Lipstick Lesbian Catch

^{#FeministsAreUgly}

^{I didn’t use to be a big fan of Twitter (still figuring out Facebook after 6 years, if I’m being completely honest), but I’m starting to see its power. The only reason I visited the site in the first place was because I’d heard rumours that there was a lot of feminist hate trending.}

^{So, I created an account, and followed a few people before searching for this dreaded Tweeter. I soon came across #IDontNeedFeminism, #WomenAgainstFeminism and #FeminismIsAwful.}

^{When another seemingly misogynistic and ill-informed hashtag started becoming popular, I felt disheartened. #FeministsAreUgly was everywhere.}

^{However, as I scrolled through the news feed, I smiled – people from all walks of life were posting beautiful pictures of themselves as a response, challenging the idea that those who believe in gender equality are unattractive.}

^{As I read on, I soon learnt that this hashtag was actually created by two feminists: Lily Bolourian and Cheuya as a way to ‘reclaim the word ugly’. Lily Bolourian tweeted: ‘For women, particularly of color, owning our appearance is a radical act.’ They encouraged users to tweet photographs of their beautiful selves, and by doing so, defy the white-washed ‘ideal’ of beauty that is constantly shoved in our faces.}

^{What a controversial, and thus brilliant, way to start a conversation about beauty standards and white-centric ideals. To quote Beyoncé, ladies..we’re flawless.}