A“cool story babe, now make me a sandwich” shirt doesn’t break the school dress code. A girl’s bra strap does. #YesAllWomen
#YesAllWomen because even a taped confession admitting to raping me wasn’t enough to put him in jail.
When a woman makes a video, most comments are about tearing apart her looks. Of if they’d “do” her. With a man, almost none. #YesAllWomen
These are some of the millions of thought-provoking tweets that have surfaced on Twitter using the powerful hashtag #YesAllWomen. The #YesAllWomen hashtag is a feminist movement that has sparked conversation about harassment, fear, and sexual assault women have experienced or are experiencing.
The start of the #YesAllWomen tweets began at the end of May, after 22 year old Elliot Rodger went on a killing spree in Isla Vista, California. Rodgers killed six people and injured thirteen others before committing suicide.
Prior to the killing spree, Rodgers posted a video on YouTube, titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution,” where he described details for his upcoming attack on punishing the women that were rejecting him and men that were living a “better life” than him because they were sexually active.
“You girls have never been attracted to me,” Rodger said in his video. “I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it. It’s an injustice… I don’t know what you don’t see in me. I’m the perfect guy and yet you throw yourselves at these obnoxious men instead of me, the supreme gentleman.”
Rodgers also wrote a 141-page “manifesto” that expressed his intentions for the killing spree and his frustration for being a virgin. He also explained his belief of male entitlement—that he deserved to have sexual access to women.
Appalled and stunned by his killing spree and sexist comments, the public immediately took their opinions to the web and the #YesAllWomen hashtag took off.
The #YesAllWomen movement didn’t start because of the Isla Vista shootings, but it did point out how important it is to remind people that women have the same rights as men.
While the attack was horrific, this is just one of the many examples of violence women experience regularly.
For example, another event of violence against women that recently surfaced was the TMZ released video of Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice beating his girlfriend (now wife) unconscious last week.
In retaliation to #YesAllWomen, some men on Twitter created the hashtag #NotAllMen; explaining how they are not as bad as women perceive them to be.
Women’s rights are important all the time and should be advocated all the time, not just after a serious event. #YesAllWomen should be more than a hashtag, it should be a life motto because…
· No woman should feel like she has to change who she is and what she likes to avoid wounding a man’s ego.
· Women should have the same equal opportunities as men.
· Women shouldn’t be “slut shamed” for how they live their own life.
And the list could go on. But yes, while #NotAllMen believe they are superior to women, and can be genuine and considerate, regardless, misogyny continues to happen today and #YesAllWomen has given women a chance to speak up and talk about it.
And for women everywhere, that’s so wonderfully fair.