When Pinterest was first created by CEO Ben Silbermann and Co. in 2005 its targeted demographic was young women. Fast forward six years and the targeted demographic is still women, with the exception that the age range has extended to middle aged women as well.
My classmate said the difference between younger and older Pinterest users, besides their age, is their purpose for joining the site. “Our generation uses it [Pinterest] as a dream life; realistically you’re not gonna buy any of the houses you pin onto your board, but my mom, who is an interior designer, lives on it and is really inspired by it,” she said.
Silbermann says he was inspired to create the social media platform from his love of collecting things. The site is essentially a personalized web page of photos that users “pin”, or collect, onto their “boards,” like clothing, workout exercises, and tips for traveling. You can tell a lot about a person from their collection: a snowglobe collection reflects an adventurous spirit; a collection of lighters can tell you if a person is a stoner; and a person with a child porn collection tells you to stay far, far away from that person.
The beauty of Pinterest is that it gives you the opportunity to visualize your dreams and immerse yourself into the fantasy life that may or may not come true. It’s an escape, an organizer, and excellent resource for college students looking for cheap dinner recipes.
Comedian Iliza Shlesinger did a bit in her Netflix special “Freezing Hot” (highly recommended) about the white girl obsession with Pinterest. She has her own page which is pretty dope too.
I must admit, I used to think that Pinterest was too girly for me to use. But after realizing the benefits of the site – being able to organize your thoughts and dream life on a social media platform – I’ve decided to join.
According to Urban Dictionary, “80% of all Pinterest users are women and about 99% of its content is pure virtual estrogen.” The other 20% is made up of guys who take advantage of the taco-fest and get laid almost every night (after hours of working on their dream boards). If I were a heterosexual male I would be all up on this shit, but since the website poses a threat to hegemonic masculinity, alternative platforms like Gentlemint whose slogan is “discover and discuss the manliest content on the Web,” and Manteresting were created for guys to pin and share their “manly interests.”
…AKA a pathetic attempt by the patriarchy to disguise Pinterest’s “girly” website with pictures of half naked girls and cars to give off a sense of manliness. Filling their dream boards with stereotypical manly things destigmatizes imagining and exploring ones fantasies – something that has been dubbed as supremely feminine.
Are you fucking kidding me? Have we reverted back to the extreme sexism of the 1930’s? In his article “In Spite of Women,” Kenon Breazeale explores how the creation of Esquire, a men’s magazine, created the male consumer by belittling and asserting female inferiority. By heterosexualizing the magazine with pin up doll inserts, Esquire successfully created a publication that men could read without the fear of being labeled as a homosexual.
The irony of the Pinterest for men websites is that those who use them are the biggest pussies of them all. First of all, they get away from a female dominated website only to fill their pages with women. Secondly, these “men” are so unsure of their sexuality that they use a pseudo website just to erase any possibility of being characterized as a woman. I imagine this is the type of guy who uses Gentlemint.
Pinterest allows you to peek into other people’s imaginations, as well as to explore your own. There’s absolutely nothing feminine about having aspirations, visions, seeking advice, and connecting with your friends on a social media platform. Rejecting Pinterest because it’s too “girly” just makes you an ignorant asshole with no one but your huge muscles and a misogynistic website to listen to your “manly” dreams.
A Broad on a Budget 