“Sell-outs, Fatsos or Whores?”: Representation of Politically Active Pakistani Women on Social Media
Abstract
The democratic nature of social media coupled with its unprecedented growth due to easy access and somewhat anonymity of users have had implications for various social groups during the last few years. A natural corollary to the vast amount of discourse on social media is the competition and conflict among individuals and groups to gain control and dominance. Like the male politicians, the politically active women in Pakistan also take to Twitter, a social media platform, to express their ideas. Since Twitter is a public platform, politically active men as well as women are exposed to a variety of comments from their followers as well as critics. Through textual analysis of tweets, and using the feminist lens, the present study found issues of women objectification and de-legitimization. It was found that younger women political activists were framed as immoral while senior politicians were body shamed. Vocabulary used by members of Twitter to develop their discourse for representing various politically active women in Pakistan shows uncivil behavior and gendered prejudices.
Authors
Dr. Ali Ahmad
Assistant Professor, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus, Pakistan
Muhammad Rashid Hafeez
Assistant Professor, Department of English , GC Women University Sialkot, Pakistan
Muhammad Shahbaz
Assistant Professor, Department of English , GC Women University Sialkot, Pakistan