HOW WOMEN ARE RADICALIZED INTO WHITE SUPREMACY
White supremacist groups and the alt-right have taken full advantage of the internet by making a place for themselves online and establishing links to the mainstream. They have weaponized beauty and political hashtags to stir up fear and resentment, which motivates people to begin exploring the more extreme side of the internet further. The alt-right has also famously used memes to generate engagement with their content, exemplified by Richard Spencer claiming that the “Pepe the Frog” meme is used to spread their ideas. Hashtags and memes are easily digestible content shared on mainstream websites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Engagement in white supremacist content can lead users down a frightening rabbit hole to radicalization on sites like Reddit and 4chan.
White women can interact with white supremacist hashtags in many online communities, such as beauty. White supremacists spread #ItsOkToBeWhite as a counter to #BlackGirlMagic, a hashtag highlighting black women’s value to the beauty community and other general achievements. Along with the hashtag comes the idea that white beauty is under attack and is beginning to be valued less than nonwhite beauty (Badalich 2019). White women who feel intentionally excluded by the new embrace of women of color in the beauty community may follow #ItsOkToBeWhite and be increasingly exposed to white supremacist content that celebrates whiteness. They may be drawn into white identity conversations where others express their insecurities. At this point, the users have found a group that supports and validates their feelings and encourages further exploration into white supremacist rhetoric. When users repost or create similar content, likes and attention validate their opinions, and the increased engagement incentivizes social media sites to show more white supremacist content to their users.
Politics is another avenue by which women can be radicalized. Anti-feminists that are vocal on social media can be introduced to communities who share similar views and begin interacting with those groups off mainstream sites. Less mainstream sites, such as the reddit threat r/theredpill, harbor more radical beliefs and lead anti-feminist women to engage with white supremacist users (Badalich 2019). The alt-right has encouraged activity on subreddits and forums, allowing white supremacists to share their own content and rhetoric to a large group of potential new members seeking validation (Badalich 2019). As stated above, validation is key to the continuation of radicalization.
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- THE SIGNIFICANCE OF WOMEN IN WHITE POWER MOVEMENT
- HOW WOMEN ARE RADICALIZED INTO WHITE SUPREMACY
- WHY WOMEN LEAVE THE WHITE POWER MOVEMENT
- LIMITATIONS
- CONCLUSION
- ENDNOTES