Sex appeal or impropriety?

Imagine having everything you post on social media monitored and judged by millions of people you don’t even know you. Fourtnetly for the average person, they don’t have to go through constant criticizing and ridicule of every little thing they post on social media. Celebrities, on the other hand, are watched under a close microscope and have to face the storm every day.

In 2014, the 22-year-old singer-actress Selena Gomez went to Abu Dhabi and visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Gomez later posted a photo to her Instagram of her inside the mosque exposing one of her ankles: a symbol of impropriety in a mosque.

This photo will be analyzed using Shannon Bowen’s list of guidelines (2013). Bowen’s (2013) guidelines will be used to determine if Gomez's now-deleted Instagram post was unethical and a symbol of impropriety.

1. Be fair and prudent: Is Gomez post a strategy used that will benefit both the public and her? No. Gomez was disrespecting the Muslim culture by exposing her ankle, which is forbidden in a mosque.
2. Avoid deception: Did Gomez avoid deception? No. Exposing your ankle or lower leg is not a practice of the people who go to mosques and by Gomez showing her ankle in the mosque was depicting to people that you can do this in a mosque.
3. Maintain dignity and respect: Did this post maintain dignity and respect? Absolutely not. As stated earlier in the article, exposing skin in the way that Gomez did in the mosque is forbidden. What was even more disrespectful was that Gomez purposely exposed her lower leg by pulling up the bottom of her outfit.
4. Eschew secrecy: Did this Gomez deliberately keep it a secret that she was trying to disrespect a mosque? No. In the photo Gomez is seen with a cheeky smile while pulling up her dress, exemplifying that she knew she was doing something inappropriate.
5. Is it reversible: Is this photo seen in different ways that cater to all audiences? No. This photo might be pleasant for a young man to look at. However, a young man that practices Muslims might find this post offensive and choose to not support Gomez.
6. Be transparent: Is it clear to audiences whether or not Gomez was purposely trying to disrespect the Muslim culture? No, it was not. Gomez likely felt like she needed to expose some part of her skin to appeal to the American idea of what it means to be sexy and it is unlikely that she was trying to purposely offend Muslim culture.
7. Clearly identify: Was Gomez’s actions a representation of the people she works with or only of her? It is unclear whether or not if Gomez's action was a representation of the people who stand with her or of only her. The reason for this is, is that Gomez didn't go alone on this trip. There were other celebrities who were there such as Gigi Hadid.
8. Rational analysis: Was the photo analyzed prior to its publication as to whether or not if it would be misinterpreted? Most definitely not. You would think that a high-status celebrity would have all her content viewed before being posted on social media. It does not seem like this was the case.
9. Emphasize clarity: It is clear to the audience that there is sponsorship involved? Gomez was not selling anything in this photo or is not transparent that she was at least. This guideline does not apply to this post.
10. Disclose: This guideline does not apply to Gomez post.
11. Verify sources and data: Where did this photo come from? It is evident that the photo was not photoshopped or manipulated. The photo was posted by Gomez on her personal Instagram profile.
12. Establish responsibility: Does this photo help Gomez identity? Does it make Gomez look responsible? No, this photo does not. It shows that she has a lack of care for the Muslim culture and has a lack of respect for herself on many levels.
13. Examine intention: Was it obvious what Gomez was trying to depict in this photo? No. It is unclear as to whether Gomez was trying to be disrespectful to the Muslim culture or if she was trying to respect her own culture of showing skin to cater to the male gaze.
14. Encourage the good: Was Gomez post trying to build connectedness, engagement, or community? No. Well, Kind of. But not really. Gomez was appealing to her American fans by showing sex appeal and conforming with Ameican culture. However, she also created disconnection, disengagement, and presented a poor sense of community with the Muslim culture.
15. Consistency builds trust: Was Gomez being consistent with her usual nature of the content she usually posts on social media? Yes. However, she was not being consistent with her drive to be respectful.

Analyzing Gomez Instagram post using Bowen’s (2013)Guidelines makes it clear that Gomez's post was unethical. This explains why Gomez had deleted the post shortly after it was posted. While Gomez was likely not aware of the implications her photo had and how she was being disrespectful of the Muslim culture while respecting her own American culture, she became a prospect of unethical digital media behaviour.

Bowen, S. A. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28, 119–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/08900523.2013.793523