✦ Sexism and the Gendered Lens of Deviance
Women comprise approximately half of the global population, yet they are often treated as a minority in societal structures, discourses, and power dynamics. This discrepancy is not only visible in representation and access to opportunity, but also in the way gender roles are constructed and enforced through systems of social control. For example, Wikipedia—while not a peer-reviewed source—offers insight into popular definitions. Its entry on femininity states that femininity is related to “women’s and girls’ sexual appeal to men” and is associated with “sexual passiveness,” suggesting women’s value lies in how they are perceived by men (Wikipedia, 2023). These ideas reflect the enduring influence of the male gaze and the objectification of women as passive recipients of male attention.
Postmodern and feminist theories of deviance argue that women are subject to more stringent forms of social control than men (Smart, 1976; Heidensohn, 1985). Deviance is not simply the act of breaking rules, but a judgement about who gets to break them. Women who deviate from prescribed gender roles—being assertive, sexual, or authoritative—are often labelled “deviant,” whereas men may be celebrated for the same traits. Historically and currently, women have been systematically marginalised and oppressed. O'Brien (2017) illustrates this in educational contexts, noting that college students perceive the same material differently depending on whether it is taught by a white man or a woman of colour. The white man is seen as “apolitical,” “in control,” and “authoritative,” while women—especially women of colour—are often seen as “biased,” “overly emotional,” or “lacking credibility.” This perception reveals the subjective freedom afforded to men, and the restrictions imposed on women’s identity and voice.
✦ Everyday Experiences of Sexual Harassment
Statistically, women are more likely than men to experience sexual and domestic violence (AIHW, 2023). Yet sexual harassment is frequently minimised or normalised. Catcalling, inappropriate touching, and unsolicited comments are often brushed off as harmless or excused as “boys being boys.” Victim-blaming rhetoric—such as “she was asking for it” or “look how she was dressed”—continues to shift accountability from perpetrators to survivors.
These patterns are not abstract. In my own experience, harassment in public, workplaces, and schools often came disguised as praise or concern. At a primary school swimming carnival, a much older man I had never met touched my backside under the guise of adjusting my swimsuit tag. I felt violated. In high school, male teachers lingered in their touches while praising students. At 18, I was told to unload stock where older men had positioned themselves to comment on my body. These experiences illustrate how seemingly “innocent” actions can have a deep psychological impact. No one should be entitled to someone else's body. Bystanders who remain silent in the face of harassment become complicit in enabling it.
✦ Technology and Gendered Surveillance
One of my first encounters with digital technology was a pink Motorola flip phone with no SIM card—just Snake and a pixelated camera. Fast-forward to 2019: nearly 48% of children aged 6–13 in Australia had access to mobile phones (ABC News, Sparkes, 2019). As the eSafety Commissioner notes, today’s smartphones are “essentially supercomputers” and expose children to risks such as cyberbullying, predation, and inappropriate content (Grant in Sparkes, 2019). Technology has revolutionised our lives, connecting us in both micro and macro ways. But it has also introduced new avenues for discrimination, particularly for marginalised groups. Online hate speech, digital exclusion, and algorithmic bias mirror—and often amplify—real-world oppression.
However, the internet can also be a powerful tool for resistance. Social media has helped mobilise movements such as Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, Free the Nipple, and Not All Men, giving voice to the silenced and visibility to the excluded. Hashtags create digital momentum, allowing marginalised communities to demand justice, visibility, and change.
✦ Instagram’s Unequal Censorship: Sex Work and Platform Power
Instagram’s opaque content moderation policies have made it a hostile platform for sex workers and marginalised users. While terms and conditions prohibit “sexually explicit” content, enforcement is inconsistent. Posts that contain nudity, sexual language, or even certain emojis may be flagged or removed, with no warning. Meanwhile, accounts from multinational brands such as Calvin Klein or the Kardashians remain largely untouched despite similar or more provocative imagery.
This disparity raises critical questions about power, censorship, and corporate control. Sex workers, who rely on platforms like Instagram to promote their labour and safety, face frequent shadow bans and permanent account removals. As Koster (2017) notes, this digital stigmatisation mirrors the offline marginalisation of sex workers, who face significantly higher rates of sexual violence—between 32% to 55% annually, according to international statistics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many sex workers were excluded from government aid and forced to adapt to online platforms for income (Kibbe, 2020). Instagram’s policies thus represent not just censorship, but a threat to safety, autonomy, and livelihood.
The contradiction is striking: while mainstream corporations profit from aesthetics drawn from sex work, actual sex workers are penalised for existing online. These policies perpetuate the idea that sexuality is only acceptable when it serves corporate or heteronormative interests.
✦ Conclusion: Reclaiming Space, Redefining Norms
Whether in public, education, or digital spaces, women and marginalised groups continue to be scrutinised, silenced, and devalued. From the male gaze to online censorship, from everyday harassment to institutional control, these experiences are interconnected. The systems that enforce gendered and racial inequality are both visible and invisible—encoded in social norms, media algorithms, and the unspoken rules of who gets to speak, teach, or be seen.
To challenge these norms, we must name them. We must disrupt the silence of bystanders, resist digital erasure, and call out power imbalances wherever they exist. Creating safe, inclusive, and equitable space both online and offline, requires not only awareness, but action.
ABC News, Sparkes, D. (2019). Almost half of children aged six to 13 now own or use a mobile phone. ABC News. Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-28
AIHW (2023). Family, domestic and sexual violence. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Retrieved from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence
Heidensohn, F. (1985). Women and Crime. London: Macmillan.
Koster, S. (2017). Stigma and Violence Against Sex Workers: The Impact of Criminalisation. Journal of Gender Studies, 26(3), 281–294.
Kibbe, M. (2020). Instagram’s Latest Terms of Use Hit Sex Workers Hard. Rolling Stone. Retrieved from: https://www.rollingstone.com
O'Brien, L. (2017). The Pedagogy of Privilege. In Teaching While Black. New York: NYU Press.
Smart, C. (1976). Women, Crime and Criminology: A Feminist Critique. London: Routledge.
Weeks, J. (2003). Sexuality. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
Wikipedia. (2023). Femininity. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femininity
