Praise the App Gods. The incredible ass-kicking team behind Miss Representation has given us yet another gem. #NotBuyingIt is an app dedicated to calling out sexist representation, and celebrating media that empowers women and girls.
*downloads immediately*
The app reads like an Instagram/Twitter hybrid. As you scroll through your #NotBuyingIt timeline, you read short posts from other righteous feminists calling out some horrible stuff, and you throw a mini-celebration that other like-minded women are as smart, as aware, and as frustrated as you are.
The posts fall under one of two titles: #NotBuyingIt or #MediaWeLike. You have the choice to “like” or “share” posts via Twitter, email, Facebook, or text message.
Get ready, friends and family. I’m about to blow up your timeline with aalllllllll the things I’m not buying.
But wait – there’s more. The app also provides you with a whole toolbar menu to search through active campaigns, browse or share stories of women-positive victories, and even directs you to take the Representation Project pledge (which you can also do right now by clicking here).
The only downside to the app is the lack of structure for a more intersectional understanding of sexist representation. Defaulting to White Western feminism is a slippery slope, as #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen so poignantly and painfully illuminated recently, and it’s a trap I unfortunately have no doubt many users will fall into. Users must remember that feminism is not only about gender, but about gender’s interaction with other social identities. As you use this app (which I really hope you do) be sure to keep in mind that not all women are created equal, and sexism is differently experienced by different communities of women. It’s also important to remember that calling out the perpetuation of harmful and violent masculinities is also a feminist cause, as hyper-masculinity is as much a reinforcement of harmful gender binaries as sexist portrayals of women.
Still, so many rounds of applause for this app. Hopefully it catches on as much as it deserves to, and forces an even brighter spotlight on sexist representation. Yay for all those smart women out there, and three cheers for a brand new forum for interactive, user-generated feminist commentary and activism! I will be zombie-zoning into my phone with much less guilt now.
