Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 26
Women Revive TikTok 'Microfeminisms' as 2.4 Million Followers Share Everyday Acts Against Sexism
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 26

Women Revive TikTok 'Microfeminisms' as 2.4 Million Followers Share Everyday Acts Against Sexism

1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 26

Summary

  • TikTok users are reviving “microfeminisms” — small, often playful acts that flip gender expectations, from putting women’s names first to refusing to step aside for men on sidewalks.
  • Tori Dunlap, a Seattle author with 2.4 million followers, helped popularize the term after asking users to share their “most unhinged” examples, prompting a wave of posts and comments.
  • Andrea Press, a University of Virginia sociologist, said the trend pushes back on “everyday sexism” embedded in routine assumptions such as women handling dinner or being asked whether they work.
  • Women posting about the practice say it reflects a broader backlash to misogyny and rights erosion under the current US administration, even as some men in comment sections call the behavior sexist toward men.
  • Brianna Wood, whose microfeminism videos drew more than 1 million views, said that reaction underscores the point: reversing the script exposes how normalized sexist behavior toward women remains.

Insights

From 19th-century protests to TikTok, do small acts of rebellion actually challenge power structures?
When does challenging a gender norm cross the line into creating unnecessary social conflict?
Does financial feminism empower all women or just integrate a few into an unequal system?