Citation

Maas MK, McCauley HL, Bonomi AE, Leija SG. Violence Against Women 2018; 24(14): 1739-1750.

Affiliation

1 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801217743340

PMID

30295180

Abstract

The present study assessed how individuals used the #NotOkay hashtag on Twitter to respond to Donald Trump's comments about grabbing women by their genitals. We analyzed 652 tweets which included commentary about the hashtag. Three main themes emerged: (a) users' acknowledgment and condemnation of rape culture, (b) Donald Trump and the national state of sexual assault, and (c) engaging men and boys to end violence against women. Our findings emphasize that powerful political leaders can be salient symbols of rape culture, and Twitter is used as a public platform to organize and challenge problematic social discourse and call for action/change.

Language: en

Keywords

celebrity; masculinity; politics; rape culture; sexual assault; social media