A Women’s Place is in The Resistance - a #HongKong protest art thread

Sep 24, 2019

While HK govt’s depiction of women in the movt has reeked of misogyny - they can only be mothers, sluts or virgins - HK art shows a fuller spectrum of womanhood and what female righteous anger looks like. 1/10

There’s this strange belief from the other side that a woman’s role is domestic - even Lam, the bloody CE of HK likes to describe herself as a mother, not a leader. HKers and our art says eff that. Mothers, nanas, aunties - they are on the streets, raging against power. 2/10

Our govt see little girls as quiet docile pets to be spoiled. HKers and our art says eff that. Mothers, nanas, aunties - they are on the streets, raging against power.

The govt says young women on the streets are the men’s sex toys. HKers and our art says eff that. Young women, geared up, determined - they defend us, fight for us, raging against a system that says they’re no more than their biology. Note the art doesn’t fetishize them. 4/10

The govt says women need to be protected from harm. HKers and our art says eff that. The first aider, badly hurt, crying blood - her countenance says ‘look at me and own up to this violence you wrought’, raging against a force that sees HKers like her as less than human. 5/10

The police sees women as objects they can humiliate and assault. HKers and our art says eff that. Victims of sexual violence, brave and unbowed - they tell their stories to raise awareness, they cry ‘me too’, raging against institutions that say their truths are worthless. 6/10

The city sees minority women as part of the background. HKers and our art says eff that. Nabela Qoser, fearless RTHK reporter, and so many others have a voice in this mvmt. They will be seen, they will be heard, raging against a city that’s treated them as 2nd class citizens 7/10

Nationalism says politics is the domain of men. HKers and our art says eff that. Lady Liberty, Lady Democracy - brave, defiant, hopeful - they lead our fight, they inspire our people, raging against an ideology that says they have no place in Hong Kong. 8/10

The mvmt obviously can see more diversity - minority grps still under-represented. But the mvmt has seen many prominent women eg. Denise Ho, Agnes Chow, Rebecca Sy, Sharon Hom… and all those anonymous and masked. After all, the dream of democracy is one shared by everyone. 9/10

Like Hong Kong herself, our women have learnt they don’t need permission to be angry, because there’s so much to be angry about, that they don’t need permission to fight, because there’s so much to fight for. And that’s a fucking good thing. 10/10

PS. This from TG today. The ‘march of progress’ suggests a woman slowly rising up… but look closer! Leftmost woman on the ground holds up a sign that says ‘democracy’, the umbrellas are held as defence etc… a woman can rage against power, in any and all roles.

Update, Nov 21, 2019

UPDATE: Since we’re having a discussion about feminism in the movement again, thought I should bless your feeds with these artwork featuring women frontliners from TG. Our art says - women are at the front and center of the fight, as much as the men are.

There are issues of sexism w/in the mvmt, but it does get called out. There’re also pamphlets educating folks abt slut-shaming & we openly talk abt sexual assault without the stigma - all these are advances in feminism in HK, even if it’s not the leaps some ppl are expecting.

Update, Nov 28, 2019

Nevertheless, she persisted.

Source: TG

Update, May 14, 2020

UPDATE: Wong Ji-Yuet depicted here is the former spokesperson for student activist group Scholarism. She was sexually harassed by police during last weekend’s chaos. In this lovely sketch, she looks on, defiant and very pissed off - as she should be!

Update, Jun 18, 2020

UPDATE: There’s actually a whole collection from the same artist! All showing HK women, all shapes and sizes, contributing to the mvmt in different ways, from peaceful ‘woleifei’ to frontliners carrying… very big bottles. We like our magnums. 😬

‘Kong girls’ have seen a big change in how they’re perceived over the last 12 months, largely because of the absolute grit they’ve shown on the frontlines and in support.

But HK protest art still tend to mostly portray ‘yung mo’s as macho dudes. So it’s very nice to see HK women - whether dressed for the club or dressed for a fight - being the focus of a whole art series! 🙂

One more from the series. I can never say no to ‘Glory to Hong Kong’.

“Amidst the mist,
Drifts from afar the
Sound of horns!”