or a slut,” says Schwartz. “[#MeToo] just shifted everything.”
Call it bikini feminism. Thanks to the movement to end sexual violence and support victims, some women say they no longer worry about frolicking in skimpy swimsuits on social media for fear of professional consequences. Since #MeToo, they feel free to post racy Instagrams. The burden is on men to act appropriately, not on women to be modest.
Julia Cavalieri, a 29-year-old marketing manager based in Miami, says she no longer thinks twice before uploading snaps of herself sporting a swimsuit while relaxing on a yacht. She attributes her online confidence to the rise of social media, the body-positivity movement and #MeToo.
“I live in Miami, so half of my life is in swimsuits,” Cavalieri says. “I’m confident in my body.”
And she says other women in her industry are doing the same thing.
“Within my network, they’re sharing similar things, and so they’ve been supportive and we comment on each other’s photos,” she says. “We have a lot of friendly banter.”
Meanwhile, Madelaine O’Connell, a 28-year-old investment banker and instructor at streaming workout service Obé, says that when she started her banking career in 2015, she was reluctant to advertise her fitness side hustle with pictures of her toned body.
“I wanted to rise in the ranks of finance, and so I wanted to keep my two worlds separate,” she says.
But in the past year, she’s started promoting her fitness gig on Instagram, posting photos of herself in crop tops and leggings or bikinis.
“So much of my [fitness] job is showing my body . . . I worked hard to get to this point. I don’t think it should affect my [day job],” says O’Connell, who works on Wall Street. “[#MeToo] plays a part of women’s empowerment both inside and outside the workplace.”
But some say women should still be cautious with what they post.
“It’s good to be understanding of your career goals, and where they fall in your online presence,” says Patrick Ambron, the co-founder of BrandYourself.com, a service that helps people and companies manage their online reputations. “The fact of the matter is your online presence is scrutinized more than ever.”
“Before you fear[ed] that other people are gonna think because I’m showing skin I’m a bimbo . . . ” — Lisa Schwartz