Social Media; A Catalyst for the Feminist Movement
“We wear no mark; we belong to every class; we permeate every class of the community from the highest to the lowest; and so you see in the woman’s civil war the dear men of my country are discovering it is absolutely impossible to deal with it: you cannot locate it, and you cannot stop it.”
It seems bizarre that more than a hundred years ago, Emmeline Pankhurst’s fierce words rang through the crowded streets of Hartford, Connecticut. Far from London’s soaring cathedrals and rain-engulfed streets, her voice seeped into the homes of revolutionaries, artists, and royals alike, with a single message; injustice will not be overlooked.
In the age of unfathomable technological development, the 1918 Suffragists have been replaced by hash tags, retweets and Snapchat stories, ironically, advocating the same message. Although a controversial opinion, social media has democratized female empowerment, giving a voice to those who have been silenced by the hands of a patriarchal society for far too long.
From Emma Watson’s viral speech for the ‘HeforShe’ Campaign, to the #metoo Movement, which dislodged the taboos placed on sexual harassment, women are exhilarated by the simple thought of gender equality. There is, however, still a long, arduous journey ahead for us Feminists.
With Trump’s nauseating misogyny being the center of wide criticism, our yearning to correct injustice has only blazed more intensely. Therefore, social media has not just been a means to create awareness about the sexism within our society, rather, a catalyst for change.
Committed organisations such as the UN Women strive to reach every daughter, sister, mother and wife to ensure they receive identical opportunities as their male counterparts. Our tenacious fight is far from over, we will unshackle ourselves from oppression, and laugh in the face of our perpetrators, until the days of abhorrent injustice are long gone.
Bibliography:
FILIPOVIC, JILL. "What Victory Will Look Like for Feminists in 2018." Time, Time, 20 Feb. 2018, time.com/5158952/feminism-goals-struggles-2018/. Accessed 15 Mar. 2018.
Pankhurst, Emmeline. "Great Speeches of the 20th Century: Emmeline Pankhurst's Freedom or Death." The Guardian, Guardian, 15 July 2014, www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/apr/27/greatspeeches. Accessed 17 Mar. 2018.