{"id":145,"date":"2020-05-11T15:02:18","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T19:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/philosophyoffood\/?p=145"},"modified":"2020-05-11T16:40:48","modified_gmt":"2020-05-11T20:40:48","slug":"understanding-the-aesthetics-of-food-porn-in-todays-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scholarblogs.emory.edu\/philosophyoffood\/2020\/05\/11\/understanding-the-aesthetics-of-food-porn-in-todays-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Aesthetics of Food Porn in Today’s Media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Cecilia Zhang, Lawrence Rowley, and Oliver Xu<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image description:<\/strong> This picture is centered around a girl appearing to be indulging in tasty fried foods. The term food porn often refers to pictures like this where the food is staged for the picture and meant to make your mouth water. Image source:<\/strong> HunniBee ASMR Youtube video<\/a>, \u201cASMR MOST POPULAR FOOD AT POPEYES (CHICKEN SANDWICH, FRIED CHICKEN, CAJUN FRIES, BISCUITS MUKBANG \uba39\ubc29\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So… What is “Food Porn”?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If we delve into history, we can find that this term was first coined by Rosalind Coward in her 1984 book Female Desire<\/em>. However, what is more intriguing is, why was it coined in such a way? What are the implications of including the word \u201cporn\u201d? In fact, when you hear the words \u201cfood porn,\u201d you probably think or feel something different than when you hear \u201cfood art<\/em>.\u201d What you may think of is something indulgent, something mouth-watering, or extremely and irresistibly desirable. However, does the involvement of \u201cmouth-watering bodily pleasure\u201d mean that food porn isn\u2019t art? Or are the two conflated in some way? In fact, is today\u2019s idea of food porn different than when it was first coined? Here, we will discuss the aesthetics <\/em>of food porn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are all pictures of food… food porn?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Image description:<\/strong> This was a prank for April Fool’s Day on pornhub.com. Featured on the main page are “Hot Corn Videos,” depicting four images of corn being slabbed with butter, steamed, shucked, and popped. While this was satirical, it did have a lot of “food porn” appeals such as close ups of corn and popcorn and different varieties of corn. Image source:<\/strong> Screenshot<\/a> of pornhub.com on April Fool’s Day (note this site is an adult website and is not safe for work. The embedded link is to an NPR post).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rosalind Coward may have had a more specific idea, but nowadays, it seems that almost any picture or media of food can be considered food porn. For example, when one searches #foodporn on Instagram, an extreme variety of food pops up. This hashtag is one of the most widely used tags on just about any picture of food. There almost doesn\u2019t seem to be particular foods or accounts that are the sole example of what defines food porn as a whole. Some may consider certain media food porn, and some may not, and just about anyone can post it. As an example, I myself really enjoy burgers and so upon seeing burgers on media, I salivate, and I crave them. Therefore, to me, burgers are a form of food porn. That, however, does not mean that the media of burgers is food porn for everyone. Would juicy pictures of burgers be appetizing to a vegetarian? Probably not. In fact, many vegetarians may feel disgusted looking at a picture of a large juicy and greasy burger (see Korsmeyer 2002 on the paradox of aversion). Food porn may be relative to each individual, just like how some people find some art pieces attractive and others ugly. After all, everyone grew up within a different background and culture, and therefore eats differently and enjoys different types of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many people think that food porn is only within the realm of media, I would argue that food porn can exist beyond it. For example, at many bakeries, different pastries are displayed through the glass for customers to look at. This is also food porn because they are displaying such food to allow customers to enjoy and salivate to. In fact, food itself that is served to you or that you cook can also be considered food porn as long as one enjoys looking at it. This raises the question of whether other senses can be factored in when considering what food porn is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at ASMR. As seen with the rise of these auditory stimulating videos, many of which are of people eating different types of food, it is clear that people can enjoy food porn not only through visual senses. The craving-inducing crunches and textures featured in ASMR videos depict yet a different way for viewers to indulge food – through sound. This means that smell and touch can possibly also be considered when asking the question \u201cwhat is food porn?