Facebook Feminism: Moderating Story and Visibility in Pantsuit Nation

Peitho Volume 21 Issue 2 Spring 2019

Author(s): Alicia Brazeau

Abstract: This essay examines the Pantsuit Nation Facebook group as one example of an emerging digital, feminist, rhetorical tradition. Drawing on recent research of political activism online, I analyze the implications of Pantsuit Nation’s assertion that “storytelling is activism.” In particular, I demonstrate how the Facebook group invites participants to engage in an ongoing, moderated construction of feminist identities and values through the use of shared narrative frames. Given the popularity of politicized social media groups like Pantsuit Nation, I assert that identity-based and story-based platforms such as Facebook are uniquely well-suited for inviting new participants into a feminist and political action, and afford members and moderators the ability to continuously revise and expand community narratives.

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Tags: identity, Intersectionality, politics, social media, storytelling