A Teen's View: The Relentless Misogyny on Social Media Platforms
As a 15-year-old schoolgirl, I spend much of my free time on social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, just like my friends. But what I see there is far from harmless fun—it's a daily barrage of vile misogyny that politicians debating online abuse often fail to grasp fully. Let me show you the reality that confronts me every day.
The Language of Degradation
Consider a recent example from Instagram: a reel asking, "Do y'all females ever tell ur homegirls 'Sis chill you letting too many dudes hit?'" This translates to calling women whores for their sexual choices. The comments that followed were pure misogyny, with one stating, "Women see body count as a leaderboard and they try to outdo each other," implying all women are competitively promiscuous.
The use of "female" here is not neutral; it's a term of abuse used by teenage boys to degrade us, equating us to animals like sows or calves. We're also labeled "thots" (whores), "community pussy," and "bops"—a derogatory term meaning "been over passed," used to shame girls for having sex. Sexual equality has vanished online: boys are praised for sex, while girls are called worthless objects.
Everyday Exposure to Hate
I actively try to avoid this content, but it's incessant. Within minutes of scrolling, I encounter subtle or overt misogyny—comment sections filled with remarks about girls' bodies, degrading jokes in videos, and even topics like domestic violence or rape trivialized. For instance, on a reel about a rape survivor, comments from men included, "Well at least you had some," and "Bro could have picked a better option," with thousands of likes.
If a girl my age posts any video, the comments will objectify her, regardless of the topic. Revealing clothing or larger breasts lead to abuse and sexualization. Unprompted, hundreds of comments might insult her features or rate her attractiveness, with terms like "Sub5" for someone below 5/10. I've seen videos where boys tell unattractive people to end their lives.
The Contradiction of Purity and Objectification
Despite the sexual objectification, there's also an extreme emphasis on female purity. Sex is called "cracking," with men doing the cracking and women getting cracked. "Body count" is used only to degrade women; a high count means being "used up" and valueless. One boy posted, "You can always tell if she's ran through." Often, it feels like we're hated not just for being sexual, but simply for existing.
Words like "bitch" are mild compared to labels like "foid," from incel subculture, which dehumanizes women as less-than-human female humanoids. Posts claim, "Men are objectively superior in pretty much every conceivable metric," fostering a deep divide between genders.
The Psychological Toll
The effect is devastating. After just 10 minutes on Instagram, I feel disheartened and unhappy about being a girl. Seeing comments sections filled with disgusting remarks about girls' bodies makes me uncomfortable in my own skin, leading to comparisons and self-loathing. The endless emphasis on beauty as worth has made me start to hate my own face.
Social media has ruined my self-esteem and my relationship with being a girl. Nearly every day, I feel hatred towards my gender, appearance, or teenage boys as a category. The misogyny I see online, echoed in real life, has made me resentful and bitter. I often wonder if any boys are not misogynistic to some extent, questioning if I can find love in the future.
A Call for Action
I understand boys are also victims of harmful content, learning from adults who post misogynistic videos first. But the divide between girls and boys in my generation is stark. A social media ban for under-16s might help by preventing young boys from seeing endless content that treats women with contempt. While it might not fix the problem, it would show society's disapproval. If we can't stop the hate, we can at least take a stand against it.
