Feminists Need to Remember to Support One Another Behind Theirs Screens
‘Feminists’ on social media do not always support each other online
Scrolling through TikTok the other day, I came across a woman’s account that I found very intriguing. Looking through her content, I discovered that most of her short videos included topics revolving around feminism.
I was so excited to see another confident feminist using a social media platform to inform, support, and use their time to speak out. Unfortunately, these platforms are often overrun by judgements that are strictly based on society’s definition of who they say we are and how we are supposed to act. Sadly, this judgmental reality was what I found watching even these videos.
I was not able to save her videos, but this woman spent time commenting and judging other women based on the videos they posted to TikTok. She would laugh and mock them on what they were wearing and how they looked on the outside. She would also add in sarcastic comments regarding what the person was saying and doing alongside their appearance.
This gave me an unsettling feeling inside. I could not wrap my head around the fact that this woman are going about her life saying that she is a feminist, but then goes out of her way to ridicule someone else. Why would someone use social media as a way to mock and laugh at these people?
Feminism has been relevant in world history from ancient Greece to today’s modern society, and it has come a long way since its beginning. In his work Republic, Plato supported women in that they have abilities equal to men for governing and defending. Writers in later years, during the Enlightenment, advocated and disputed on behalf of women of equality. This progressive engagement continued decades later, leading up to the first wave of feminism that stemmed from the Seneca Falls Convention. As abolitionists, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott indicated in their Declaration of Sentiments that “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal.”
Many of these movements led women to triumphs of proving that they are more than what originally thought. The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920 that gave American women the right to vote. The second wave of feminism brought on the Equal Rights Amendment that was passed in 1972. This Amendment “was to provide for the legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex.” Women’s suffrage initially benefitted white women, but it has grown into a movement that supports women of all racial backgrounds.
By the year 2010 and on, feminists called attention to misogyny and ensuring equal rights of women. The #MeToo movement and women’s marches continued showing feminist empowerment and acknowledgment of wrongs that need to be brought to attention.
With the history of feminism, social media has become a huge factor in feminists getting their message out to the world. Some statistics show that social media can increase public knowledge of topics and controversies in this growing technology era. It gives feminists a new space to bring awareness to current issues and celebrates women’s successful triumphs over time. This gives people regular exposure to feminist content that keeps people updated from all areas of the world.
I constantly see social media being used to further feminist movements and conversations in society. However, this fact alongside the triggering moment of seeing that woman mock another brings me to question how constructive social media can be regarding feminism.
Social media is often used by individuals who choose to tease others from behind a screen. People who don’t understand or disagree with feminism tend to follow this path. People on social media, similar to other aspects of life, see feminists as “man-haters.” In my mind, this is not the case. Many women and other individuals do not associate themselves with the term feminist because they do not want to be associated with such a negative connotative meaning. Others, like the example of the woman I saw on TikTok, use the term to describe themselves. Then they turn away from it in their actions and what they post.
For a person like the woman on TikTok, they should not be met with hostility. A quote from a woman named Lemony Snicket says, “If everyone fought fire with fire, the whole world would go up in smoke.”
I would apply the same notion to this. It is not good that these feminists are using social media platforms to make fun of others. However, as feminists, we should show them grace and help them understand why what they are doing is wrong. It is about having that specific conversation with them about why they are taking this step to purposely mock another person.
It can be very hard to pinpoint an exact definition that covers all former and modern thoughts within feminism. In this, one of my favorite all-time statements comes from the famous actress and activist, Emma Watson.
Watson was appointed as the United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador and served as an activist for the #HeForShe campaign in 2014. In 2017, she posed for Vanity Fair in a photoshoot and received a lot of feedback from people questioning her feminism over online and in-person situations. As the main actress for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast live-action movie, Watson responded in an interview on the feminist misunderstanding.
Watson said that “feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality.”
Those words have been continuously ringing through my head for the past few years. Every time I see one of the jaw-dropping videos of one ‘feminist’ judging and laughing at others, I can simply hear Emma Watson in my head.
Feminism is not always so simply defined as we may like, but I do know that social media has made a huge impact on it over the years. We do not necessarily have the power to force people to feel a certain way about others, but that doesn’t mean we should stay quiet when people laugh and make a mockery of them. People who ridicule others online are not in the right, but we just need to open up that conversation as feminists ourselves.
