Instagram Yoga
From being mocked and laughed at, to being scrutinized by the media, yoga has endured endless judgment. Finally, in the 21st century, yoga has come to dominate the culture of wellness in Western society, specifically in the United States. Love uncovers the story of the media's portrayal from times when "yoga has been feared, loathed, mocked, kicked to the fringes of society, associated with sexual promiscuity, criminal fraud, and runaway immigration" to currently a time of extreme attraction and lucrative business. Today, more than 15 million Americans practice yoga (Statistics Brain, 2015), and more than 300 million people have an Instagram account (Statista, 2015). The prominence of this social media platform has become a central location for yogis to virtually share their favorite poses, sequences, and yogic philosophies. Yoga had transitioned from a countercultural practice to a pop culture phenomenon through yogic entrepreneurs. Pop culture has increased the demand