How Social Media Has Empowered Women
In the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19, many people have taken to social media to continue their activism that is no longer possible in person. Across major social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, people have unleashed their creative side to create infographics and posts that bring forward important issues in today’s society.
Although there are many issues that need immediate attention, from climate change to corruption, one issue that has persisted through the decades is female equality and women’s empowerment. Although the world has made great strides over the years to close the gap between men and women’s equality and treatment, many issues still remain. For example, in the United States, a research study found that 38% of women (almost 4 in 10) experienced some type of discrimination in the workplace due to their gender. The United States Census reported that, amongst all major demographics, the average American woman earned $0.69 for every $1.00 a male counterpart earned (equal to ₴18.94 for women that every ₴27.44 a man earns).
Although these statistics may seem grim, more and more women are breaking gender-based stereotypes by working, choosing not to have children, and opening up their own businesses. As mentioned before, social media is a powerful tool to spread ideas and raise awareness about problems, and many have used their platforms to uplift women in the modern day.
Here are 5 social media and marketing campaigns that were created to support and uplift women around the world.
“Women supporting women” challenge
In July of 2020, women took to instagram to post black-and-white pictures of themselves with the caption “#challengeaccepted". Women who participated in the challenge would nominate another woman and tag them in the post of their selfie, challenging them to post a black-and-white picture of themselves and nominate someone else.
The purpose of this instagram challenge was to unite women across the world on a common platform and stand together against the obstacles that many women face today. During this time, instagram stories and posts, from celebrities and non-celebrities alike, flooded the social media app.
The inspiration for this challenge, however, has a much darker origin story. Recently, in Turkey, there have been increasing reports of cases of femicide (the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man and on account of her gender). Every morning, Turkish media would display black-and-white pictures of women who fell prey to acts of femicide in the country. In response to this, women in Turkey and around the world began posting black-and-white pictures of themselves to raise awareness about this. According to the news outlet, The Guardian, 474 women in Turkey have been killed last year alone, and that number is only expected to rise. This challenge highlighted the efforts of Turkish women who protested (and still are protesting) for a better future for all women.
Celebrities Instagram posts
#MeToo Movement
Perhaps one of the most well-known and most widely covered social media movements of this decade has been the #MeToo movement. The #MeToo movement is a movement against sexual harassment and abuse that works to publicize such crimes “commited by powerful and prominent men”. Since it began trending on social media platforms in 2017 (most notably on Twitter and Instagram), tens of thousands of women have shared their own stories about assault and have helped to shake up major industries. Many powerful politicians, actors, directors, and businessmen have been accused of assault and this movement further works to dismantle the widespread crimes against women that continue to take place in the workplace and other normally safe spaces. Backed by women all over the world, this movement has helped to send many abusers (many times, powerful and influential ones) to jail.
Image: http://jumpforme.eu/
Now, the #MeToo movement has evolved to countless countries across the world, encompassing women from all parts of society. Even though the hashtag may no longer be trending, women are still working to uphold the excellent work being done by this movement.
TikTok - Emma and Floli
TikTok has quickly gained a following unlike any other social media app in the past. Although quite new compared to more well-established platforms (such as Facebook), TikTok has over 800 million active users, and that number is only growing by the day. You might be familiar with the fun dances, catchy songs, and other trends that can be seen circling this app. However, some people use this platform to spread information about issues that are important to them. One such account on TikTok is run by two sisters, Emma and Floli. Known as the “feminist sisters”, Emma and Floli use their account to educate users about issues concerning women and female inequality. Garnering a following of nearly 160,000, Emma and Floli utilize trending songs and dances on TikTok to educate others. This has proved to be an effective method as more people are likely to view the video based on the trending songs they choose. From talking about disabilities, to the wage gap, to deep-rooted misogyny, Emma and Floli use their voice and platform to educate others and uplift other women.
#HeForShe Campaign
Started by the United Nations and UN Women in 2014, #HeForShe is a “solidarity movement for the advancement of gender equality”. The goal of this movement was, and still is, to invite people of all genders to stand as a united force with women to work towards closing the gender gap. The campaign involved nearly 1.2 billion people from around the world, including prominent actors such as Emma Watson, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, and Tom Hiddelston. The #HeForShe campaign is still running strong and can be found all across Twitter.
The campaign focuses on making the workplace more equal in terms of gender equality when it comes to hiring new employees, closing the gender pay gap, empowering women financially, and by helping end violence against women. Using these areas, they challenge traditional gender stereotypes!
You can learn more about the movement here. It’s completely free and helps bring the world one step closer to attaining gender equality.
Emma Watson speaking at HeForShe conference, Retrieved from HeForShe.org
You can watch Emma Watson’s full speech at the HeForShe Campaign in 2014.
#LikeAGirl
The #LikeAGirl campaign was started in 2014 by the American company, Always, to empower girls and women and help them feel more confident. Often, the phrase “like a girl” has a negative connotation, and phrases like “act like a girl” or “you run like a girl”, only deepen the issues that a campaign like this seeks to dismantle. Always took this phrase and aimed to change it by normalizing its use in positive settings. They hoped to show that being a girl does not stop you from doing anything you set your mind to.
Always conducted a survey in which they found that nearly 72% of girls felt that society’s expectations limited them from doing everything they wanted to do. In response, they created the #LikeAGirl campaign, “to empower girls everywhere by encouraging them to smash limitations and be unstoppable #LikeAGirl”.
To do this, they aired various commercials on TV that embodied this message, and in doing so, they inspired millions of girls around the world to not adhere to society’s norms, but rather break them.
Social media is such a powerful tool to uplift , empower and support other women today. The narrative is shifting and women are no longer being held back by gender stereotypes, and although we still have a long way to go, women all over the world are rising up.
As Mia Hamm (American soccer player and Olympic gold-medalist) once famously said:
“My Coach once told me I ran like a girl, I told him if he were a little faster he could too".
Vocabulary
Activism: using vigorous action to enact social or political change
Infographics: an image used to show data or other information
Great Strides: a phrase used to mean making good progress
United States Census: an official count of all people living in the United States, conducted every 10 years
Garnering: to gather or collect something
Misogyny: dislike of or prejudice against women
Connotation: the association, emotion, or feeling that a certain word or phrase invokes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Annik Brar is a student at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. studying International Affairs and Finance. In her free time, she manages a support page for people with Type 1 Diabetes. She also loves photography and traveling and can speak Punjabi and Hindi fluently!