Men-Haters or Rights Activists? Views on Tumblr Feminists

Feminism is a hugely controversial issue today, especially on the web. The Twitter campaign #YesAllWomen, Emma Watson’s speech at the HeForShe Campaign, and Time Magazine’s inclusion of “feminist” in its list of words to ban in the new year are a few of the recent feminism-related topics that have gone viral this year.

The users I follow are largely pro-feminism. Just like with social justice bloggers, there are feminists who treat the issues fairly, cite their sources, and attempt to raise awareness, and there are feminists who aggressively attack opposing views and express hate toward men and anti-feminists. 

Recently, a Twitter campaign related to feminism has spread to Tumblr as well. According to this Huffington Post article, a Canadian writer named Anne Thériault was inspired to  give lines from the classic movie “The Princess Bride” a feminist twist using #feministprincessbride. Here are some examples:

"I smell nothing."
"What you do not smell is called misogyny. It is among the more deadlier poisons known to mankind"#feministprincessbride

— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) November 12, 2014

"Never go against a feminist when equal rights are on the line!" #feministprincessbride

— abandonallhope (@HopeCim) November 16, 2014

https://twitter.com/embeedub/status/532909357424726016

"I always think everything is a tool of the patriarchy until proven otherwise. Which is why I'm still alive." #feministprincessbride

— Emmy Bengtson (@EmmyA2) November 12, 2014

While many Tumblr users loved this campaign and came up with their own examples of feminist Princess Bride quotes, others complained that feminists were ruining a great classic.

There are two general views regarding Tumblr feminists, and both are represented in these two videos. The first represents the negative view of Tumblr feminists, the second the positive view. Both of them contain swearing, so view at your discretion.

As is often the case on Tumblr, users create humorous posts to make a point about controversial issues. This Twitter account mocking anti-feminist views has been circulating Tumblr recently. Here are some of examples of tweets from this account.

I don’t need fimeisns there are some things i NEED men for, like lifting heavy things or making me feel uncomfortable at bus stops

— WomanAgainstFeminism (@NoToFeminism) November 14, 2014

https://twitter.com/NoToFeminism/status/532897164653899776

i don’t need fesimes i believe in TRADITIONAL VALUES like men being men, women being women, and people ignoring domestic violence

— WomanAgainstFeminism (@NoToFeminism) November 6, 2014

I don’t need femismm it makes sense we warn WOMEN not to get too drunk in public because men never do anything violent or bad when drunk!!!

— WomanAgainstFeminism (@NoToFeminism) November 5, 2014

This comic, from dorkly.com, makes a point about what often happens when women reveal their gender on Xbox Live… and the consequences of misunderstanding what the male players are trying to tell them. It still comes up on my Tumblr dashboard every once in a while. 

Check out the feminism tag on Tumblr, and you’ll start to get a sense of the opposing views people have on Tumblr feminists and what being a “feminist” is actually about. Let me know where you stand on this topic!