Chances are, you’ve probably seen this trending hashtag at least a dozen times on your Twitter feed. It’s been on the news, with media coverage by every major news network around the world. More than 2.3 million tweets and counting have also gone out over the past month with this hashtag, according to Topsy.com. I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, but what does #YesAllWomen have to do with us college students? The answer? Everything.
The hashtag #YesAllWomen first became popular after the Isla Vista shooting earlier this year. 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, a Santa Barbara City College student, stabbed three people, shot three others, and then turned his gun on himself – in response to what he says were years of sexual rejection that made him feel inferior. He detailed his motivations in several YouTube videos and an almost 140-page “manifesto,” spelling out his plan to “destroy” the women who denied him of his desires. In his last video, he says “I do not know why you girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it.”
Media coverage of Rodger’s misogynistic rants has prompted many men to respond, defending themselves. “Not all men” are like Rodger, they say. That’s true, and women know this. But, that defense has also led to the Twitter hashtag “#YesAllWomen.” Not all men are like this, but yes, all women feel the effects of the few. As this hashtag continues to trend around the world, no one can relate more to this campaign than female college students. This campaign speaks directly to us.
I’m 20 years old. My entire life, safety habits have been drilled into my head (I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Don’t walk by yourself at night. It’s just asking to be attacked.”). I’ve also made compromises left and right in the face of inequality (that, for some reason, I should dress as conservatively as possible, otherwise I’d be “asking” for unwanted sexual advances). In a country that preaches and praises equality for all, I ask you, why are women the only subjects of these precautions deemed necessary by our mothers, the media and society? Why aren’t men taught these same lessons?
Over the past few months, my Twitter feed has been overrun with female college students Tweeting and retweeting #YesAllWomen. “#YesAllWomen, because it’s easier to give a guy a fake phone number than it is to turn him down.” “#YesAllWomen, because ‘friend-zoning’ a guy is unforgiveable.” “#YesAllWomen, because pepper spray and a rape whistle were on my college shopping list.”
“#YesAllWomen, because my boss at my part-time summer job says she doesn’t feel comfortable closing the store without at least one guy there.” “#YesAllWomen, because my sorority is required to have a Risk Management Chair to warn our girls about the dangers of attending frat parties.” “#YesAllWomen, because too many episodes of Law and Order: SVU are real-life nightmares my friends and I have faced.”
While there are lots of criticism about the merits of “hashtag activism,” #YesAllWomen has done an amazing thing, sparking conversation about the injustice women face. This tragedy has ignited a fire, and we are refusing to be put out. But, this is just the beginning. Emma Watson, the UN Goodwill Ambassador, spoke this week about her #HeForShe campaign, calling on both men and women to rid ourselves of the inequality once and for all. And, female college students play a huge role in this movement; it’s up to us to continue the conversation, and not allow these stereotypes to persist into the next generation. We are women, but that doesn’t mean we should be held to a different standard than men. And, this change starts with us.