The Internet Missionaries: A Study of Women’s Anti-Feminist Discourse Online
Résumé
: In the 21st century anti-feminist ideas in the United States have found a fertile ground in which to thrive: the internet. Through blogs, websites, YouTube videos, Facebook posts and other such platforms, anti-feminists have been able to develop a strong and coherent discourse which is often championed by women themselves. From the comfort of their own homes, anti-feminist women are able to both voice and share conservative values such as anti-abortion content, anti-contraception ideology (the Quiverful movement), promotion of “housewife life” (which they often call “Tradwife”), discouraging girls from furthering their education, advocating for modest clothing for women, and encouraging punitive parenting (Blanket training). This paper discusses the rhetoric at work in anti-feminist ideology online looking specifically at the discourse of six prominent figures of this movement: “Mrs. Midwest,” “Girl Defined,” “Classically Abby,” “Emily Wilson,” “Estee Williams,” and “The Transformed Wife.” This article shows how these anti-feminist ideas are defended by the speakers and how their discourse is constructed in order to convince themselves and other women. This article also analyzes how key words and concepts are taken up from one speaker to the next creating a coherent and logical discussion among contemporary anti-feminists. Finally, this paper demonstrates how these women conceal two important facts in their internet productions: firstly, that by being content-creators on the internet they are not devoting their entire lives to their husbands and children as they claim to be doing, and secondly that the lifestyle that they promote places women in potentially harmful situations as they become completely dependent on their husbands.