How Instagram is being given a gay makeover

Gay users are flocking to the photo network which offers support, belonging and taut abs

Think of Instagram and you probably imagine a stream of changing-room selfies, envy-inducing holiday snaps and an avalanche of smashed avocado on toast. But there's another aesthetic which arguably defines the online social networking and photo-sharing platform which you may have missed if you're straight.

Instagram is being made over by gay men and, to a lesser extent, gay women. Search for the hashtags #gay, #gaygirl or #instagay and you're hit with more than 45 million posts. Must-follows include: @thenexttopgay (buff guys who clearly don't own any shirts); @lesbianfunhouse (honed girls with quiffs, tattoos and bow ties) and @thegaybeards (two guys who love to accessorise their whiskers). And recently a cluster of accounts have sprung up celebrating all things gay marriage, highlighted in a Buzzfeed listicle entitled 17 Beautiful Instagram Accounts That Will Bring Queer Love To Your Feed.