A rhetorical analysis of misogynist memes on social media

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the rhetoric of misogynist memes and understand their motivations. This, in turn, provides insights into social patterns of oppression that emerge in the process of analysis. Memes are cultural artefacts. They allow netizens to not only form communities with one another but to also express themselves and spread their opinions and ideas. This means that memes are not only a form of fun, but they are also a means of discourse. By sharing, making, and posting a meme, the netizen expresses feelings of either acceptance or disagreement to the idea the meme puts forth. Memes can therefore be used as activism and resistance, but they can also express racism, misogyny, homophobia, and any other form of bigotry. Sexism has been used to justify the oppression of women for years, and the internet is a new medium for misogynists to spread their ideology. The aim is to uphold patriarchal social order, and to keep women in their subdued state. Any attempt at gaining autonomy is met with vitriol and violence. Memes have become another way for these people to uphold and share patriarchal views. The theory of Visual rhetoric is used in order to effectively analyse a select number of memes found on Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, and other meme hosting websites. This theory states that memes are both a language of signs and a means of discourse. Both the semiotic and the discursive methods are used for the analysis. The analysis shows that women are not criticised for their actions, they are instead valued using their body. Whether a woman is conventionally attractive or not, her attractiveness to men is brought into question, and she is demeaned for it. Moreover, women’s credibility and character are attacked by bringing into question their sexual history and intelligence. Feminist memes are also analysed in order to determine how women respond to this misogyny, and whether the same ideas found in misogynist memes are repelled in feminist ones. The analysis shows that women use memes to make fun of and demean misogynist ideas in order to dismantle them of their power. In conclusion, the rhetoric of misogynist memes involves the scrutiny of women’s bodies and the devaluation of their character, rendering them simply as sexual objects. Feminist memes, however, are an effective counter-discourse that serves to dismantle these structures and provide women with autonomy.