Trapped

THE NEGATIVE NARRATIVE SURROUNDING THIRST TRAPS AND WHY IT NEEDS TO CHANGE

By Mason Braasch, Staff Writer • Graphic by Keely Bradish, Arts Curator

The 2020 presidential election saw the greatest voter turnout in American history. While this is likely due to the high stakes of the election, and various efforts of groups around the country to increase the number of registered voters, there may be one factor in this increase that we are failing to recognize: Kylie Jenner’s Thirst Trap.

On September 28, Kylie posted a seductive photo of her in a bikini on Instagram. It was captioned, “but are you registered to vote? click the link in my bio...let’s make a plan to vote together.” And while there’s no way to know if the 10 million people who liked the photo were influenced to register or vote, the picture speaks volumes on the powerful role of thirst traps in today’s society.

Not everyone’s thirst traps serve to uphold the democracy of America, but they can be influential in the way you see yourself. By definition, a thirst trap is a sexy photograph, often accompanied by a flirty message posted on social media, with the intent of causing others to compliment or profess attraction.1 Thirst traps have become more popular with the rise of social media, allowing men and women to share photos in which they feel confident. But as one might expect, thirst traps also get lots of hate online.

You don’t have to look far to find negativity about thirst traps. On photos posted by celebrities, there are always comments that aim to shame them. Among the thousands of comments that Kylie Jenner receives on her photos are comments calling her “tacky,” “gross,” and critiquing her every angle. The narrative around thirst traps, particularly the ones posted by women, is that they are a source of “self-objectification,” and that to post a thirst trap is to fish for compliments.

What is so wrong with posting a thirst trap? Today so much of our daily lives are documented online. Our social media accounts are depictions of life events in pictures, so why is it taboo to share a moment in which we feel confident? Common hashtags used on thirst traps such as #thirsttrapthursday and #thirsttrappin have more than 68,000 posts; yet to some, the act of posting a sexy photo on your Instagram is seen as shameful.

The negative narrative around thirst traps needs to change. Rather than seeing them as a desperate search for attention, we should see an empowering expression of confidence. And who says your thirst traps even need to be shared? Thirst traps are all about finding the parts of yourself that you love and documenting them; the decision to post them for the world, your private story or just keep them to yourself is up to you.

Whether or not your thirst traps are influencing elections, they should empower you. Despite what naysayers on the internet say, you are allowed to feel good about your appearance, and more importantly, you are allowed to share that feeling. So, try it. Express your confidence and the parts of yourself that you love. Whether you share those parts with others is up to you, but remember that confidence is normal, strong, and beautiful, and there is nothing wrong with embracing it. ■