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Beyoncé said it best. “Who runs the world? Girls.” Women prove their power every day, but Friday, October 13, 2017, some women will choose silence over ardent expression in the name of protest.
After Twitter suspiciously suspended Rose McGowan’s account because it claimed that she violated its policies, hundreds of women spoke out about the social media site’s hypocrisy. It’s well-known that Twitter is hesitant to suspend Nazis and sexual harassers in the name of free speech, but when it comes to women speaking out, as well as people of color and members of the LGBTQ community, the site is happy to pull the censorship trigger.
Many women are acting in opposition to the policy and standing with McGowan in the hopes of the website amending its policies and practices. Their hope is that their silence will demonstrate their necessity to the social media website, emptying its feeds and acting as an effective boycott.
Several celebs and big names have stood in solidarity with McGowan and those behind the #WomenBoycottTwitter movement.
#WomenBoycottTwitter because we deserve it and so does Twitter. Shame on you
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) October 13, 2017
Ladies. Let's do this. #WomenBoycottTwitter. Not because of hate but because I love this platform and know it can be better.
— chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) October 13, 2017
Tomorrow we stand with @rosemcgowan & survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment, & abuse. We join those choosing to boycott Twitter. pic.twitter.com/aoGogV8FNs
— Refinery29 (@Refinery29) October 13, 2017
Others expressed that they’d follow suit.
Tomorrow I follow the Women. #WomenBoycottTwitter
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) October 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/erinfreckles17/status/918823699821879296
It’s necessary to say that these movements don’t always favor intersectional feminist practices, meaning that they tend to be done with only white women’s rights and struggles in mind and not with any thought of black, poor, or LGBTQ female-identified people.
For example, many questioned where white feminists fell amidst the controversial and unfair suspension of Jemele Hill. There was little support for a black woman to the point of a decreed social media protest, proving that feminism can be one-sided and mismanaged when only done in the name of some women. True feminism keeps the intersections of identity in mind, supporting all women, not just the privileged white ones.
With that said, many said that they’d skip out on the boycott and instead use the silence of predominantly straight, white women to amplify the voices and mediums of others or to voice their opinions.
Calling white women allies to recognize conflict of #WomenBoycottTwitter for women of color who haven't received support on similar issues.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 13, 2017
A lot of WoC are not participating in #WomenBoycottTwitter and are instead amplifying WoC voices. I have a list! https://t.co/MSyivNoJ0l
— Imani Gandy ☄️🌏🔥 (@AngryBlackLady) October 13, 2017
Will you be boycotting Twitter?
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