International Women's Day 2026: Aaliya Ali
- Remi Olokun
- Mar 7
- 5 min read
Trad wives. Deepfakes. Manosphere. Lexicons which seemed unknown to us ten years ago
are now in our everyday jargon. As the world changes (a bit too fast), and AI and social
media seem to hold a tight grasp on the running of our lives, it is no wonder that women’s
rights are affected. From the far-right rallies we have seen sweep across the nation, to the
increase in misogynistic content on social media and the loss of bodily autonomy in the USA,
the rise in fascism we have seen has cast a dark, suffocating shadow on the world. It’s a
chokehold devastating for women’s rights.
International Women’s Day is celebrated each year on March 8th, with the theme for this
year being ‘Give To Gain’. I believe it is vital that this year, more than ever, we take this time
to reflect on the events of the past year and see how we as a community can give our time,
support and solidarity to the women’s rights campaign.
The exploitation and objectification of women is not a concept native to fascism. In fact, they
are socio-political tools that have been used for centuries to benefit the patriarchal system
that shapes our society. In the last year, we have seen how women’s bodies have become a
battleground in times of war. From the systematic murder and torture of women in Gaza to
the mass rape and sexual abuse inflicted upon the women of Sudan, in times of hardship
and war, women’s rights and autonomy are often the first casualties. Their rights and
autonomy are weaponised to advance authoritarian and genocidal agendas.
With the rise of AI, we have seen how this tool, as with any new technology or development,
is being utilised to harm women. AI has been found to amplify harmful gender biases and
stereotypes, reinforced by the data being used to build these systems. These datasets are
based on existing inequalities within society and mirror them. This results in the
generation of content which cements these gender-based biases in our subconscious. More
disturbingly, this technology is being used to create deepfake images of women, stripping
them of their safety, dignity and autonomy.
Similarly, when it comes to social media, we have seen a rollback of safeguards and
moderation guidelines which have allowed for the mass creation of content designed to
further gender inequalities and promote ‘traditional’ gender roles. For example, we have
seen how men have been allowed to openly produce content degrading women and
explicitly detailing abuse towards them. At the same time, we have seen how some women,
influenced by extremist ideologies, have amplified these narratives by glorifying the ‘trad
wife’ aesthetic. This content is not only harmful to the women’s rights campaign but also to
young children who are exposed to it. Due to the mass advertising of this material by social
media platforms, young children could begin to consider these harmful narratives normal. It
is up to us to challenge these notions and ensure that the future of tomorrow does not grow
up to take these ideologies as a way of life.
This rise of anti-intellectualism is a direct result of the far-right political movement, which
weaponises misinformation and a lack of critical thinking to gain power. More often than not,
marginalised communities, particularly women of colour, bear the brunt of this regression.
This glorification of traditional roles is not the only way social media is regressing women’s
rights. Recently, we have seen the revival of harmful beauty standards, with trends that
promote a ‘skinny aesthetic’ and extreme thinness — a trend which feels all too familiar. This
chilling return to the early 2000s, where characters like Bridget Jones were presented
through a scrutinising lens focused on women’s weight is a major step back given the rise in
weight loss advertising and media figures promoting weight loss drugs. Culture, it seems, is
rebranding oppressive ideals under a new digital gloss.
Whilst individually these events may seem unrelated, together they speak to a wider system
of abuse and inequality that authoritarianism thrives off. Because if women are too tired from
fighting for their basic rights of survival, how will we ever get the energy to dismantle the very
systems that imposed these constraints in the first place?
Acknowledging the inequalities of the present is a crucial step in this fight toward equality,
but an important and often overlooked aspect is learning from our past too. History is a
guidebook for how we should shape our future, ensuring mistakes made in the past are
never repeated. At a time when censorship is the new norm, recognising the work of radical
historical figures becomes an act of resistance. It functions as an important tool in our own
fight against the patriarchy. Someone I wish to highlight is Olive Morris. Born in
Jamaica, she moved to London in 1962. As an advocate for social change, she was one of
the co-founders of the ‘Organisation for Women of Asian and African Descent’. This
organisation aimed to empower women of colour and challenge the intersectional oppressions of race, gender and class.
In the 21st century, there have been a myriad of women who have been tirelessly fighting for
racial and gender equality. Diane Abbott is the first Black woman elected to the House of
Commons and has faced a myriad of racism and sexism during her tenure as an MP.
Despite this, she has continued to act as a trailblazer for women of colour’s rights in the UK
and has pushed for greater representation in politics. Jameela Jamil has been instrumental
in fighting for abortion rights, as well as tackling the rise of ‘skinny-tok’ (a trend which
reinforces harmful body ideals onto women in the name of beauty standards). Finally,
Sharon Gaffka has been an incredible voice in the women’s safety space, ensuring media
coverage reflects the realities of women’s safety and advocating for meaningful societal
change. These are a few names in a sea of millions of women who, every day, fight against
the patriarchy in both seen and unseen ways.
Understandably, things seem bleak at the moment. But we cannot confuse hopelessness
with helplessness. There is always something that we can do, and always something to be
done. This fight is not one that women should have to face alone. To the men out there who
may be reading this: your voices and your actions are just as important when dismantling
sexist notions. So this IWD and beyond, give your time, energy and effort to do your part.
Whether that is calling out your friend for his seemingly innocent sexist joke or ensuring that
women feel safe and respected in shared spaces, we all have our part to play. We must
refuse to be silenced and stand with those most vulnerable to these regressive tides.
Because women’s rights are rarely lost overnight. They erode away in the name of tradition
and nostalgia. And if we do not actively resist this erosion, we risk mistaking regression for
inevitability.
References:
● Amnesty International. (2025). UN report on Israel’s gender-based violence and
genocidal acts against women’s health facilities must spur action to protect
Palestinians. [online] Available at:
violence-and-genocidal-acts-against-womens-health-facilities-must-spur-action-to-
protect-palestinians/.
● UN Women (2024). Artificial Intelligence and gender equality | UN Women –
Headquarters. [online] UN Women – Headquarters. Available at:
equality [Accessed 1 Mar. 2026].
● Bristol, U. of (n.d.). Remembering Olive Morris and the Black Women’s Movement.
[online] www.bristol.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/history/public-
engagement/blackhistory/snapshots2021/morris/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2026].
