What is microfeminism? What are micro acts of feminism?

In March 2025, one Sunday evening as Ashley Chaney, a 38-year-old host and producer from Los Angeles, prepared for the work week, she rolled over in bed and flipped on her camera. She shared in a TikTok video she dubbed “girl’s girl, corporate edition” that when sending an email, like to a CEO and having to copy their assistant for scheduling purposes, if the assistant is female, she will always enter their address before the CEO’s in the ‘email to’ line. This simple act, she said, is her favorite form of microfeminism. And she asked, “What’s yours?”

This TikTok video, watched by 2.8 million, sparked a viral conversation about microfeminism. It inspired women – and men – to share their own small but impactful ways of standing up against sexism, both online and offline. For example, refusing to step aside for a man on the sidewalk, claiming the armrest when in a middle seat or the whole seat when the guy next to you on the subway is “manspreading,” greeting women first in a meeting, using “hers and his,” assuming a CEO is a she, and saying “girls” instead of “guys” as a gender-neutral term are all considered microfeminism.

Gabriella Lowgren, who works in the game development industry in Australia, joined the conversation. She said she keeps talking over a man who tries to interrupt her until he stops due to discomfort. And she calls out men who take credit for a woman’s work. “Oh John,” she’ll say, “that’s a fantastic point, I think it’s really relevant in this conversation. I also really enjoyed it when Mary brought it up earlier.”

N'Dea Irvin-Choy, 28, a former biomedical engineer turned travel influencer, highlighted the overlapping oppression Black women face when race and gender intersect. She said in a TikTok video that anytime she had a presentation with a diagram or a schematic of a woman, she would immediately change her skin tone to brown. She also gave other examples like displaying the picture of a Black female scientist and her LinkedIn when discussing her work during a presentation. She believes it's crucial to focus on intersectional microfeminism as Black women face more challenges in the workforce and need to be uplifted, seen, heard, and respected.

Microfeminism has entered the zeitgeist, according to New York University psychology professor Tessa West, and it's taking on "a whole new TikTok-defined meaning.” It's part of the fourth wave of the feminist movement which is empowering, intersectional, and very much online. The term has been around for decades, mostly in academic papers, but has popped up in popular culture before, like during the 2020 vice presidential debate when Kamala Harris chastised Mike Pence for repeatedly interrupting her. Social media, especially TikTok, is seen as a game-changing amplifier for feminism.

Vanessa McGrady wrote in 2016 for the online publication Jezebel that microfeminism is about speaking up every time, not necessarily organizing big campaigns. Women have always practiced acts of feminism, from the earliest goddesses to suffragettes to modern-day feminists, but social media has given it a new boost. It's becoming a way for women to wage daily battles for a more equitable workplace through small, deliberate gestures.

Everyday sexism is a major factor holding back women, especially women of color, in the workplace. Research shows women are outnumbered in senior leadership positions, and the gap is even wider for women of color. Microfeminism is one way they are fighting back. Workplace expert Julie Nugent says small acts like elevating a woman’s voice in a meeting or recognizing her contributions can have a big impact. Gender-based discrimination still affects women in multiple ways at work, leading to stress, and a new generation of women is speaking out.

Another reason for the rise of microfeminism is a shared language. Women like Mahlet Yared used to quietly challenge gender norms without knowing what to call it. Yared, a 31-year-old astrologist and coach from Chicago, said having these small ways to lift up and affirm other women makes her feel empowered. She was inspired by Katie Wood, a 32-year-old attorney from Tennessee who jumped into the TikTok conversation. Wood's video, which also went viral with 2.9 million views, said she prefers "little acts that make men pissed off," like using she/her pronouns for leadership roles unless she knows it's a man.

Wood said microfeminism is necessary because the world is “designed using male specs.” These small acts don't require a lot of bravery and won't cause much pushback. It's about taking back a bit of humanity. However, not everyone is a fan. There were “the neck-beards living in their mothers' basements who feel that any act of feminism is an act of war against the male species,” as Wood put it. Chaney also had angry trolls hurling sexist insults in the comments. At first, she was overwhelmed and didn't post for weeks. But then, supporters showed up, and the more men told her to be quiet, the louder she wanted to be. Ultimately, she hopes microfeminism becomes the norm rather than just a movement.

Social media, TikTok are feminism's 'game-changing amplifier'

The term microfeminism has been around for decades, mainly in academic papers, but it makes appearances in popular culture from time to time. For instance, during the 2020 vice presidential debate, Kamala Harris, the first Black woman and first Asian American woman on a major party ticket, scolded former Vice President Mike Pence for repeatedly interrupting her. “Mr. Vice President,” she said, “I’m speaking.”

