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Twitter has launched the hashtag #ThisHappened to look back over the highs and (considerable) lows of the past year. Although 2016 was marred with misogyny, there were many highs for women. Let's cheer ourselves with a look at ten of the best moments for women on Twitter in 2016.
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Hillary Clinton showed dignity in defeat with this inspirational tweet on the 9th of November. The quote was pulled from her concession speech, and clearly resonated with many. It's the third most popular tweet of the year so far, and has been liked over a million times. Well said, Hillary.
Emma Watson also responded to the US election result with positivity. She tweeted: "Today I am going to deliver Maya Angelou books to the New York subway. Then I am going to fight even harder for all the things I believe in." Later, she showed the proof with photos of her dishing out copies of Maya Angelou's memoir Mom & Me & Mom. She had previously left the book on the London Underground as part of the Books on the Underground initiative and to promote her feminist book club.
In June, the Supreme Court ruled against the proposed Texan law House Bill 2, for placing an undue burden on women seeking abortions. If the law had been upheld, it would have left only ten abortion clinics in the whole state. People came to Twitter in droves to show their support for this landmark victory for women with hashtags #HerBodyHerChoice #WholeWomansHealth and #StopTheSham.
Candice Brown gained fame on Bake Off for her ambitious bakes and her fabulous collection of lipsticks. Twitter unfortunately responded to her in a predictably negative way, with users attacking her for having a 'trout pout', 'duck face' and a 'smug' expression. Candice refused to sit back and take it, responding to hateful tweets in a witty and generous way. We particularly liked her championing the hashtag #itseasiertobenice, and shaming a troll so successfully that he deleted his tweet and apologised.
Writer Sarah Nyberg dealt a lesson to trolls by making a Twitter bot that auto-responds to them until they give up. Inspired by Norah Reed, the Arguetron posts simple pro-feminist statements every ten minutes and responds to any interaction with generic retorts. Critics say it adds to the cloud of negativity that already pollutes the web, but Nyberg argues "it doesn't seek people out, only responds to them, and never generates malicious, cruel or bigoted statements". Trolls, watch your backs. Nyberg has future plans in the works to combat online nastiness.
J.K. Rowling is fast becoming the Queen of Twitter. From dishing out life advice to slaying bigots, her tweets are a joy to behold. She also supports the sisterhood with epic responses to trolls. One of our faves: "Are you the sort of person who gloats when they see a woman fall, or the kind that celebrates a magnificent recovery?#TeamMadonna".
Simone Biles made history by absolutely dominating the 2016 Olympics, and has been hailed as the greatest gymnast of all time. The internet exploded with support and hilarious gifs. Simone stayed adorable on Twitter, posting photos of the gymnastics team looking abs-tastic on the beach and sharing her elation at meeting her celeb crush, Zac Efron.
MPs incredulously voted against a motion forcing the Treasury to challenge the tampon tax in October. Luckily, Twitter was at the ready to fight back against the decision with some top notch comedy. The irony was scathing, with users tweeting things like "Just had to decide whether to stick the silver plated or diamond encrusted tampon up my vagina. #luxury".
Another moment arising from woman of the year Hillary Clinton. When Donald Trump called her a "nasty woman" during a debate, he meant it as an insult. But Twitter took the phrase and turned into a compliment for a woman who knows how to get things done. #NastyWoman.
As well as all the gloom, 2016 was the year Beyoncé broke the internet with her unapologetically badass visual album Lemonade. The beyhive was already dying with anticipation, the true force of her lyrics on cheating partners, misogyny and Black Lives Matter caused Twitter hysteria. Sophia Benet put it wonderfully when she tweeted "I'm 100% sure this is what men are afraid we're capable of #LEMONADE".
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