We all love a good meme. They are funny and engaging. But did you know they can also be dangerous and harmful, especially misogynistic memes? These memes can spread hate and promote hate speech.
The United Nations defines hate speech as any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses insulting or discriminatory language regarding a person or a group based on their identity. This can be their religion, race, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor.
Hate speech can appear in various forms, including jokes, images, cartoons, gestures, objects, and symbols on online and offline channels.
Women and girls, LGBTIQ communities, migrants and refugees along with other minorities often face hate speech due to societal biases, stereotypes and prejudices.
So wait, what are misogynistic memes?
There’s a troubling trend where perpetrators exploit what-used-to-be-wholesome memes to target marginalized groups, particularly women and girls.
These misogynistic memes use stereotypes to mock, shame and demean women and girls under the guise of humour and satire. They support negative beliefs and normalize extremist ideologies.
But it’s a meme… It’s supposed to be a joke…
Yes, memes are supposed to be funny but misogyny isn’t.
The harm behind the “Humour”
Humour that relies on misogyny often reinforces gender stereotypes, objectifies women, and devalues their experiences and contributions. This normalizes and trivializes sexism, making it harder to address and overcome gender inequality.
It’s easy to dismiss these memes as not “serious” because goofy graphics dumb them down. But take a look at these memes:
(Source: Quickmeme, Reddit, Memedroid, Quickmeme, Pinterest)
What are they really saying? What happens when we normalize these misogynistic memes?
Women and girls’ issues are desensitized. Their lived realities are trivialized and treated as punchlines. Harmful notions, such as their experiences and concerns being unworthy of serious consideration, are reinforced. This leads to the normalization of discriminatory behavior and attitudes.
As a result, we create a culture where violence against women and girls is not only tolerated, but encouraged. It contributes to the alarming prevalence of domestic violence, sexual assault, harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence.
4 Things You Can Do
Here are some things we can all do to prevent these misogynistic memes!
1. Be mindful online:
Sometimes we share things unconsciously, not realizing that we might amplify hate. Before tapping ‘share’, take a step back and consider if it’s a misogynistic meme.
2. Don’t just be a bystander:
If you notice your friends or contacts sharing something harmful, tell them. They may be unaware.
3. Ignore them:
Do not share or interact with these memes. Just scroll away! The last thing we want is to give these misogynistic memes any traction.
4. Report:
Report misogynistic memes on social media so they can be removed, reducing the chances of them going viral.
Remember: It’s important not to amplify harm even if it’s disguised as humour. We should all say #NoToHate by being mindful of what we consume and share online so that everyone, regardless of their identity, can enjoy the internet freely, fully and equally.
READ >> How Violence Against Girls Became A Thing
