Following the re-election of former U.S. President Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States, reports have shown a sharp increase in online hate speech targeting women.
According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a U.S.-based think tank, misogynistic content saw a dramatic rise across social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok in the 24 hours following the election results on November 5.
On X, mentions of the phrases, Your body, my choice, and Get back to the kitchen, spiked by 4,600%. The phrase, Your body, my choice, is a mocking parody of the pro-choice slogan, My body, my choice, used to ridicule women’s rights to bodily autonomy. The reference to the kitchen is interpreted as a push to reinforce traditional gender roles, suggesting that women should be confined to domestic spaces. Calls to repeal the 19th Amendment, which guarantees women’s right to vote, also resurfaced, with mentions increasing by 446% compared to the previous week.
On Facebook, the phrase, Your body, my choice, appeared on the platform’s Trending list, reflecting the growing use of the term in online discussions. On TikTok, numerous instances were reported where this phrase was used in comments on women’s accounts. One TikTok creator shared, “Several men used this phrase to threaten sexual assault, forcing me to delete my video.”
Reports also highlight incidents of harassment targeting women in schools. One parent shared on Facebook, “My daughter heard ‘Your body, my choice’ three times on her college campus.” On Reddit, a user recounted being confronted by a group of men wearing MAGA attire on campus who told them, “Go back to where you belong.”
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) analyzed that the election results appear to have created a permissive environment, allowing misogynists to more openly and aggressively advocate for the restriction of women’s rights.