I started an Instagram account where I review sex scenes in movies.
Why? Because we live in a hyper-sexualized culture, yet sex ed is censored and we get almost no real information about sexual health in school or at home. So we look to the media, where sex scenes are filtered through the male gaze.
Fuck that.
It’s time to check how sex scenes represent — and misrepresent — pleasure.
With no paid media support, my account attracted over 10,000 followers in under a year (78% women and 22% men.) Posts generated thousands of views and lots of healthy discussions about sex in the comments.
My polls and questionnaires averaged about a 5-10% engagement rate — not bad for a non-celebrity account, I’m told — and DMs and audience submissions came rolling in. The content looks like this:
I also turned the idea into a short-form podcast.
My insta breaks a few social media conventions: Post copy is long. Thumbnails aren’t pretty. Video clips are grainy (because they’re, um, pirated.) And the grid isn’t art directed at all. But thousands of people pulled up, and most followed for the writing.
Check it out on Instagram @femininecritique.
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