Period warriors on Instagram POPULAR FEMINISM, DIGITAL ACTIVISM & PERIOD POVERTY

Abstract

Period poverty is a global issue that impacts women’s health, education and dignity. Charity and activist organizations fight period poverty through legislation and by providing free products to women in need. This research focuses specifically on Instagram feminism and how it is influenced by popular feminist sentiments like individualism and consumerism, but also intersectionality. The main research question is: how does popular feminism guide period poverty activism on Instagram in aesthetic and the goals the movement tries to reach? I analyzed the 50 most liked posts tagged with #periodpoverty and a discursive interface analysis of the activist organization PERIODs Instagram. I found that popular feminism and Instagram help reach goals like sharing information and raising awareness but also that it helps an organization like PERIOD with making changes on a governmental level. PERIODs other goal, getting rid of the stigma around periods, is hindered by popular feminism’s and social media’s media-friendly sentiment which was found in the aesthetic of the posts. The stigma around feminism not being intersectional gets challenged however, by sharing images of women of different ethnicities, body types and sexualities. Nonetheless, I argue that the focus on consumerism and charity work counteract this. It creates a divide between the people buying merchandise and the people receiving donations. It counteracts the notion that period poverty, as a whole, is a global issue.