entertainment

There's a new celebrity Instagram trend: the incidental nude.

Oops! Incidentally naked.

Social media devotees are known for highly-curated Instagram accounts intended to induce envy and awe in viewers.

Many choose a direct route: immaculate selfies, piles of ostentatious designer products and exotic locales feature heavily. If at all possible, there will be private-jet selfies. That’s the real money shot.

Then there’s the humblebrag: a post that purports to be self-deprecating but which is actually intended to show off the subject in a favourable light. It’s an excruciating form of false modesty.

Here’s a prime example of the humblebrag:

But lately, we’re noticing a third category of social media brag posting: incidental nudes.

The majority of offenders in this category tend to be young, very famous and possessed by a shameless narcissism with which they may have been born. It is, sadly, incurable but generally diminishes with age and the corresponding bodily deterioration.

Here’s an excellent recent example. It’s model Gigi Hadid, showing us her manicure:

This pic? It’s about Gigi Hadid’s new manicure.

The incidental nude is ostensibly about something else: a new manicure, a designer outfit, a new yoga move. In actual fact, though, its sole purpose is to show off the subject’s nude or nearly nude body.

We want to tell Instagram nudists: just be honest — there’s no shame in loving your bod. Tag your pictures, “Look at my bum! I think it looks super-hot today” or “I am recording my fabulous breasts for posterity”. Tell the world, “My abs are flat because I go to the gym a lot and I don’t have anything better to do!”

Here are some prime examples of the incidental nude.