Feminist Discourse

Globalization and feminist discourse: Re-thinking gender in cyber-space. The recent development of cyberspace became key to the process of globalization and the subsequent re-evaluation of various cultural aspects of society. The effect of this was articulated by one of the critics who suggested: “The “virtual” qualities of Internet have [...] expanded this picture of globalization in quite dramatic ways. When the term “virtual” is used in this context, it refers to the social spaces that ICTs, notably the Internet, have enabled.”1 Indeed, the Internet gave way to the flow of various discourses concerned with inequalities and marginalization; a big part of this change was the re-working of existing feminist discourses and gender inequality

However, the significant aspects of feminism on the Internet in recent years are raising awareness about the issues associated with gender biases as well as challenging the existing gender stereotypes. Thus, there are a few recent examples of gender equalities movements with various approaches to the issue, all functioning primarily in the cyberspace. One of the examples is the HeForShe movement that takes an unusual angle on feminism compared to previous decade, as it brings men into the discourse of gender equality. The goal of HeForShe is defined as: “HeForShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality that brings together one half of humanity in support of the other half of humanity, for the benefit of all.”8 The movement emphasizes the importance of global support of human rights, which presents the global perspectives of feminism in the newly developed cyberspace, showing a potential of making an actual change in the world. This is represented in the graph on

Transgender celebrities and Instagram their followers use the hashtag #TransIsBeautiful, promoting the gender equalities for the self-identified men and women. Here, transgender rights is one of the large aspects of gender equality movement, which with the use of social media and involvement of celebrities rapidly grows and develops in the world. As the critic comments on the use of cyberspace for the protection and raising awareness of the real perception of the body: “...self-identified girls and women engage in practices with Internet technologies to manage, transform, and control their physical bodies in ways that both resist and reinforce hierarchies of gender and race.”10 Laverne Cox, an actress and #TransIsBeautiful activist, is a real-life example of how the progress of gender equality movements works in contemporary world. The #TransIsBeautiful campaign demonstrates the on-going struggle for the equality of the self-identified gender minorities: Cox was the first transgender actress to be nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award11, demonstrating the increased recognition of transgender celebrities in the recent years and, thus, greater acceptance of transgender people in contemporary culture. Despite the fact Cox stands for the struggle against gender biases majorly in America, she also represents racial marginalization of transgender population