Entanglements:
Journal of Posthumanities
E-ISSN: 3107-488X

(Article)
From Pets to Influencers: Examining Species Equivalence and Agency in Pet Fashion of Tika and Bodhi
Authored By — Karishma Suresh

Abstract

Pet fashion has seen an exponential growth in the twenty-first century, expanding well beyond traditional leashes, collars, and name tags to include high-fashion clothing, accessories, and furniture. This burgeoning culture has given rise to pet influencers: animals with substantial social media followings, particularly on Instagram. These pet influencers, often dogs, cats, or rabbits, highlight pet fashion trends, endorse products, and share their activities through their owners, referred to as pet parents. This phenomenon has gained significant momentum post-pandemic, fostering a new level of indulgence among the younger population, who increasingly regard pets as family members. This shift is evidenced by the purchase of exclusive clothing and the creation of mini-me looks to express adoration and love for these new family members. Such practices cater to the trend of pet humanization, prompting questions about the implications of dressing animals in human-like fashion. This paper aims to explore whether the trend of pet fashion represents a step towards a posthumanistic view of species equivalence or if it diminishes the agency of animals. This study examines the social media accounts of prominent pet influencers, Tika (@tikatheiggy) and Bodhi (@mensweardog). It aims to determine whether pet dog fashion contributes to erasing the boundaries between human and non-human or if it intensifies the fetishization of humans through the theoretical frameworks of posthumanism and bioethics.

Keywords

pet fashion, pet influencers, species equivalence, agency, human/non-human binary

Read/Download Full Article