“I am not organizing a march or starting a magazine or creating a political campaign. I just speak up. Every. Single. Time,” Vanessa McGrady wrote about microfeminism in 2016 for the online publication Jezebel. Microfeminism is an important part of the fourth wave of the feminist movement. This wave is empowering, intersectional, and very much centered around the online space.

“Women have always engaged in these feminist acts – although not always perfectly – from the earliest mythic goddesses to suffragettes to ‘70s feminists like Audre Lorde to Dolly Parton’s Doralee Rhodes in ‘9 to 5,’” McGrady said. She was referring to the 1980 film where working women get back at their misogynistic boss. “But social media is a game-changer. It amplifies these voices and makes it easier for these small acts of feminism to gain traction.”

This amplification is having an effect. Microfeminism is quickly becoming a way to describe small but purposeful gestures as women strive daily to make the workplace more fair. In today's digital age, platforms like TikTok allow these ideas to spread rapidly, reaching a wide audience and sparking conversations that might not have happened otherwise.

Small acts of microfeminism can have big results at work

Research indicates that everyday sexism is a significant hurdle in the workplace for women, particularly women of color. A USA TODAY analysis of top executive officers at the nation's 100 top publicly traded companies shows that women are outnumbered 5 to 1 in senior leadership, while women of color are outnumbered by men 26 to 1 – a gap five times wider than that for white women.

Facing a complex web of invisible yet seemingly unbreakable barriers to executive suites and boardrooms, women are shortchanged in terms of pay and status. Microfeminism offers a means for them to fight back. Workplace expert Julie Nugent emphasizes that small actions, such as giving a woman a louder voice in a meeting or ensuring her contributions are recognized, can have a substantial impact.

“Gender-based discrimination isn't a relic of the past. It continues to affect women at work on multiple fronts – lower pay, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and microaggressions – and these all contribute to a more stressful work environment,” said Nugent, senior vice president of global corporate services and community with Catalyst. “This is likely a major reason why we're seeing this rise in microfeminism. A new generation of women in the workforce, along with those who have been there for a while, are speaking out.”

'This gave me a word for something that I really love to do'

Another factor fueling the growth of microfeminism is the emergence of a shared language. Women like Mahlet Yared used to quietly challenge gender norms without having a specific term for it.

“I've always found these small ways to support and affirm other women to be incredibly empowering and effective,” said Yared, a 31-year-old astrologist and coach from Chicago. She spent a lot of time in male-dominated corporate settings during college and law school and was inspired to post about microfeminism on TikTok. “I think activism is very much part of our daily lives, and this term gave me a way to describe something I truly enjoy doing in my everyday routine. I'm excited to keep this conversation going.”

Yared was inspired by Katie Wood, a 32-year-old attorney from Tennessee who joined the TikTok conversation started by Chaney. The week after Chaney shared her views on microfeminism, Wood posted a TikTok video that also went viral, receiving 2.9 million views.

In the video, Wood said that instead of “burning your bra and screaming at people,” she prefers “little acts that irritate men,” like defaulting to she/her pronouns when referring to anyone in a leadership position unless she knows that person is male.

Microfeminism – “small, almost unnoticeable acts that gradually nudge the situation towards equality” – is necessary because the world is “built with male perspectives,” Wood said in an email to USA TODAY.

“These are actions that don't demand a great deal of courage and are unlikely to引发 a lot of opposition, especially for those who don't feel comfortable with more overt, large-scale acts,” she said. “It's about reclaiming a bit of our humanity one small step at a time.”

'Not fans? 'Neck beards living in their mothers' basements'

Although the response to her TikTok video has been mostly positive, Wood mentioned that there were also “the neck-beards living in their mothers' basements who view any act of feminism as an attack on the male gender.”

Chaney also had her fair share of angry trolls leaving sexist insults in the comments.

At first, she was overwhelmed and a bit scared. For weeks, she didn't post on TikTok. “I didn't anticipate millions of people seeing me talking to the camera from my bed,” Chaney said.

However, women and men came to her support, standing up to the trolls in moments of unity. “When you've had privilege for so long, equality can seem like a threat,” one commenter replied.

The more men told her to be quiet, the more determined Chaney became to speak up. “All that did was make me want to be louder,” Chaney said.

Ultimately, what she hopes for is that microfeminism becomes so ingrained in society that it's no longer considered a distinct movement but rather the norm. “I hope someday microfeminism becomes not so much a movement but the way things are,” Chaney said.

文章来源：usatoday

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