\u201d You may ask yourself: do you enjoy smelling or feeling food, without necessarily eating it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although we can conclude that the meaning of what is or isn\u2019t food porn is highly subjective, we must still entertain the question: are there more popular definitions of food porn? We may want to take a closer look at the \u201ctop\u201d page of Instagram\u2019s #foodporn. Although just about any food image could appear in this tag (fruits here and there, numerous diverse cultural cuisines, homemade dishes, amateur baking), we may begin to notice that a large majority of the popular ones are greasy, buttery, or sweet. Many of the top photos are pastries, sweets, baked and fried goods. Could popularity help us get a better grasp of all the things that make food porn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s Trending?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Image description: <\/strong>This is an image of a chocolate shake that is topped with many ingredients: pretzels, marshmallows, popcorn, waffle cone, and even a fancy candy cane-like straw. This image is an example of food porn that almost seems hard to eat but is what many consider to be perfect for an Instagram post or story because of its aesthetic qualities. Image source:<\/strong> Facinadora \/ Alamy Stock Photo<\/a>. 5 June 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFood porn\u201d as a term may have existed since the 1980s, but clearly reached mass popularity due to the modern phenomenon of social media. People love sharing every little bit of their lives to the world these days, and there is no exception for one of the biggest parts of our day \u2013 eating. In fact, \u201ceating\u201d may be such a large factor in our lives that food is one of the most favorite<\/em> things for people to share. And of course, this comes hand in hand with one the other things people love to do on social media \u2013 following each other\u2019s examples. This results in what we call: Food trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, do all<\/em> food trends count as \u201cfood porn\u201d? As we covered earlier, this may not be the case\u2026 subjectively. According to the Real Simple Magazine\u2019s article, \u201cThe 12 Biggest Food Trends of 2019,\u201d such items on the list include oat milk, impossible burgers, and acai bowls. This, along with other trends such as kombucha and avocado toast imply that \u201chealth\u201d (or the perception thereof) is something trend worthy. However, most people would probably argue that health is not exactly something \u201cporn\u201d worthy. And despite these popular healthy trends, it appears that unhealthy foods (ones that are more popularly considered food porn) seem to be the more favored side of social media food sharing. On Belle Communication\u2019s \u201c10 Restaurants That Are Killing it on Instagram,\u201d their list of popular restaurant social media pages consists of one healthy option, and 9 unhealthy ones including fast food, street food, steak, ice cream, donuts, and coffee. Other not-so-healthy trends such as those presented on the food blog Tasty<\/em> include whipped coffee, souffle pancakes, boba tea, and milkshakes with excess amounts of garnish (pictured).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what exactly does it say about food trends that the most \u201cfavorited\u201d ones on social media are not the same as the most \u201ceaten\u201d ones? Well, it\u2019s simple. Instagram-able<\/em> food is amazing to look at. We love to indulge with our eyes, only. Some of these trends, such as HUGE food, in fact, may not even be so practical to eat, if you don\u2019t want a stomachache, that is. Instagram-able food is so indulgent, that merely looking at it with your eyes is enough. Food porn is more about the looking, than the eating\u2026 to the point where some foods are made<\/em> specifically for social media. \u201cRainbow food\u201d is a good example of this phenomena. There is nothing tasty about the rainbow, only pretty. Furthermore, mukbang<\/em> is another telling trend. Although many of us probably would not like to sit and eat 12 hamburgers in one go, we sure love to see someone else do it. Social media has put food into a pretty, untouchable frame. \u201cFood porn\u201d is something we consume, only on the screen. However, now that food is removed from the act of bodily indulgence and pushed back into a distal sense, does it qualify as \u201cArt\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is Food Porn Art?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Image description: <\/strong>This image is a beautiful array of sushi rolls, sashimi, eel, and shrimp. It also features soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger on the side. This picture also really captures artistic elements on top of the food itself. Every item on the pallet is positioned carefully and made to give the image balance. The different shades of bright green, white, and pinkish-orange contrast well against the black background to create a nice aesthetic. Image source: <\/strong>Alena Haurylik<\/a>. 3 Oct. 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent growth of social media, along with evolving technology, has made it easier than ever to share images with the digital world. Phone cameras have become very high quality and include features that only high-tech cameras had in the past. When a story of a beautiful array of sushi comes up on your feed you may think, \u201cThat looks delicious,\u201d or… \u201cWhere can I get that?