Feminist over-sharing in the wake of the ray rice scandal

Abstract

The release of the Ray Rice domestic violence video offers a textbook definition of scandal. The aftermath brought feminists working online through the Twitter hashtag #WhyIStayed to challenge the perception of domestic violence, and in particular the view that women who experience it are themselves scandalous and subject to questioning and judgment by the broader public. The author argues that the experience of feminists promoting story sharing represents a powerful tool to restore voice and agency to women who have been shamed.