Has social media made feminism a trend and more importantly is feminism not taken seriously because of it?
As the second wave of feminism develops, the way in which society perceives and understands it has shifted. With the ability for individuals to express themselves and curate their images on social media, the simplicity and easiness of sharing these issues can degrade the issues themselves. We have to question the way in which feminism is perceived and if its perception affects the success or legitimacy of the movement. One thing social media has created is an environment that thrives off of fast paced trends. When the presence of certain social issues become popular on social media, we often label them as âtrendyâ issues and not real ones. They become phases that people on social media buy into, in order to keep up with the media around them, but know little about. But, how do we really know someone’s intentions and how should we perceive the ability of people to easily show alliance to, but not fully understanding, important albeit trendy issues?
Knowing the history of feminism â I remember sitting with my boss a few months ago and he gave me some very important advice. He said that my generation is a generation that is so fast to jump on the bandwagon of certain issues without really knowing anything about them. And I agree. You may call yourself a feminist and you may, in fact, believe in equality of men and women, but you may not know anything about the history of feminism. Of what the women before us had to fight for in order to get us to where we are at. Although Iâm big on speaking out against the âneedâ for a college degree, I do believe education is extremely important. And you can do that by reading yourself, taking classes, looking up articles and scholarly journals, watching TED talks. Imagine if for every makeup tutorial you watched on youtube, you watched one TED talk or segment from National Geographic, how much you would learn about these issues you âcare aboutâ and how much you would be learning about the world. While they may not be as big, there certainly are media outlets that arenât about fashion or beauty. And they are important! We live in a culture that is so obsessed with Instagram and Twitter. We are so overstimulated that we canât have any measure or understanding of the world. For this project, it was important to really read about feminism and the history of Sex Ed in America. To know what I am talking about and to be putting out correct and up to date information. I urge you to go read up on the history of feminism and sexuality, you’ll likely learn a lot! And sometimes itâs not about putting it out there that youâre even reading it and posting pics that you are a feminist, itâs about just knowing for yourself that, wow, I actually know what Iâm talking about, Iâm authentic, and it feels good.
Growing out nonconventional body hair â is that really âeasyâ feminism? Should we (feminists) be judging the way someone represents themselves and why they chose to do so? It is almost impossible to know, just from someone’s image on social media, what parts of âfeminismâ they embrace. How does this hurt the movement when people just post the picture but donât use words to explain the greater meaning? How can we tell what is intended to be trendy armpit hair and what is intended to positively rebel against society’s double standards? I think itâs ridiculous when women believe they are “more feministâ than other women. I have had women on social media, even prominent feminists, tell me I canât be one because I shave my armpits and I post provocative photos of my body. I think we need to stray away from the idea that being a feminist has to fit a certain image. It has never been about what you look like or even act like. Itâs about what you believe in! About what you want for this world. Itâs about believing in and wanting equality for men and women. I personally believe there are larger feminist issues than not shaving your armpits but I do think the reason I do it is because I grew up in a society where that was deemed what is ânormalâ and âacceptedâ and thatâs why I do it. Iâm sure Iâm programmed in a way. And I donât doubt that or deny it. But I would rather focus my issues on helping with a Sex Ed movement and tackle rape issues than body hair! But I do commend anyone that feels strongly about that, I just personally donât. Which brings me to the point, that any effort is effort and thatâs whatâs important. If you feel strongly or passionately about one part of the movement then stick to that.
feminists v feminists â Everyone represents themselves differently on social media! We canât judge how much of a feminist or how little of a feminist someone is. We also canât judge how people are. I have people meet me all the time and say âWow youâre so different than I expectedâ And sometimes Iâm just like, “yea.. maybe donât judge a book by its cover!” Social media is a facade of what people put out there. Yet, we live in a culture where itâs easy and acceptable to judge someone on a little grid they put out there: Kind of twisted if you ask me. Everyone defines the term differently, expresses it differently, and it plays a different role in everyone’s life. Women are so quick to tear each other down over issues for which we should be building each other up. I watch this go down all the time, women attacking other women for calling themselves feminists. Since when did this become a turf war? We must stick together and help spread knowledge and support for one another, not judgement and unconstructive criticism!
Questioning is good and necessary for improvement! There is tremendous value in questioning. Make it more constructive, ask questions, be supportive. Never assume! And donât be judgmental or put other women down. The ability to express oneself and feed into trends is unavoidable, there will/are people who are only doing it to seem trendy, but that should not affect those who are deeply passionate, educated and vocal on the topic. It can be frustrating that people like that exist, but it is just a part of the world we live in and our ability to publicize trends! Use it to your advantage, speak up and out! Make your voice heard not just your photos. I really encourage anyone, if you feel strongly about a topic, to use your voice!! You’re not annoying anyone with captions or essays! We are becoming less and less vocal as a society, straying towards a surface-level approach (two-word captions) and living in a culture that is more obsessed with what people are wearing or how they do their makeup than with what they stand for and how theyâre doing. Be the change!