\u201d You\u2019re probably right that the sushi is delicious. However, the perfect filter, lighting, and flash may have affected how delicious that sushi looked. Photographing food to be aesthetically pleasing has become increasingly popular and many have asked the question: Can food be considered art? And if so\u2026 how exactly does food porn fit into that category?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may say that food porn doesn\u2019t fall in the category of art. Popular beliefs against food as art include the idea that food isn\u2019t a form of expression and can\u2019t tell a story (Deresiewicz 2012, cited in Boisvert & Heldke 94). In their book Philosophers At Table<\/em>, Raymond Boisvert and Lisa Heldke argue that we should open our minds to the possibility of food as a consummatory art (Boisvert & Heldke 86). I find that food porn can<\/em> be considered as art and, contrary to some beliefs, involves a good deal of expression. For example, the aforementioned plate of sushi (pictured), top view, centered, high contrast and saturation, with neatly and purposefully placed straight rows could suggest not only something delicious, but also refinement, elegance, and harmony. An angled photo of a stream of milk splashing into a bowl of cereal could instead represent anticipation, eagerness, and excitement, with a feel of familiarity. In Elizabeth Entenman\u2019s blog post, \u201cHow To Get The Most Likes For Your Food Instagram Posts,” she shares tips on getting more likes on food pictures, many of which are improving aesthetic qualities. Entenman\u2019s article includes sections on lighting, angle, and editing photos suggesting that the sharpness, contrast, color balance, and saturation of your pictures is very important. As the article is centered around people literally liking the reader\u2019s food pictures, it portrays the message that food porn is a way for us to share our work in hope that others will understand it and enjoy it. We want the people who see our food pictures to recall similar types of emotions to those that were felt when we consumed the food ourselves. I argue that the artists of more traditional art had the same goal in mind. Food has now entered the realm of photography, and just so happens to be a subject that many people love to partake in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art is described as the expression of human creativity and imagination and often thought of as something appreciated for its uniqueness, aesthetic qualities, and identity. Food and food porn, more specifically, include many of these qualities, and allow the photographer to express themselves. Just as more traditional forms of art, such as paintings and sculptures, aren\u2019t all the same, neither is food porn. Although we can relate viewing food porn, scrolling through images of tasty meals and treats, to strolling through an art gallery full of beautiful paintings, there is something more attached\u2026 the feeling of familiarity. Each person has their own interests and can interpret each image or painting in their own way, but we can all relate to good food. The photographer and painter each had to decide on the piece\u2019s aesthetic elements and likely thought about how others would view it. It takes an artistic mind to know which food images are best to display and an artistic eye to make the images aesthetically pleasing, and translatable. In other words, there is indeed art in the creation and display of food porn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allen, Heather. “10 Restaurants That Are Killing It On Instagram<\/a>.” Belle Communication<\/em>. 20 Aug. 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boisvert, Raymond D. and Lisa M. Heldke. Philosophers at Table: On Food and Being Human<\/em>. London: Reaktion Books, Ltd., 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coward, Rosalind. Female Desire<\/em>. London: Paladin Books, 1984.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deresiewicz, William. “A Matter of Taste?<\/a>” The New York Times.<\/em> 26 Oct. 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entenman, Elizabeth. “How To Get Instagram Likes For Your Food Instagram Posts<\/a>.” So Yummy.<\/em> 22 Feb. 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gold, Betty. “12 Biggest Food Trends of 2019<\/a>.” Real Simple<\/em>. 25 Sept. 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Korsmeyer, Carolyn. \u201cDelightful, Delicious, Disgusting.\u201d Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism<\/em>, vol. 60, no. 3 (2002), pp. 217\u2013225.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kugel, Allison. “How ‘Food Porn’ Posted on Social Media Has Become an Industry.<\/a>” Entrepreneur<\/em>. 1 June 2017.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cecilia Zhang, Lawrence Rowley, and Oliver Xu So… What is “Food Porn”? If we delve into history, we can find that this term was first coined by Rosalind Coward in her 1984 book Female Desire. However, what is more intriguing is, why was it coined in such a way? What are the implications of… <\/p>\n

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