Fourth Wave’ Social Media-based Feminist Activism

A further and very great complication in these debates results from the complex ways in which feminism has unfolded over the past four decades or so – i.e., from the “second wave” feminism of the 1960s and 1970s through third-wave and then post-feminism, and/or a “‘fourth wave’ social media-based feminist activism” or perhaps a “post-post-feminism”. Broadly, these developments have involved dramatic shifts from strong opposition to pornography* (as objectifying women and contributing to their subjugation) to an embrace of both production and consumption of pornography* as part of women’s choice, celebration of their bodies, and taking control of their own sexualities – and then to further critique of sexism and patriarchy. In particular, the “#freethenipple” campaign appropriates the tropes of pornography in order to protest against patriarchy . At the same time, other feminists object that doing so only reinforces patriarchal gender stereotypes and does little for furthering women’s emancipation and equality. For the sake of relative simplicity in this introduction, I can only point to these developments and complications as frameworks and issues for further research and reflection. (My very great thanks to Professor Amanda Karlsson, Aarhus University, for her invaluable help here, including the reference to Gill