Abstract | Since the inception of the feminist movement, literature has been an invaluable tool in spreading its messages of equality and liberation, as well as immortalizing the observations and conclusions made by the women who have spearheaded the movement. Over the centuries, the works of Mary Wollstonecraft, Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, bell hooks and so many more have shaped feminist thought and the course of the movement at large. In the recent years, feminists have begun to find their voices online, utilizing social media as a way to unite the movement globally. Social media as a form of activism has garnered mixed opinions, with some praising its global nature, wide range of voices, and role in destigmatizing, even popularizing the feminist label, while others have criticized it for the possible dilution of the message through overt consumerism, as well as the controversial “cancel culture.” Despite the numerous examples of real-life change enacted thanks to online media, Internet activism is not yet considered to be on a par with literature in terms of merit to the feminist movement. This thesis will present the work of activists who began their careers on social media, Laura Bates, Dolly Alderton, and Deborah Frances-White, but have gone on to publish literary works, which have granted them further recognition in feminist spaces as notable activists and authors. |