According to a Chicago professor, the recent trend on social media to flaunt spacious, bright, clean, and perfectly organized pantries is rooted in racist, classist, and sexist social structures.
Associate professor of marketing Jenna Drenten said she took note of a recent uptick in what she called “pantry porn” — when women show off their fully stocked, methodically styled home closets.
Drenten specifically singles out ultra-influencer celebrities like the Kardashians for spreading the trend while showing their millions of followers their pristine storage spaces.
However, according to Drenten, the Kardashians are only reinforcing design elements that have long been intertwined with status.
While beautiful, neat, airy kitchens and homes have long been associated with wealth and status, dirty and unkempt kitchens and homes indicate that their owners lack the responsibility and resources to care for them.
Moreover, it is suggested, women will be the ones to take care of the extensive pantries and the things cooked with their abundance of ingredients – connecting them, in a way that the modern woman might reject, to the domestic sphere.
Marketing professor Dr. Jenna Drenten of Chicago’s Loyala University claimed that the social media “pantry porn” trend is rooted in racism, classicism and sexism
A shot of Khloe Kardashian’s ‘pantry porn’ home setup. The KUWTK starlet is known for being an organizational fiend and her kitchen style aligns with that value
Drenthe argues that tidiness is intertwined with status insofar as clutter has and is associated with an individual’s ability to be responsible and maintain a respectable home.
“Cleanliness has historically been used as a cultural gatekeeper mechanism to reinforce status distinctions based on a vague notion of ‘niceness’: nice people, with nice gardens, in nice houses, make for nice neighborhoods,” she wrote.
“What lies beneath the surface of this anti-clutter, pro-niceness stance is a history of classist, racist and sexist social structures.”
Citing her research, Drenten claimed that the viral videos of beautiful pantries, complete with labeled and symmetrically arranged storage bins of dried goods and ingredients, function as new “status symbols” for what it looks like to have a “beautiful,” well-maintained home. to keep.
“Perhaps it is not surprising that pantry porn gained a foothold during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chain shortages soared. Keeping things close at hand became a symbol of resilience for those with the money and space to do so,” she wrote.
Drenten also argued that pantry porn standards create societal expectations for ideal wives and mothers.
“Pantry porn, as a status symbol, relies on the promise of making everyday housework easier. But when women are largely responsible for the work required to maintain the perfectly organized pantry, it is crucial to ask: easier for whom?’ she added.
According to Drenten, 85 percent of new homes built in America that are 3,500 square feet or larger have a walk-in closet, which is consistently listed as the most desirable kitchen feature for new homebuyers.
Drenten is an associate professor of marketing at the Quinlan School of Business as well as Loyola University in Chicago.
She specializes in digital consumer culture, included “how digital technologies and social media platforms (e.g., TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter) are providing consumers with new opportunities to express their identities and navigate life transitions.”
Kim Kardashian’s ode to the “pantry porn” genre features carefully stacked snacks for her four young children, organized down to the way the cookies are placed in jars
Kim’s walk-in refrigerator offers plenty of healthy choices, including fruits and veggies, which her kitchen staff prepares for her family daily
A fuller shot of Khloe’s pantry shows that each jar of pasta or other ingredient is labeled in a simple white font that makes it easy for the mega-celebrity reality sweetheart to find what she needs
The minimalist and lightweight pantry stores everything from snacks to canned goods to ziplocs, dishes and other household items and appliances – all in the chicest way possible
Khloe and Kim Kardashian both have gorgeous pantry porn closets of their own
Whether or not the modern luxury kitchen and pantry are based on a history of sexism, racism, and classicism, it’s easy to understand that some would envy the well-stocked cabinets and shelves of the Kardashian-Jenner clan.
Members of the media-friendly family regularly post their immaculate food storages to their social media accounts for followers to drool over and draw inspiration from.
Khloe Kardashian, in particular, has shared her knack for hyper-organization with her followers over the years when it comes to the depths of her kitchen.
Each shelf is packed – but not overly packed – with precisely placed containers of food, including canned and packaged dry staples, snacks, sauces, dressings and condiments.
Khloe’s pantry organization was styled and executed by The Home Edit, who worked closely with Khloe’s team to create a custom aesthetic.
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