After the recent US election, sexism, toxic masculinity, and the massive step back in reproductive rights have been playing on a lot of women’s rights. Feelings of anger, disappointment, and general loss at the world seem to be sweeping through society. Talking to a lot of women my age, one opinion is louder than the rest: how so many men are sexist towards women, be that subconsciously or straight to your face, it’s a feeling you can’t seem to escape.
“I wouldn’t vote for a woman”, “your body my choice”, “Have fun losing you’re rights”, “men won”, and “Women are genuinely the most overactive, emotionally tolled ill menstrual creatures, aren’t they?”. These comments were in a post on TikTok, men proudly saying what a great day it was when Trump got voted in because it was the day a woman’s body no longer became her choice. We’ve repressed female history, and the future does not seem bright.
Aside from social media, the real world does not seem much better. Invisible women in Afghanistan, where the Taliban, since 2021, no longer allow women to be in public, show skin, look at men, see a doctor, or have an education. Invisible women in the UK, where a woman is killed every 3 days, and rape is reported 24 times a day in London. Invisible women, where femicide rates worldwide have been increasing non-stop in the last two decades. Invisible women in the US, where research found 49% of men were ‘pro-life’, with no care that their opinions are about someone else’s body.
After all of these terrifying facts, men still seem to proudly say sexist comments and jokes and disclaim in horror how they aren’t feminists, yet at the same time, a lot of men are quick to come back with ‘I just want equal rights’. But when did it become embarrassing or not okay to say that you were a feminist, for I too want equal rights? I know what being a feminist means. Over the last few years, the amount of misogyny has increased; after a period where people had realised women were not inferior, it seems to have reverted again. The rise of TikTok has undoubtedly aided this.
TikTok claims that misogyny is prohibited on the platform and that they proactively remove content that breaks their rules on hate. But arguably, that is a lie. If anything, the platform is promoting misogynistic content, using algorithms that reinforce particular views, in turn reinforcing dominant values. Therefore, this rise in anti-feminist content can then be tailored to individuals to keep showing it to them, creating an eco chamber of harmful views where extreme beliefs are spread. Andrew Tate is an example of someone who uses TikTok to enforce his own beliefs, spreading his violent ally sexist world across a large platform (as well as other sites). TikTok’s algorithm is dangerously aggressive, allowing content like Andrew Tate’s to be repeatedly recommended.
Toxic masculinity has infiltrated every part of society, from large-scale issues globally to the algorithms of TikTok circulating dangerous beliefs. You can’t escape it for men, but that’s what makes the world for women increasingly more daunting.