Ideal Unreal Women

Mediation and Stereotypes in Influencers Created by Generative Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

This article examines how digital influencers created by Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) reproduce gender stereotypes and aesthetic standards related to women’s bodies. The research assumes that AI-generated images are not neutral but are culturally and informationally mediated, reflecting and amplifying biases rooted in patriarchal society. The main objective is to analyze stereotypes concerning the female body present in AI-generated influencers, in order to understand how such representations, disseminated on Instagram, reinforce the eroticization, standardization, and commodification of women’s bodies. Methodologically, this is a documentary and qualitative study with a descriptive and analytical approach. The corpus consisted of virtual influencer profiles with wide visibility, analyzed through posts and images. Content analysis techniques made it possible to identify categories related to hypersexualization, normative body ideals, and the invisibility of female diversity. The findings show that AI-produced representations replicate hegemonic patterns of femininity: young, slim, white women, with symmetrical features and eroticized appearances. It was also observed that the social visibility attributed to these profiles is associated almost exclusively with physical attractiveness and seductive power, reinforcing the logic of consumption of the female body. The diversity of bodies, ethnicities, and experiences is systematically neglected. The study concludes that virtual influencers act as cultural mediators, imposing unrealistic models of femininity and reinforcing gender inequalities. In this context, the mediation of information and culture emerges as a strategic space to challenge such stereotypes and promote new social imaginaries based on plurality and equity.