The Funniest and Most Relevant Feminist Memes of 2017

It’s no doubt been a weird year to be female. While the #MeToo movement has been empowering for many women, it’s also been triggering, and many of the responses to it from men have been disappointing, to say the least. It’s been a year where we’ve had to loudly defend our rights to ownership over our own bodies, not to mention our need for things like equal pay, adequate maternity leave, and a definitive end to our society’s pervasive culture of rape and sexual assault. These are serious issues, to be sure, and sometimes, it can feel so heartbreaking not to have them taken seriously by those in charge. That’s where humor comes in. The best memes provide us not only with a straightforward way to communicate about complex issues, but with a way to turn our frustrations into something we can laugh about, even if it’s just to stop us from completely freaking out.

And despite the fact that memes were once associated with trolly dudes living in their parents’ basements, the past couple of years have seen a significant uptick in women using them to express truths about navigating the world as a female. The hardships outlined in popular feminist memes typically range from the minorly inconvenient (think unsolicited d*ck picks from dating apps and our love-hate relationship with makeup) to the majorly not okay (e.g. sexual assault, rape culture), but whatever the topic, it always feels like something we’ve lamented to our friends a thousand times. Good memes, like good art, articulate things that may be difficult to express with words alone, and that’s why we love them. Below, a few of our favorite feminist memes of the year.

me when boys compliment me vs me when girls compliment me pic.twitter.com/UpQ392lsGP
— c a i t l i n (@raichew) February 24, 2016

men: you wear so much makeup because you’re insecure
me, an intellectual: pic.twitter.com/A4vrjdJXf3

— GIGI (@asapdaya) March 18, 2017

hmu if u wanna talk theory?? if you’ve never sat thru a course on feminism, trust me when i say that this is how it is. if ur in a course rn, print this out and bring it to class and tell me how quickly u go thru it or what ur prof thinks

A post shared by ?Lupe (they/them) (@problematiqueer) on Jan 28, 2017 at 2:32pm PST

@aidenarata they are BOTH ME

A post shared by BINNY DEBBIE (@scariest_bug_ever) on Jul 14, 2017 at 11:05am PDT

@contentzone they’re both me

A post shared by BINNY DEBBIE (@scariest_bug_ever) on May 27, 2017 at 7:31pm PDT

bless up

A post shared by BINNY DEBBIE (@scariest_bug_ever) on May 22, 2017 at 7:57am PDT

boop @snakelively

A post shared by shannon edwards (@sh_____ed) on May 5, 2017 at 10:20am PDT

@glossier #glossier

A post shared by shannon edwards (@sh_____ed) on Mar 25, 2017 at 5:36pm PDT

Social Media Bingo – from The Feminist Activity Book (published by @sealpress) via @the_nib @annagoodsonillustration #annagoodsonillustrationagency #trollswillbeblocked

A post shared by Gemma Correll (@gemmacorrell) on Feb 22, 2017 at 4:39pm PST

“are you sure” “how much did you drink”

A post shared by BINNY DEBBIE (@scariest_bug_ever) on Feb 8, 2017 at 4:39pm PST

i’ve been thinking a lot about the women who are no longer in my life. aunts, nearly decade long friendships, classmates with whom the only reason a relationship formed was to pass the time, my grandmother, all of my past selves, bullies, ones that could have been close but something happened along the way, family friends, the chicks hung up on whatever dude i’m dating, childhood safety nets-all of them having their own specific impact on my life that was abruptly ended. all of us having fears and doubts and insecurities and problems at home and with ourselves. all of us being interconnected and shaping the way we’ll carry on with our lives. it’s like it’s always been this grateful-regret mixed in with longing and left over hurt feelings. i think learning to let go of things that no longer serve you is a lifelong lesson though, especially if you’re like me and oscillate between latching onto what doesn’t work and dropping people like hot potatoes because of an internal crisis. i’m reeling over the fact that i could have ever felt resentment towards any of them. so much of it was towards myself. i don’t know if there’s a point to anything i’m saying besides that none of us would be where we are today if it wasn’t for the humans we’ve encountered, and that can always go both ways. hopefully the good has been taken out of our situations more than the bad. Kayla from 5th grade, if you’re reading this, you’re still a bitch for stealing my journal but i forgive you and i hope you’re doing well.

A post shared by bun (@bunnymemes) on Nov 14, 2017 at 7:09am PST

a throwback. i would also like to take this moment to say i have had one hell of a fucking week, but there is literally nothing on this planet that will ever stop me from getting something if i want it and if i have to yell that to myself in the mirror every day for the rest of my life to keep me going then so be it bc all we are is the things we do and say and i think that i do and say pretty ok things and that is the end of this rant goodbye

See also

Culture

·Catherine Santino

Amy Schumer Is Giving Up Dirty Jokes As She Approaches Motherhood

A post shared by bun (@bunnymemes) on Oct 11, 2017 at 4:18pm PDT

Let’s talk about a completely free alternative to preventing unwanted pregnancy: stop raping women ? P.S. Thank you for 30K! This meme was published on @wmag a year ago but we are STILL dealing with this bullshit. I literally owe my life to @plannedparenthood for covering my IUD that reduces my risk of stroke from ocular migraines. Not only is birth control medically necessary for millions of women, MEN ALSO BENEFIT from family planning and contraceptives. #handsoffmybc

A post shared by look it up KAREN (@vaporcult) on Oct 6, 2017 at 4:14pm PDT

Why aren’t I dating a femme rn

A post shared by bun (@bunnymemes) on Mar 25, 2017 at 3:11pm PDT

him: wow ur really not like the other girls
me: pic.twitter.com/DZlsgzHT0S
— lexapro alfredo (@loserlexii) October 7, 2016

just another unrealistic body expectation for women pic.twitter.com/jicXlLvK0k

— Barack & Joe (@Barack_and_Joe) November 4, 2016

Why do I do this every time?? . . #clothes #girls #fashion #style #hm #weird #relatable #comic #comics #cartoon

A post shared by Becky Barnicoat (@beckybarnicomics) on Jul 3, 2017 at 8:41am PDT

a meme in honour of father’s day™

A post shared by quirky ironic post-teen ? (@manicpixiememegurl) on Jun 18, 2017 at 5:16pm PDT

there i said it. i made the millennial pink meme we’ve all been waiting for. this ‘we’ does not include u if ur the people who comment “but i just like pink there’s no societal reason behind it :p” …get off my lawn

A post shared by quirky ironic post-teen ? (@manicpixiememegurl) on Jun 11, 2017 at 11:01am PDT