The algorithm on the skin: redefining one’s self in the tribe of images

Abstract

Women’s bodies have historically occupied a space of ambivalent visibility and representation, continuously subjected to processes of control, domination, and violence. In the current socio-cultural context, this ambivalence is intensifying: today, we find ourselves living in a tribe of images shaped by an aesthetic neo-tribalism in which, through the normative grace of filters, the younger generations are taught which bodies are valuable, excessive, or need to be corrected. The contribution proposes a critical-reflective analysis of the symbolic devices that guide gazes, desires, and practices of self-representation, questioning the educational role (formal and informal) exercised by digital platforms. Specifically, the article aims to highlight the risks of aesthetic normalization that affects processes of subjectivation, but also the possibilities for resistance and re-signification.