Slut Shaming, Victim Blaming and Harassment on Social Media

Slut-Shaming, Victim

Blaming, and Harassment

on Social Media

@BaileyParnell

@TesniEllis

25th Anniversary | Montreal Polytechnique Massacre

December 6th | Canada’s National Day of Remembrance

and Action on Violence Against Women

Trigger Warning

The following presentation discusses sexual assault and rape,

victimization, and violence against women in descriptive terms

and images.

Who are we?

@TesniEllis @BaileyParnell

The act of making a person, especially

women and trans folks, feel guilty or

inferior for their (perceived) sexual

behaviours, circumstances or desires.

Slut-shaming is a form of exercising social

control over women and trans folks’

bodies and behaviours.

What is all this stuff?

Slut-Shaming

Slut-Shaming

Victim blaming is a devaluing act

where the victim of a crime, an

accident, or any type of abusive

maltreatment is held as wholly or

partially responsible for the wrongful

conduct committed against them.

What is all this stuff?

Victim-Blaming

Victim-Blaming

Harassment is a form of discrimination. It involves any unwanted

physical or verbal behaviour that offends or humiliates you.

Generally, harassment is a behaviour that persists over time.

Serious one-time incidents can also sometimes be considered

harassment. Harassment occurs when someone:

● Makes unwelcome remarks or jokes about your race,

religion, sex, age, disability or any other of the 11 grounds

of discrimination.

● Threatens or intimidates you.

● Makes unwelcome physical contact with you, such as

touching, patting, pinching or punching, which can

also be considered assault.

What is all this stuff?

(Online) Harassment

Online Harassment

How common is this?

How common is this?

How common is this?

How common is this?

93.1% CONVERSATIONAL (actual conversational

usage)

6.9% COMMENT (commenting on usage of these words)

How common is this?

MOST HOSTILITY

➔ Female journalists

➔ Male celebrities

➔ Male politicians

BUT...

➔ Women are targeted specifically because of their gender

➔ Men are overwhelmingly those doing the harassing

DISPROPORTIONATELY TARGETED

➔ Women of colour

➔ Members of the LGBT community

Why does it matter?

Rape culture affects all of us

We’re all on social media

It reflects broader societal behaviours and thoughts

You can be the change

Creating and reproducing unsafe spaces

Social Media

Social Media

Social Media

OPPORTUNITY OPPRESSION

Social Media

SYMPTOM DISEASE

Slut Shaming & Victim Blaming

Real world impacts:

the online and offline

are connected

“She asked

for it.”

“She should

have said

no.”

Innocent until

proven guilty?

Reproducing oppression:

controlling/limiting women’s bodies,

choices, and behaviours

Privilege:

class and

race

Slut Shaming & Victim Blaming

Slut Shaming & Victim Blaming

Real world impacts:

the online and offline

are connected

“She asked

for it.”

“She should

have said

no.”

Innocent until

proven guilty?

Reproducing oppression:

controlling/limiting women’s bodies,

choices, and behaviours

Privilege:

class and

race

Slut Shaming & Victim Blaming

Slut shaming has been going on for

centuries but now there’s a new tool

– instead of shaming hussies in the

town square there are thousands of

Facebook and web pages literally

called “exposing hos.”

- 16 year old Temitayo Fagbenle

Amanda ToddRehtaeh ParsonsSteubenville, Ohio

Slut Shaming & Victim Blaming

Online Harassment

Women are being driven out; they’re being driven offline. This isn’t just in

gaming. This is happening across the board online...So the harassment

actually has a very real effect on us as a society, in terms of making this

space unwelcoming for women.

Anita Sarkeesian

Online Harassment

Online harassment, especially gendered

online harassment, is an epidemic.Anita Sarkeesian

Online Harassment: Cyber Misogyny

Women have long been controlled through violence and

some people derive benefits from that fact that they are

loathe to give up. Bullies and abusers who thrive in our

culture where many insist violence against girls and

women - real or implied - isn't a big deal, that we're

exaggerating and should stop complaining. Who does this

approach serve? Bullies and abusers. The violent and

gender-specific aspects of the online harassment and

threats are qualitatively and quantitatively different from

other common forms of trolling and abuse because they

take place in a world where violence and rape are

pervasive, real and epidemic.”

- Soraya Chemaly

Why Social Media?

Reach

Immediacy

Anonymity

Sparks offline campaigns

Slow response from networks

Social Media

Using Social Media to Combat

#FBRape #YesAllWomen

Everyday

Sexism Project#BeenRapedNeverReported

Bye Felipe

#FBRape

Targeting Facebook,

using Twitter

Next up: Twitter’s

abuse reporting

policies

Everyday Sexism Project

#YesAllWomen

Bye Felipe

“This is just a

symptom of a

larger

problem...Until we

change the

cultural

atmosphere,

women will

continue to

receive these

hurtful messages

online and in real

life.” - Bye

Felipe’s creator

#BeenRapedNeverReported

“Because I had been drinking, and didn’t remember everything.”

“Because even my ‘friends’ told me I shouldn’t cause I would ruin HIS life.”

“Didn’t know I could say because I was sixteen and he was my boyfriend.”

“Because when you’re young and no one really believes you anyway.”

Current Campaigns to Follow

Not a social media problem, but a people problem

Reproducing and reinforcing oppressive spaces that

already exist offline

Connects to the broader discussion of gender roles

More guidelines and policies from social networks

Where do we go from here?

Where do we go from here?

Questions?

Tweet Us!

@TesniEllis @BaileyParnell

Resources

“The Unsafety Net: How Social Media Turned Against Women” by Catherine Buni and Soraya Chemaly

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-unsafety-net-how-social-media-turned-against-

women/381261/

“Sorry, we haven’t reached a ‘watershed’ on violence against women” by Denise Balkissoon

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/sorry-we-havent-reached-a-watershed-on-violence-against-

women/article21452668/?utm_source=Shared+Article+Sent+to+User&utm_medium=E-

mail:+Newsletters+/+E-Blasts+/+etc.&utm_campaign=Shared+Web+Article+Links

Demos Report: Misogyny on Twitter

http://www.demos.co.uk/files/MISOGYNY_ON_TWITTER.pdf?1399567516

Cyber Bullying by Christopher Palmeri http://www.bloombergview.com/quicktake/cyberbullying

“After arrest, let’s not forget lessons of Jian Ghomeshi affair” by Emma Healey

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/11/26/after_arrest_lets_not_forget_lessons_of_jian_ghome

shi_affair.html

“Sexual Cyberbullying: The Modern Day Letter A” by Temitayo Fagbenle http://www.wnyc.org/story/259398-

sexual-cyberbullying-modern-day-letter/

Everyday Sexism Project: https://twitter.com/EverydaySexism

PEW Research Centre “Online Harassment” report

http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/10/PI_OnlineHarassment_102214_1.pdf