Women subjected to wave of misogynistic abuse online after Trump's 2024 election win

Women are reporting a surge of misogynistic abuse online in the wake of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, following his narrow win over Kamala Harris in the recent US presidential election.

Trump secured 51% of the popular vote on Wednesday, 6 November, after a divisive campaign marked by tensions and insults. Many of the online attacks against women reference “your body, my choice,” a play on the feminist slogan “my body, my choice,” which emerged in the 1960s to support reproductive rights.

According to the Independent, the shift in rhetoric is particularly unsettling given Trump’s influence on the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which ended the nationwide right to abortion. Nick Fuentes, a podcaster notorious for antisemitic and misogynistic views, echoed this sentiment, posting: “Your body, my choice. Forever” on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

The slogan has gained fast traction on TikTok and other platforms, with women sharing unsettling messages that imply their autonomy is under threat. “We own your body now,” read one comment, according to women’s rights advocate Hannah Cor, who posted her experience on TikTok. “Men are openly expressing their disdain for women without repercussions,” she added.

Meanwhile, Camila Guadarrama, a social media influencer, shared that she was forced to delete a video due to threatening messages, with men saying they “couldn’t wait” for her to face assault.

Online, many women expressed anger and dismay. “How are young women supposed to feel right now?” one X user questioned, while another added, “It’s about controlling women, not actual policies or politics.”

Trump has suggested he won’t push for a federal abortion ban, vowing to leave such decisions to individual states, but his stance has remained ambiguous. While abortion is still legal in many areas, state-level restrictions are impacting broader reproductive healthcare, from contraception access to IVF availability. Maternal health services are also strained, with some states facing increased risks for medical professionals providing abortion care.