Theorising Girls Room Graff: Networking Affirmation to Counter Misogyny

The harmful impact of misogyny on women as we take part in public life is not a new problem. And despite its early promise as a space open to all, the online world has not tempered misogynistic responses to women having opinions. What is easier to see in online interaction is the ‘networking’ of misogyny— hostile commentators ‘piling on’ and coordinating harassment. I explore the need for solutions by surveying contemporary feminist analyses of online misogyny, and considering whether the ‘mobbing’ theorised in bullying literature might be useful in understanding ‘pile on’ behaviours. My case study, a 2013 Tumblr site called Girls Room Graff, archives graffiti taken from women’s public bathrooms in bars and restaurants, thereby serving a purpose subversive of networked misogyny: it piles on validation and affirmation to empower the reader. I argue this is one way of doing politics of care from a feminist peace studies standpoint.