Feminist Thought Bubble is our new fave Instagram account
Frustrated with casual sexism and everyday misogyny, 20-year-old Molly Williams decided to fight back with art. In order to help bring sexism to the forefront of the social media conversation, she launched Feminist Thought Bubble: An Instagram that features her illustrated portraits of feminist ladies alongside their thoughts on various women’s issues. The account basically takes #WCW to the next level — and we’re already completely in love with it.
“The inspiration behind starting Feminist Thought Bubble was twofold. First, I was beginning to notice both small-scale and large-scale instances of misogyny more than ever, and becoming less and less willing to let them slide,” she told HelloGiggles. “At the same time, I was feeling empowered by all of the wonderful feminists I saw around me, both in the media and in my personal life.”
“I thought that making feminist art might be a cool way to connect with other women experiencing sexism, and the thought bubble format seemed interesting because it gave me the chance to use both drawings and text to feature women’s voices,” she continued. “While I started the account mostly out of the frustration of experiencing sexist acts and becoming more cognizant of how inappropriate they were, I also had a strong desire to pay homage to some of the feminists who had inspired me to become more informed, aware, and outspoken.”
The famous feminist ladies that Molly has illustrated so far include some of our absolute favorite humans, including Malala Yousafzai, the notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Laverne Cox, and Audre Lorde, amongst others. Each post with a familiar face also includes a background story, and how the woman in question has “promoted equality and empowered women” in her lifetime.
“There are some famous women who proclaim to be feminists but then express views that are racist, homophobic, or trans-exclusive,” she told HG. “I like to pick famous women whose feminism is extremely intersectional or targeted towards marginalized groups.”
Even more refreshing, Feminist Thought Bubble makes sure to feature an incredibly diverse group of women — both famous and not— therefore covering an equally diverse group of issues in the process. From intersectionality to gender identity to victim blaming, Molly has made sure that Feminist Thought Bubble is as inclusive and representative as possible.
“When I am drawing fictional women, I try to represent as many different groups of women as I can, of a variety of ages, sizes, races, ethnicities, sexualities, gender identities and abilities, all with their own unique styles and stories,” Molly said. “We are all women, and while our commonalities unite us, I think it’s also important to recognize the diversity of experiences encompassed in the category of ‘women.’”
“I hope that people might look at these drawings and think more critically about the ways in which sexism manifests itself in the daily lives of women, and the ways in which systems of oppression intersect,” she said. “I also hope that others might see that no matter how young you are or how you choose to express yourself, your voice does matter, and it can make a difference.”
Check out a couple more of our favorite illustrations below, and the rest on Feminist Thought Bubble.
(Images via Molly Williams/Instagram.)
