Since Twitter was born 10 years ago today, the platform has gone through many different eras, from a website that was highly confusing to use, to one that has become a vital social platforms for memes, discussion -- and especially activism.
Twitter "hashtivism" has its critics, but there's no denying that hashtag culture has changed the way we talk about some of the most pressing social issues of our time. And in the last decade, the way Twitter has shaped conversations about women's issues and feminism has had an unprecedented impact.
Tara L. Conley, founder of the website Hashtag Feminism, says that she first began to notice the power of feminist hashtags on Twitter in 2013.
"Over the years, I have witnessed feminist hashtags activate folks in both online and offline contexts," Conley told The Huffington Post.
"Twitter has been a contentious and transformative space for feminist discourse. There are still folks out there whose day job it is to demonize feminists/feminism -- most of whom hide behind Twitter eggs. But I also know that if it weren't for hashtags like #YouOkSis, #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen, #WhyIStayed, #RapeCultureIsWhen, #FreeMarissa, all of the #IStandWith tags, and tags that called attention to the deaths of black women like #RenishaMcBride and #SandraBland, and all those under the #SayHerName tag -- we would likely be having very different public conversations, or worse, no conversations."
From the furor over the #HobbyLobby, to the conversation about intersectionality through #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen, to the honest and sometimes heartbreaking confessions of #RapeCultureIsWhen, there have been countless hashtags on Twitter that have not only empowered women, but have raised awareness about the issues that affect us all.
Below are 21 hashtag movements from the last ten years that have changed the way we talk about feminism online. Let us know what other hashtags you'd include in the comments!
"As women, we must stand up for ourselves, we must stand up for each other, we must stand up for justice for all." -Michelle Obama #fem2
— Fem2pt0 (@Fem2pt0) February 19, 2016
Sexism isn't a matter of blue or red, left or right. It's whether you respect people's lives and safety, or you don't. #DearJohn #MooreandMe
— Sady Doyle (@sadydoyle) February 8, 2011
#GirlsLikeUs is for ALL trans women, regardless of color, but all who lend their voice to amplify ours knows that intersectionality matters.
— Janet Mock (@janetmock) May 15, 2012
#flushrushnow First he calls her a slut? Then he says if ur insurance covers ur birth control u should post sex tapes? Sponsors, dump Rush
— Aliza Hausman (@jewminicana) March 5, 2012
You know the staffs of The Daily Show/SNL are thrilled about #bindersfullofwomen . Actual women, not so much.
— anna hanks (@annainaustin) October 17, 2012
Convo between @Blackamazon & @JillFilipovic = "your abuser got traction from me until I felt unsafe, so what?" #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) August 12, 2013
#NotYourAsianSidekick pic.twitter.com/XoQNXeE1t1
— Fem For All (@projectFem4All) March 4, 2016
GET. IN. FORMATION. #FLOTUS #BlackGirlMagic pic.twitter.com/fNDxW3Ks1X
— Shari Arnold (@LShariA86) March 11, 2016
#MasculinitySoFragile you have to get your hair cut at Guy's Men's Salon pic.twitter.com/ZzibrRq7e0
— joey tribbiani (@caitie_greene) March 14, 2016
the beauty. the magic.@danaigurira + @lupitanyongo #PrettyPeriod pic.twitter.com/t4bnKUFXsF
— Yaba Blay (@fiyawata) February 27, 2016
He said he would change. He promised it was the last time. I believed him. He lied. #WhyIStayed
— Beverly Gooden (@bevtgooden) September 8, 2014
Our prayers are with the missing Nigerian girls and their families. It's time to #BringBackOurGirls. -mo pic.twitter.com/glDKDotJRt
— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) May 7, 2014
#Rapecultureiswhen we make a million lists of "prevention tips" for WOMEN but fail to teach men not to rape.
— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) March 25, 2014
I shouldn't have to hold my car keys in hand like a weapon & check over my shoulder every few seconds when I walk at night #YesAllWomen
— Sophia Bush (@SophiaBush) May 25, 2014
#AllMenCan be masculine without misogyny, chivalrous without demeaning, and feminists without fear. Equality benefits us all.
— Benjamin Curtis (@Clearcoat_Ben) May 29, 2014
All of the people who voted in favour of #HobbyLobby have one thing in common and it's not a vagina. #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/IG8vf93bm3
— Elizabeth Plank (@feministabulous) June 30, 2014
Ultimately, if you've paid attention, #YouOKSis is a call for bystander intervention that moves beyond sharing experiences to ending them
— Beautiful (@FeministaJones) August 8, 2014
When we are focusing on women we must not forget about ethnic diversity. #intersectionality #AddWomen pic.twitter.com/frGOoVTmB1
— AAUW (@AAUW) March 26, 2015
#tothegirls Never apologize for your accomplishments. You've earned them. Confidence does not equal conceit.
— Brandy Colbert (@brandycolbert) April 14, 2015
#EverydaySexism I come up with decent idea in meeting - am ignored. Minutes later man expresses same idea - is congratulated on brilliance.
— Freya Hardy (@UrsulaGlitch) April 16, 2015
What's one thing someone told you about your body you have chosen to ignore? #effyourbeautystandards pic.twitter.com/53Q3912aLN
— RunwayRiot (@runway_riot) March 15, 2016