“My hope is that young people will remain restless, that we will strap on our boots, and bring out whatever tool we have in our arsenal – our art, our hashtags, TikTok dances, poems to raise our voices,” says Sepiso Mwamelo, a lead researcher for 2023 State of Youth Civil Society report carried out by Restless Development, a non-profit global agency that “trains, mentors, nurtures and connects thousands of young people to use their youth power and lead change.” Mwamelo’s words point at the future of feminism – a new kind of feminism that sees digital transformation at the heart of their feminist revolution.
Youth today is realizing the power of technology in bringing about changes in society. Experts call this a kind of “fourth-wave feminism,” where young feminists and changemakers organize important offline events, protests, and discussions via online communities and networks. They are now able to communicate their anger, hopes, desires, and disappointments via both online and offline means. Whether it is memes, poems, digital illustrations, infographics, holding discussions on Instagram Live and Zoom meetings, or taking on the streets, youth, particularly young women today, are realising the importance of both landscapes in breaking the barriers that hold them down.
Who would have thought a decade ago that cultural, political, and social hypocrisies, everyday sexism, or patriarchy could be brutally yet creatively challenged with digital comics? So much so that they could become a threat to the establishments. Rachita Taneja with her well-known and well-adored Instagram account @sanitarypanels shows us how feminism can be practiced through humour. Through her simple stick illustrations with witty captions, she entertains, educates, and criticizes all at the same time. “Sanitary Panels would not have been possible without the internet,” Taneja was quoted in an interview with Frontline.
In a way, women like Taneja challenge the traditional definition of resistance. They educate people on how discrimination, inequality, prejudices, and violence can also be resisted via art, poems, and love; and how resistance can be practiced creatively. For instance, how Alaa Salaha – a 22-year-old protestant from Sudan became a symbol of the Sudanese revolution; how she resisted the authoritarian rule of Omar-al-Bashir through her powerful chants and singing that potentially helped the ongoing revolution in overthrowing his presidency.
Meanwhile, women like Sara Suliman whose powerful film on body politics in Sudan premiered in IDFA Amesterdam resist and fight authority and patriarchy through films. Cinema has always been notoriously dominated by men. And with young women entering the industry, a fresh and distinct lens is being lent to the screens which often gets ignored or sidelined. Suliman through her documentary Heroic Bodies highlights not only how throughout history women in Sudan have been exploited (the damsel in distress story of women in developing countries that media or cinema often portray) but also significantly shows the long history of Sudanese women who were actively involved in resistance movements in the past and who liberated themselves from restrictive, shackling and oppressive traditions and customs that harmed their mental and physical body. Women in her documentary talked about how they joined forces and movements to outlaw forced marriages and reclaim their right to education. They shared their painful personal memories of dangerous customs “that were once widespread in Sudan, such as facial skin scarring or shulukh, Female Genital Mutilation or khitan, and re-infibulation.”
This female gaze which reflects the complexities of human relationships and does not see women entirely as victims or entirely as agential subjects is important for cinema and women like Suliman are spearheading this feminist movement.
“The details that the feminists in my film gave, they gave freely by themselves – I didn’t ask them to. This came from their strong belief that these stories needed to be told. This is when your goal is bigger than your personal needs,”Suliman says in an interview with The New Arab.
This is not to say that the younger generation is largely present digitally and that their resistance is mainly led digitally or through media. Various powerful protests and movements are today led by young women across the world, especially in developing countries where women like those in Iran are fearlessly taking to the streets. For instance: how young women in Iran are stripping naked and jumping on police vehicles to protest against the government and its conservative clothing and mandatory hijab regulations. Their fearless fight where they put their lives at risk is instrumental in charting the possibilities of future feminist movements.
As seen in the work of Taneja, Suliman and Salah, today’s and the future of feminism seems to rely on a multifaceted approach where online and offline tools are utilized to amplify the feminist movements’ goals, reach, and impact.The younger generation is blending online mobilization with offline activism for effective feminist movements. Their aim is not only to expose injustices and redefine the set narratives but also to brutally overthrow them. While digital platforms allow for rapid mobilization, global solidarity, and creative resistance through art, satire, and storytelling, physical protests like those in Iran remind the world of the raw, unfiltered power of an eye-to-eye confrontational action.The courage of women stripping away oppressive norms—both metaphorically and literally—reflects that feminism’s future is one of bold and raw defiance, intersectional advocacy, and resolute demands for justice. “The fourth wave of feminism,” or the future of feminism is driven by young women and people who want to tell stories that truly matter, and through mediums that allow their feminism(s) to grow more inclusive, intersectional, and unapologetically real.
