Applause and Allyship: Our Fave Feminist Social Media Moments This Week

7/14/2021 by and

We’re bringing back Feminist Faves—a weekly round-up of powerful social media posts from feminists and activists. Want to see more of what you like next week? Tag @Ms_Magazine on Instagram or @Msmagazine on TikTok and Twitter!

Welcome back to Feminist Faves social media roundup! This week, we’re celebrating athletes using their influence to shed light on underrepresented communities, disability advocates calling in able-bodied allies this Disability Pride Month, and the beautiful art made during the pandemic.

@daydilla

#PaigeBueckers

♬ original sound – Day Dilla

In her acceptance speech for Best College Athlete, Women’s Sport award at the 2021 ESPYS, Paige Bueckers used her time to thank and acknowledge Black women who go underrepresented and “don’t get the media attention they deserve.” She also mentioned Breonna Taylor and “those names who I’ve not yet learned but I hope to share.” 

Instagram account regularly @Blackownedeverything highlights a variety of Black-owned businesses, including shops for clothes, accessories and skin care. Their recent post (above) showcases the unique neckties of BPPFUNTIES.

Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde has made history as the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. She celebrated with a twirl on stage as she was announced as the winner and confetti rained from the ceiling. Avant-garde isn’t just a spelling phenomenon—she is also a three-time Guinness World Record holder for basketball accomplishments. 

@maris_mbi

its hard to explain sometimes 😐 #feminsim #feminist #foryou #foryoupage #fypシ

♬ original sound – soleil❤️

TikTok user Maris_Mbi highlights the nuances and complexities of supporting sex workers while being against a system of exploitation. 

Laci Mosley, who plays Harper in the new iCarly reboot, speaks up about the treatment of Black people in Hollywood. “I look forward to the point where being Black and getting a job in Hollywood is not a political statement,” Mosley said in an interview with the LA Times.

Artist Anna Marie Tendler shared a self-portrait titled “Dinner in July,” calling back to a previous piece of hers titled “Dinner in March.” Tendler has been using Instagram as a medium to share her art and emotions after going through a public divorce. 

@diversability

Happy Disability Pride Month! The Disability movement welcomes allies! #DisabilityPride #Disability #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityTikTok #Inclusion

♬ All My Friends – Sam Kearney

The Diversability TikTok account wishes everyone a happy Disability Pride Month and outlines what able-bodied allies can do to advocate for people with disabilities! 

@itsjojosiwa

Watch me play in the MLB celebrity softball game tonight on ESPN at 7:30:)

♬ Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Subatomic Studios

Popular teen celebrity JoJo Siwa shared a clip of her preparing for the MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball game. Siwa amazed fans with her unexpected softball skills!

Brittany Packnett Cunningham shares a story about Allyson Felix, the most accomplished track and field Olympian in history, covering child care costs for current Olympians, reminding us that even though this is a kind and moving gesture, motherhood shouldn’t be a barrier to competition. In subsequent tweets, Cunningham also reminds everyone that singular trailblazers like Felix are often tasked with embarrassing institutions into changing. 

Queer feminist artist Caitlin Blunnie shared her art advocating for disability rights in light of Disability Pride Month. “People with disabilities still do not have marriage equality,” the post reads. “There is no marriage equality until people with disabilities can marry without losing benefits.”

@rudy_willingham

America’s finest #simonebiles #olympics #gymnastics

♬ Don’t Stop Me Now – Remastered 2011 – Queen

TikTok user Rudy_Willingham celebrates Simone Biles with an intricate series of photographs that merge to show the gymnast performing a routine in front of iconic and colorful imagery.  

President and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Sherrilyn Ifill highlights Macnolia Cox, a Black 13-year-old spelling bee competitor who was sabotaged in 1936 and kept from winning, reminding everyone to acknowledge the history of racism in spelling behind Zalia Avant-garde’s groundbreaking win. 

Kimberlé Crenshaw, author of On Intersectionality, shares Darnella Frazier’s grief after losing her uncle to police brutality at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department. Frazier filmed the murder of George Floyd and recently recieved the Pulitzer prize, reminding everyone that without real reform, no real justice can be found. 

@blackfeministrants

Black womens work has been mis-credited for TOO long #actvism #intersectionalfeminism #reproductivejustice #blm #angeladavis

♬ Use this sound – Berlin

TikTok user BlackFeministRants reminds every feminist to acknowledge and credit the Black women who pioneered modern leftist and feminist thought. 

Up next:

Toasts All-Around: This Week’s Feminist Social Media Moments of Celebration and Activism
We Heart: Comedian Carolyn Castiglia Welcomes Women Into Stand-Up Comedy
We Heart: Amanda Gorman’s Eight Reasons to Stand Up Against Abortion Bans
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About and

Meredith Abdelnour is an editorial fellow for Ms. magazine. She studies English and Environmental Studies at Tulane University and enjoys crossword puzzles.
Ramona Flores is an editorial fellow with Ms. and is completing her undergraduate studies at Smith College, with a double major in government and the study of women and gender. Her academic focuses include Marxist feminism, transnational collective organizing and queer history. Her writing covers internet subcultures, reproductive care advocacy and queer theory. She hails from Austin, Texas.

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