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A Culture of Misogyny

 With the results of the 2024 US Presidential election, there has already been an increase in online misogyny. Knowing that a good friend of pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein can be elected President of the United States for a second time has fed the flames for incels across the internet. Phrases like ‘your body, my choice’ have spread through different platforms with hundreds of thousands of ‘likes’, with men increasingly coming out to share their woman-hating views. This begs the question: Is this considered hate speech? 

Shockingly, gender targeted language is not considered to be hate speech in the UK, and in the US, the right to freedom of speech in the Bill of Rights is airtight, meaning that statements like this online – although may lead to an increase in hate crime committed – are not illegal. Statements like these are very much allowed to be made, regardless of the violent sentiment that it implies to women’s bodily autonomy. 

A general culture shift has been seen over the last decade, as Donald Trump has been elected twice despite the numerous charges placed against him for rape and sexual assault. His quote of ‘Grab them by the p****’ made its rounds during the time of the 2016 US Presidential election, which he still won, thanks to the Electoral College system. The overturning of Roe v. Wade in the US in 2022 was a clear example of this culture shift, as it was a huge step back for women’s rights and revoked the federal right to choose to get abortion care. Even while Trump was not seated in the presidential office, the lasting impression of his administration remained. 

Looking at this from the other side of the 2024 US Election, it is now known that a convicted felon is more likely to win the election than a more qualified, better spoken, and sharper candidate – so long as the former is a white man, and the latter is a woman of color. The disinformation campaigns going against Kamala Harris worked because of this culture that has been built surrounding online misogyny. 

Despite constant harassment and mistreatment online, women are still not seeing any substantial protections being raised in response. It is time for a grassroots cultural shift, as we grow to understand just how deeply misogyny runs through the world, and to see this reflected in online communities.  

If you or anyone you know have been a victim to hate speech, contact the Stop Hate UK Line 24-hours a day on 0800 138 1625. 

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