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Since Twitter’s birth over a decade ago, it has progressed as a platform for feminists to spread social justice. The power of the hashtag has enabled these messages to spread around the world.
Here are five feminist hashtags that will make you proud to be a woman.
#TallGirlTwitter is the most recent feat in Twitter body-positivity trend. Under this hashtag, you can find hundreds of women showing themselves a little self-love and thousands of other women supporting them. With self-confident selfie captions like “5’10 & I got all yo girlfriends looking up to me” it’s hard not to see this tag and feel encouraged, too.
I still remember when my height being “intimidating” went from an insult to a compliment to me #TallGirlTwitter?pic.twitter.com/gLExv5E9sC
— brandon (@kearosene) May 11, 2016
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#ToTheGirls was a hashtag started by young adult fiction novelist Courtney Summers as an effort to incite an open exchange of advice and love between women. Older, wiser women are using the hashtag to impart wisdom and strength to encourage younger girls who may be experiencing the same troubles they had to push through. If you haven’t smiled yet today, this tag is sure to do the trick.
#ToTheGirls: “I’m sorry” is for when you’ve hurt someone. It’s not for when you’re asking others for respect or the right to take up space.
— Rachel Stark (@syntactics) April 14, 2015
#ToTheGirls continue to build each other up, not tear each other down. We are all worth it.
— Fifth Harmony (@FifthHarmony) April 14, 2015
#RedMyLips is a campaign started by the RedMyLips Organization, a nonprofit that strives to end sexual assault and eradicate victim blaming. Users get involved by first registering with redmylips.org, wearing red lipstick and snapping a selfie to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual assault. RedMyLips then emphasizes that the next step is seeking support. Once you do so, you become a RedMyLips warrior and can join a network of support that stretches across 99 countries.
One testimonial comes from a Johannesburg juvenile prison, in which warrior Janine Shamos wore red lipstick to her weekly session with 18 male juvenile offenders. Many of the boys had been sexually assaulted themselves. Of the experience, Shamos writes, “Myths were debunked, lengthy discussions held and my beautiful boys wanted their voices heard. They each wrote a ‘sign’ in red marker to be shared with the world. Their message: No means no. Real men don’t rape.”
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Photos of the boys’ signs are also published on the site. The amazing outreach of this campaign illustrates exactly what RedMyLips says about their campaign: “This is not about vanity. It’s about visibility.” If you want your smile to change the world, post a selfie with the hashtag #RedMyLips.
4/15! Continuing #redmylips 2 help end #victimblaming! #Ok2Share #LadyGaga #Kesha #WeBelieveYou #ItsOnUs #inhershoes pic.twitter.com/VJJfJwc8C6
— Phoenix Rising NY (@PhoenixRiseNY) April 15, 2016
#SayHerName is a hashtag dedicated to publicizing the police brutality committed against black women. It expresses the widespread frustration that the masses are familiar with the names of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, but less knowledgeable of the names of Rekia Boyd, transgender woman Mercedes King, seven-year-old Aiyana Jones and Shaun King.
Although #SayHerName experienced a surge of popularity with the death of the late Sandra Bland, the tag continues to buzz with new activity on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook. Although it isn’t the most uplifting tag to browse, it is a reality. Visit the tag to help give voice to females within the black community.
Today is #MsDhu‘s birthday – she would have been 25.
To honour her memory don’t stop fighting for #Justice4MsDhu. #SayHerName #BLM pic.twitter.com/ZLCIHCIDDC
— Hannah Fitch-Rabbitt (@RabbittHannah) December 25, 2016
This hashtag was started by First Lady Michelle Obama and President Obama. The website 62milliongirls.com promotes programs that help keep young girls in school for longer.
“These girls have diminished economic opportunities and are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, early and forced marriage, and other forms of violence,” says the site. “Yet, when a girl receives a quality education, she is more likely to earn a decent living, raise a healthy, educated family, and improve the quality of life for herself, her family, and her community.”
In school, I learned how to speak up for myself. #62MillionGirls don’t have that chance. http://t.co/xzBLsIl16r –mo pic.twitter.com/lVVkv7vcDD
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) September 26, 2015
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