Since then countless feminists have used the hashtag, or others it inspired including #365FeministSelfie, #366FeministSelfie (leap year!), and #365FeministLife, to showcase their daily feminist actions whether it is escorting at a clinic, painting a son's fingernails, or exhibiting our bikini bodies from sizes zero to 32. Most days our #FeministSelfie is just the ordinary day of someone who claims the label of feminist. For us a selfie is revolutionary in a society that still worships and values young thin white bodies. It is revolutionary to share one's journey as a transgender person in a world where using a public restroom is a battle. It is radical, not narcissistic, to want to share our selfie that shows our "flaws" and scars. It is radical to show pride in our family composition. It is community building to selfie with our "I Voted!" stickers.
Many hashtags are born of snark and frustration. #FeministSelfie was no different. Yet it endures in many forms to connect those of us in the feminist struggle.
Normally I write a next year post in December, but the anniversary/birthday of the #FeministSelfie hashtag just two weeks after the election of a racist misogynist con man seemed like a good time to make a statement. As we plan to enter 2017 with the knowledge that we need each other more than ever, #365FeministSelfie will be here to help.
#365FeministSelfie will continue on through 2017 and I believe through out the entire Trump-Pence regime. The hashtag will continue to connect us. The challenge will hopefully remind us to do something feminist every day. It will also signal to others that feminists are indeed everywhere. From our college campuses to our baristas. Feminists come in all shapes, shades, sizes and backgrounds.
I also hope the hashtag will challenge us to strengthen our feminism. Maybe we are big city feminists who need to learn from rural feminists - at the same time lessen them from the isolation I often hear about from rural friends. White feminists who want to learn how to make their feminism more intersectional can listen to feminists of color who often speak volumes in their selfies.
I know a selfie can't solve all our problems, but I do have hope that the community we continue to build through the hashtag will sustain us in the dark times and inspire us to keep fighting.
If you have ideas on how we can use the hashtag for education and resistance please leave a comment or connect with me over at Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. I plan to set out our 2017 in coming days. Until then...
ONWARD!!
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