On Tuesday, the hashtag #ItsNotAWomansDutyTo took off on Twitter.
<br>It started with a simple tweet.
It's not a woman's duty to make sure she isn't assaulted when she leaves the house. It's your duty not to assault her.
— Feminism Vibes (@feminismvibes) May 10, 2016
Twitter user @FeminismVibes, which is run by two "kick-ass intersectional feminists" began this conversation after one of their university classes sparked a discussion about gender.
"I was absolutely disheartened to hear about some of the opinions my classmates — specifically my male classmates — held about how women 'ought' to behave," they told Upworthy.
It's not a woman's duty to convince you that no means no.
— Feminism Vibes (@feminismvibes) May 10, 2016
It's not a woman's duty to "avoid turning you on"; it's your duty to keep your hands to yourself.
— Feminism Vibes (@feminismvibes) May 10, 2016
A woman named Jolie Green suggested the rant become a hashtag, and that's how it all began.
@feminismvibes You should turn this into a hashtag. #ItsNotAWomensDutyTo. ✊ Lets make it trending and go viral.
— jolie (@joliegreenx) May 10, 2016
Within minutes, tweets began rolling in using the #ItsNotAWomansDutyTo hashtag to share a series of powerful statements about gender roles and expectations.
Many of them followed Feminism Vibes' lead, focusing on sexual assault and harassment.
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo explain why she is saying no to you.
— rachel (@itsrachelgross) May 10, 2016
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo give you some sort of a sexual favour in 'return' for you taking her on a date/you buying her something
— elise (@FEMELSS) May 10, 2016
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo sleep with a guy just because he bought her drinks
— ✨ (@feminizza) May 10, 2016
And others pushed back against the expectation that women dress modestly.
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo cover herself when she is breastfeeding
— Siobhán (@sssylovesyou) May 10, 2016
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo cover herself up bc men are "distracted". Its their fault not ours
— kirbæ (@firresliams) May 10, 2016
And even chimed in to tackle the pressure to conform to stereotypically feminine roles and for others to define what it means to be a woman.
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo conform to the stereotyped idea of what a woman should be
— miss fine (@nochillchapman) May 10, 2016
#ItsNotAWomansDutyTo cater to your "traditional" values
— ❁floral thot❁ (@rebelthot) May 10, 2016
And still others used the hashtag to affirm realities such as "trans women are women," "dress codes are sexist," and more.
The big takeaway here is that women don't owe anybody anything simply because they're women.
And, yes, men are held to unfair standards in the name of masculinity (nobody is denying that), but this hashtag was specifically about the specific pressures women face.
"I left class feeling as though there has not been as much progress as we think there has been in fighting patriarchal perceptions of what makes a woman," Feminism Vibes said.
Little did they know they would do something later that same day that does just that — fighting patriarchal perceptions of what makes a woman.
Interested checking out more stories from the #ItsNotAWomansDutyTo hashtag?
Thumbnail photo by Johan Ordonez/AFP/Getty Images.
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