The Future of (Online) Feminism [Infographic text]

This is a text version of our #femfuture infographic.

The feminist movement, repeatedly declared dead by mainstream media, is actually very much alive — and it’s online.

What is online feminism? 

The largest innovation in feminism in the last 50 years that harnesses the power of online media platforms to discuss, uplift, and activate gender equality and social justice.

Who We Are

Feminist Bloggers
Organizations
The Twitterati
Feminist Bloggers
Activists & Thought Leaders
Petition Websites

The DNA

Rapid
Decentralized
Activists & Thought Leaders
Petition Websites
Mobilizing
Youth-led

Why We Need It 

Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted
3% of U.S. women hold positions of clout in the mainstream media
At 11 of the top U.S. political and intellectual magazines, the average male to female ratio for bylines is 7:1
55% of women of reproductive age in the U.S. live in a state considered hostile to abortion.
80% of 10-year old girls say they have been on a diet
40% of murder victims from anti-LGBTQ violence are transgender women

For every dollar paid to men, women at work earn:
Average Working Woman $0.77
African-American Women $0.69
Hispanic Women $0.60

The Landscape

2 MILLION Blog posts are written
172 MILLION Facebook visits
40 MILLION Twitter visits
20 million Google + visits
17 MILLION Pinterest visits

94% of people aged 18-29 use the Internet
41% of of people aged 18-25 have engaged in political discussion or action on social media

Feminist Activism, Then vs. Now

1970: The Ladies Home Journal Protest

The Problem:
U.S. women’s magazines were largely being run by men and advertisers, and stories focused constantly on beauty ! and housework.

The Players:
Media Women, New York Radical Feminists, National Organization for Women and Redstockings

The Demands:
Hire a female editor-in-chief and an all-female editorial staff; having women write columns and articles; hire women of color; raise raise employees’ salaries

Action Taken:
A protest inside the Ladies Home Journal offices on March 18.

The Numbers:
Over 100 women mobilized

The Victory:
Ladies Home Journal produced an 8-page special section in their August issue on women’s rights, and implemented day-care programs for the employees and editorial training programs for women. A few years later in 1973, Lenore Hershey became the magazine’s editor-in-chief.

2012:
Seventeen Magazine Campaign

The Problem:
Teen magazines for girls and young women often include photoshopped images of girls, leading to eating disorders, depression, and low self-esteem.

The Players:
SPARK Movement members, including 14-year old Julia Bluhm, Shelby Knox at Change.org

Demands:
For Seventeen magazine to include photoshopping policies to help promote more realistic body images among readers, and pledge to use at least one unphotoshopped image of beauty per issue.

Action Taken:
A Change.org petition, an online video documentary by Bluhm and Izzy Labbe, and a live street protest & mock photo shoot of “real girls” outside of Seventeen’s offices

The Numbers:
86,000 signatures on Change.org and over
13,000 views of the video documentary

The Victory:
After a meeting with Julia Bluhm, her mom and SPARK Movement Executive Director Dana Edell, Seventeen Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket made a public commitment to not photoshop girls’ bodies in the magazine with a special “Body Peace Treaty” for their July 2012 issue.

The Opportunity: A more feminist future
Benefits of investing in online feminism:
Coalition-building
Proactive campaigns
Leadership Pipeline
Big picture strategizing
Reclaim the media
Educational initiatives
Better organizing
Economic empowerment Infrastructure