Identities: Feminism and new/digital media

Emma Watson: HeForShe gender equality campaign

Emma Watson started the "HeForShe gender equality campaign" which was the first campaign of its kind at the UN to try and motivate as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for gender equality. She then outlines how no country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality. - "it is right that as a woman I am paid the same as my male counterparts. I think it is right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body. I think it is right that women be involved on my behalf in the policies and decision-making of my country. I think it is right that socially I am afforded the same respect as men. But sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive these rights." It's a balanced debate as she then goes on to identify that men are being imprisoned by gender stereotypes - "Men don’t have the benefits of equality either - young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less “macho”—in fact in the UK suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20-49 years of age; eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease." Overall, I think Emma Watson's campaign is valid as it looks at both sides and discusses the issues surrounding gender stereotypes, such as pressures from society to look a certain way.

Caroline Criado-Perez: female presence on banknotes

Caroline was the feminist campaigner who had won her battle with the Bank of England to reinstate a woman on the back of an English banknote. Caroline had campaigned since it was announced that social reformer Elizabeth Fry was to be wiped off the fiver and replaced with Winston Churchill, leaving an all-male, all-white lineup on our English banknotes. Criado-Perez had threaten to sue the bank under the 2010 Equality Act. The then Bank of England governor, Mervyn King, appeared to dismiss her request. Then, within a week of new boss Mark Carney taking up his post, she had been invited to the bank and asked if she would accept Jane Austen on the back of a tenner. Five days later, Criado-Perez was back on the news in a very different context. This time she was talking about the rape and death threats she had received on Twitter, following her victory. I believe that Caroline's campaign was successful as it meant that women have equality around economics and politics by remaining on the banknote. She states that 'Women have always been put in their place and kept there through the threat of sexual violence. What social media has done is enable people to behave in way they wouldn't face to face."

 Caitlin Moran: Twitter silence

 Caitlin Moran created a Twitter trend called #TwitterSilence, this Trend was towards women and for women who were not able to speak out. Twitter, however, had already announced it would be listening to the protests of the U.K. feminists, adding more staff to deal with abuse claims and rolling out its current "Report Abuse" button for iPhone to its Android and web platforms as well. 

 However, many people were allowing Twitter users to "Report Abuse" and would do anything but make it harder for feminists to make their voices heard. This campaign was not useful as women were not getting their opinions across by being silent.