#YOUOKAYSIS
The power of “Black Twitter” should not be underestimated. A topic on Black Twitter can go from minute to national in minutes. #YOUOKAYSIS raises awareness about street harassment particularly in the black community. The self-proclaimed Black feminist encountered a young woman who was being harassed on the streets of New York by a man continually making unwanted advances at her; the same man had been following her four blocks. Jones was fed up and saw the need to create change and used Twitter as a platform. Since the summer there have been over 500 tweets using the hashtag.
Since creating this powerful hashtag it has brought about many heated debates on Twitter. Men and women alike have deemed this online campaign unnecessary claiming feminist are sensitive and simply saying hello or commenting on a woman’s physique is not street harassment. Jones acknowledges that unaware people would think this was overly sensitive and brush it off because of their lack of knowledge. She strives to educate people through others’ experiences. This campaign has also brought about change. The most successful part of the campaign is when Black men have admitted their wrongs of harassing women in the street and acknowledged that Black women are equal and should not be objectified. The campaign continues to grow and has changed many people’s perceptions of women. It was important that men saw and read different reactions from women who had experienced street harassment. A simple #YOUOKAYSIS can save another woman who is in a compromising position and feels unsafe.
Mainstream stereotypes tell us “cat calling” is acceptable because Black women in particular vie for the attention. Society tells us Black women inject their bodies with silicone and implants to attain unrealistic body shapes and want to be seen as sex symbols. On the same social media outlets you see Black people condoning catcalling and hounding women in the street with the excuses “she shouldn’t look so damn good and she’s dressed like she wants attention”. However this is not true and the self-aware sister has to face the backlash for standing up for women’s rights. No one wants to be constantly reminded that they are viewed as nothing more than a sex symbol.
The power of “Black Twitter” should not be underestimated. A topic on Black Twitter can go from minute to national in minutes. #YOUOKAYSIS raises awareness about street harassment particularly in the black community. The self-proclaimed Black feminist encountered a young woman who was being harassed on the streets of New York by a man continually making unwanted advances at her; the same man had been following her four blocks. Jones was fed up and saw the need to create change and used Twitter as a platform. Since the summer there have been over 500 tweets using the hashtag.
Since creating this powerful hashtag it has brought about many heated debates on Twitter. Men and women alike have deemed this online campaign unnecessary claiming feminist are sensitive and simply saying hello or commenting on a woman’s physique is not street harassment. Jones acknowledges that unaware people would think this was overly sensitive and brush it off because of their lack of knowledge. She strives to educate people through others’ experiences. This campaign has also brought about change. The most successful part of the campaign is when Black men have admitted their wrongs of harassing women in the street and acknowledged that Black women are equal and should not be objectified. The campaign continues to grow and has changed many people’s perceptions of women. It was important that men saw and read different reactions from women who had experienced street harassment. A simple #YOUOKAYSIS can save another woman who is in a compromising position and feels unsafe.
Mainstream stereotypes tell us “cat calling” is acceptable because Black women in particular vie for the attention. Society tells us Black women inject their bodies with silicone and implants to attain unrealistic body shapes and want to be seen as sex symbols. On the same social media outlets you see Black people condoning catcalling and hounding women in the street with the excuses “she shouldn’t look so damn good and she’s dressed like she wants attention”. However this is not true and the self-aware sister has to face the backlash for standing up for women’s rights. No one wants to be constantly reminded that they are viewed as nothing more than a sex symbol.