Following a killing spree in Isla Vista, California that left six people dead and fourteen others wounded, the killer's Internet activity was described as misogynistic, and hatred of women was cited as a factor in his crimes. In the wake of the killings, some Twitter users made the argument that "not all men" are like this, or would commit such crimes. Others responded by satirizing those arguments and deeming them defensive and an attempt to deflect from uncomfortable topics such as violence and sexism. In reaction to the hashtag "#NotAllMen," an anonymous female Twitter user then created "#YesAllWomen" to express that all women are affected by sexism and misogyny, even though not all men are sexist. Some sources have reported that the hashtag creator appears to be twitter user @gildedspine, which was confirmed when The Toast published a reflection piece by her on the hashtag's anniversary in 2015. The hashtag quickly became used by women throughout social media to share their experiences of sexism and harassment. Some tweets included "'I have a boyfriend' is the easiest way to get a man to leave you alone. Because he respects another man more than you. #yesallwomen", "I shouldn't have to hold my car keys in hand like a weapon & check over my shoulder every few seconds when I walk at night #YesAllWomen", and "Because every single woman I know has a story about a man feeling entitled to access to her body. Every. Single. One. #YesAllWomen."
Reach and impact
Within four days of the first use of #YesAllWomen, the hashtag had been tweeted 1.2 million times, surpassing predecessors that also drew attention to violence and sexism toward women. Four days after its first use, The Guardian commentator Jessica Valenti wrote that the YesAllWomen hashtag helped illustrate the prevalence of everyday sexism against women. Rebecca Solnit described it as a watershed moment "in which you could see change happen" and credited it for popularizing the concept of "sexual entitlement", which she characterized as male fury at women for not having met their emotional or sexual needs. In an interview with Democracy Now!, Solnit stated that the hashtag helped change the way that society talks about rape. Cynthia Calkins Mercado, an associate professor of psychology, told The Kansas City Star that the hashtag changed her mind about the prevalence of misogyny in American society, and has raised awareness of women's experiences. Writing in The New Yorker, Sasha Weiss called the campaign "a kind of memorial, a stern demand for a more just society", and praised Twitter as a powerful vehicle for activism.
Cartoon controversy
On June 1, 2014, cartoonists Michael Kupperman and David Rees were scheduled to release a political cartoon entitled "Testosterone Entitlement Theatre Presents: The Man-Babies in 'Hashtag Harassment!'" for The New York Times's Sunday installment's "See Something, Say Something" that satirized the Men's rights movement's response to the hashtag. However, the newspaper believed that "the subject matter was 'too sensitive'" to publish and refused to print it. In response to the editorial decision, both Kupperman and Rees uploaded the comic strip independently. That weekend, The New York Times published a different comic by Brian McFadden that tackled similar issues.
Criticism
Samantha Levine, a columnist at The Daily Beast, wrote that conflating dress code restrictions and men whistling at women with the Isla Vista killings risks women who have been victims of violence not being taken seriously when they use the hashtag. Emily Shire criticized some #YesAllWomen tweets as trivial in the context of the Isla Vista killings, citing examples such as "I've never seen a hot husband with a fat wife on a sitcom."
