When it comes to being a successful influencer like Kim Kardashian or Jay Alvarrez, sex really does sell.  

In fact, the more Instagram stars ‘flash the flesh’ while promoting products, the more money they get, a new study shows. 

By studying hundreds of top influencers and their Instagram posts, researchers found a link between body exposure and how much they get paid. 

Photos show that some of the top Instagram influencers have shed their clothes over time, as they realise that show skin gets them the big money. 

Although Instagram bans shots of ‘sexual intercourse, genitals and fully-nude buttocks’, celebs push the limit by being as racy as possible.

When it comes to being a successful influencer like Kim Kardashian (pictured in a recent post), sex really does sell.

An older shot from Kim Kardashian's Instagram shows the star fully clothed

Instagram influencers like Kim Kardashian (pictured) have gathered millions of followers by showing off their flesh in their snaps

Influencer Jay Alvarrez regularly posts scantily-clad images on his Instagram page

An older shot of Jay Alvarrez, who has 8.5 million followers on Instagram, shows the model and actor fully clothed

The more Instagram stars ‘flash the flesh’ while promoting products, the more money they get, a new study shows. Pictured: American model and actor Jay Alvarrez, who regularly promotes brands including Calvin Klein and Armani

What is an influencer?  

An influencer is someone who has the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.

Influencers promote the likes of food products, clothing brands, make-up, smartphones, home appliances and much more. 

Companies responsible for the products pay influencers up to thousands of dollars per post, depending on the size of the audience.

Advertisement

Instagram stars are not paid by the platform, but mainly by advertisers for promotion of their products. 

So if an influencer posts a photo of them promoting the product with a lot of skin on show, the post is more likely to catch attention – and in turn drive sales of the product. 

How much they get depends on how many followers they have, but the study suggests an average of £14,500 ($17,993) per post. 

‘The results show indeed positive impact of body exposure on monetary success,’ said study author Sonia Gaenssle at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. 

‘Findings suggest that there is a considerable demand for sexualized content, but it also raises questions about the objectification, body images, and perception of beauty.’ 

For the study, Professor Gaenssle looked at 500 top Instagram stars within five categories – fashion and beauty, fitness and sport, music, photography and food – all of them human

Although not all of the stars in the sample are prone to showing off flesh in their posts, several are – including US models Jojo Babie and Jay Alvarrez. 

Professor Gaenssle analysed the most recent 12 snaps from each account and the degree of nudity within – namely, bare skin such as legs, belly, buttocks or parts of a breast.

Kylie Jenner, who has nearly 400 million followers on Instagram, can often be seen in a bikini on her page

In older photos, Kylie Jenner tended to post images showing less flesh

By studying hundreds of top influencers and their Instagram posts, researchers found a link between body exposure and how much they get paid. Pictured: Kylie Jenner has nearly 400 million followers on Instagram and regularly appears in revealing outfits 

Jojo Babie, who has over 10 million followers, is known for her racy snaps

An older snap is one of the least risque on model Jojo Babie's Instagram page

Photos show that some of the top Instagram influencers have shed their clothes over time, as they realise that show skin gets them the big money. Pictured: US model Jojo Babie 

Addison Rae rose to prominence on the video sharing app TikTok and now has 36.8 million followers on Instagram

TikTok star Addison Rae's attire is very different in this older snap from her Instagram

Although Instagram bans shots of ‘sexual intercourse, genitals and fully-nude buttocks’, celebs push the limit by being as racy as possible. Pictured: Addison Rae rose to prominence on the video sharing app TikTok and now has 36.8 million followers on Instagram 

Full nudity is not permitted on Instagram and the platform uses a combination of human moderators and AI to make sure people abide by the rules. 

Professor Gaenssle also considered information on popularity, including likes and comments per post and the account’s followers.

This was compared with data from Heepsy, a site that provides price estimates per Instagram post for firms wanting to find influencers for promotions. 

Although revealing photos are not ‘essential for success’, they are nevertheless common, according to Professor Gaenssle. 

She found that accounts with higher degree of flesh on show in their posts achieved higher levels of income in all genres except for music. 

This was especially true for influencers who promote fitness and fashion – perhaps where showing off flesh is more expected. 

‘The sample clearly shows a positive impact of body exposure on monetary success,’ Professor Gaenssle said. 

‘Accounts with high level of body exposure achieve higher prices and advertising revenues than accounts with less nudity, regardless of the gender.’ 

Professor Gaenssle also found evidence of the the gender pay gap on Instagram and ‘possible inequality in the social media industry’. 

This Instagram shot on Maya Jama's Instagram page from August 2023 shows her in skimpy bikini

In the past, presenter Maya Jama has opted to more clothed snaps on her Instagram page

Instagram stars are not paid by the platform, but mainly by advertisers for promotion of their products. Pictured: British television presenter and radio DJ Maja Jama who has 3 million Instagram followers 

Pictured, some of the accounts looked at in the study - Jay Alvarrez and Jojo Babie (left and centre) that show off flesh and Zeliha Küçükturan (right), a food star that doesn't show off skin

Pictured, some of the accounts looked at in the study – Jay Alvarrez and Jojo Babie (left and centre) that show off flesh and Zeliha Küçükturan (right), a food star that doesn’t show off skin

Except for music, researchers found accounts with higher degree of flesh on show in their posts achieved higher levels of income

Except for music, researchers found accounts with higher degree of flesh on show in their posts achieved higher levels of income

According to the sample, male influencers command higher prices for promoting products on Instagram compared with female influencers, she said. 

‘It raises questions about the societal and cultural factors that may contribute to this bias, including gender stereotypes and expectations about the value of male versus female content,’ she said. 

‘Male content achieves on average higher advertising prices, whereas female accounts provide more branded content and eventually achieve higher advertising revenues.’ 

The academic points out that there are multiple sources of income on other social media platforms, not just advertising revenue. 

For example, OnlyFans, featuring predominantly adult entertainment content where users pay subscriptions, could be popular models in the coming years. 

The new study has been published in the journal Kyklos

Is Instagram damaging your confidence? People who spend more time on social media struggle with their body image, study finds 

Instagram is often slammed for creating unrealistic body ideals, but a new study suggests our loved ones are more to blame than celebrities. 

In experiments, participants reported levels of satisfaction with their appearance whenever they saw other people’s social media posts throughout the day. 

Researchers found engaging with posts by friends and family to be more ‘damaging’ than engaging with content posted by celebs and influencers. 

It’s possible that a desirable body image from a famous person is perceived as less attainable, so we worry about it less than if it were from a friend or family member. 

Read more 

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk

You May Also Like

Moon, Mars, Uranus conjunction TOMORROW – watch rare space event as they ‘meet up’ in sky

URANUS, Mars and the Moon will be making a pretty close approach…

Steam Deck drops to its lowest price ever – but there’s only a limited supply

GAMERS are rushing to grab the most popular portable PC the Steam…

Who are the Nelk Boys?

NELK entertainment is a controversial Canadian YouTube channel and company, known for…

Children addicted to video games are attacking their PARENTS, experts warn 

Parents shouldn’t take away consoles from children who show signs of gaming…