The Impact of Consciousness-Raising
Each conversation we have discussed has started with consciousness-raising, and those conversations make modern feminism so special. The centering of sex in modern feminist conversations would not be available if it was not for the use of social media, and its impact has been inspiring. Because of sex and social media..
There has been an increase in teens coming to terms with their sexuality and more queer teens feel safe in their identity than ever before [1],
Survivors often feel comforted, heard, and empowered by social media, allowing thousands of survivors to come to terms and reclaim their story,
The hashtag campaign #askhermore sparked reporters to expand the questions they asked female celebrities [2],
#Metoo amassed 1.7 million posts on twitter and has become the most prominent hashtag movement in history,
In six months, the Gals4gals campaign amassed a Facebook group of over 100 thousand people discussing the 2016 abortion ban in Poland,
...and many many more.
Social media and sex are mutally responsible for their rise in the feminist movement, we would not have one without the other. We have proven that social media has been a catalyst for modern feminism. And that people want to have conversations about sex. But we understand that social media is not perfect, and that the conversations about sex are not always easy. They can be uncomfortable and angering, but refusing those conversations is allowing for the patriarchy to continue to have a hold on us. There is something empowering about us speaking our truth, our whole truth, loud and proud with no uncomfortability. Sex is not something we should be afraid to talk about. And if we don't talk about it, we allow for injustices to be hidden behind our curtain of uncomfortability. By exposing the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable surrounding sex, we allow for to reclaim our power in the conversation, and raise a new generation on the foundation of consent, trust, and conversation.
We hope that our presentation taught you something about our current era of feminism, and that you see that sex is an important factor in this wave. We encourage you to reflect on our project, and think about how sex and feminism have affected your life. Have a conversation - with yourself, your friends, or your followers on social media - about sex and feminism. The sooner we all become unapologetic in our conversations, the faster the real work can begin.
[1] Murez, Cara. “Big Rise in U.S. Teens Identifying As Gay, Bisexual.” WebMD: (June 15. 2021):
[2] Abbott, Elisa. “How has Current Social Media Impacted The Current Feminist Movement Around The World?” Girls Talk HQ. (September 12, 2018). https://www.girltalkhq.com/how-has-social-media-impacted-the-current-feminist-movement-around-the-world/#:~:text=Social%20media%20started%20to%20have%20an%20impact%20on,or%20in%20the%20society%2C%20and%20sexist%20work%20environment.