Feminism has made huge strides in the last few years, and that’s in no small part due to the internet. The Me Too movement that went viral in 2017 started out as a hashtag, but it sparked a much-needed global conversation about sexual harassment and assault, especially in the workplace and showbiz industry.
One of the most interesting things to see was how the digital age has shaped, communicated, and evolved feminism. We’ve come a long way from the suffragettes storming the streets for the right to vote; in 2019, feminists continue to protest on the ground for equal pay, abortion rights, and other issues.
But as feminism moved into the modern age, it started adopting a modern language too. Their medium of choice today? Feminist memes.
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Memes: Where Did They Come From And Why Are They Popular?
It’s difficult to define what a meme is because memes can take many forms – it can be a copypasta, or a block of text that is repeatedly copied and pasted throughout the internet; it could be a short reaction video or GIF; or it could be a photo, embellished with text.
Basically, memes are defined by their shareability, virality, and usually, versatility. In fact, when the term was first coined in 1976 by author Richard Dawkins (way before the internet was even a thing), he meant it as an attitude, idea, or behaviour that spreads across a society, culture, or people.
But the essence of that definition still lives on in today’s internet memes. Memes are popular partly because they’re funny, but mostly because they’re relatable. They take something that’s true and present it in an easily-digestible and humorous format.
When a new meme is created, it adds to our visual vocabulary. It creates a “shorthand” for us to understand information, sort of like a pattern. And it allows the audience to feel like they are “in” on the joke, that they recognise the reference, and that they are part of a bigger community.
Memes have technically been around for much longer than you think; the internet has just made it even easier to spread this information – transcending cultures, borders, and generations.
The Rise In Empowering Memes
It might be hard to imagine now, but there was a time when “feminist” was almost like a dirty word. No one wanted to identify as one, mostly because there was a negative image associated with being a feminist.
Back then, feminists were angry, unattractive, serious, hysterical, bra-burning, man-hating freaks who were outraged at every little thing. Their concerns were waved away with excuses like “that’s the way it’s always been,” or “but men and woman are fundamentally different!”
This was partly because feminism as a political movement and as a theory was extremely inaccessible. You practically needed a PhD to wade through all the complicated ideas and academic jargon that made up feminist theory. So it’s not that people thought feminism was a bad idea, it’s that they misconstrued what feminism was in the first place because they couldn’t understand it.
The internet was a huge game-changer. Feminist ideas trickled down from the ivory towers of the academe into blogs, Facebook posts, and tweets. The once “pretentious” language got simplified. Suddenly, feminism just made sense. And female memes normalised the discussion of topics that were formerly considered taboo – like sex, periods, misogyny, and harassment.
Women’s rights memes further humanised the movement by demonstrating that feminists weren’t an angry, humourless bunch. These women were capable of poking fun at the sexist systems that continued to oppress them. And while anger is great fuel for fighting oppression, laughter can also be a powerful tool for resistance.
What these “girl memes” are exposing is the ridiculous nature of misogyny and sexism. Because let’s face it, believing that half the population of the world are somehow beneath you because of something as inconsequential as gender is extremely ridiculous. The expectations and standards that only women are held up to are ridiculous. The assumptions that are made about women because of biology are ridiculous.
Funny feminist quotes and laugh-out-loud memes are one way for women to cope with the ridiculous nature of the world. It allows them to feel powerful in a society that has stripped them of any power. It gives them the respite they need to fight the harder battles another day.
The Best Feminist Memes On The Internet
19. Feminist Ryan Gosling
18. No Vagina, No Opinion
17. Independent Woman
16. Expectations
15. The Red Pill
14. Rosie The Riveter
13. Just Pick
12. The Wage Gap
https://pin.it/fg4c34ifcuxcbl
11. Evolution
10. The Real Deal On Abortion
9. The History Of Men
8. So Fragile
7. Siri, Pls
6. Know Your Worth
5. Women’s Work
4. Not Confusing At All
3. Y So Complicated?
2. Yes All Men
1. Woke Cinderella
Conclusion
Memes are sometimes funny, dumb, and trivial. But sometimes, especially in the case of feminist memes, they’re something more. They’re one of the best ways to spread powerful ideas, laugh at misogyny, and get the ball rolling for real change in the world.
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