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