It's so frustrating to see big "woke" Instagram accounts like @Feminist profit off of marginalized voices w/out doing any real activist work. @Feminist, which has over 4.5 million followers (b/c of its name) posts the bare minimum & most of its posts just serve to make money.

The way the account interacts with its followers and captions its photos, with things like "Let us wear what we want!" on a post about women's clothing being policed, suggests that it is run by women. However, it is run by 2 white men: Tanner Sweitzer and Jacob Castaldi.

Of course at first glance, there is nothing wrong with this. Men can and should be feminists, and who are we to discourage allyship. However, the way these men view their activism shows just how performative it is.

They all come from business backgrounds and view their activism in the same way. They are completely profit-driven & post indiscriminately, just to keep their accounts growing. They care about metrics above all else. (See this quote from them in an article by @SlayThePatriarchy)

They have also come under fire for failing to give credit or ask consent when they post artwork and activist-literature. Here is an example: @EllieWheels had her work posted without credit or consent. The account has gotten better about giving credit after facing backlash.