‘Your body, my choice’: Women report rise in online misogyny following Trump victory

Women are facing a barrage of deeply misogynistic comments online following Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory.

The Republican candidate defeated Kamala Harris following a chaotic campaign dogged by anger, insults and division, winning 51 percent of the popular vote on Wednesday, 6 November.

In the wake of the former president’s shocking political comeback, women have reported men are writing “your body, my choice” on their social media posts, among other troubling reproductive rights remarks.

The slogan “my body, my choice” was originally popularised by feminists defending reproductive choices as rights in the Sixties. However, the phrase has now been co-opted for the adverse effect.

All three justices Trump appointed to the Supreme Court ruled in favour of reversing Roe v Wade in 2022, handing a major victory to activists who fought to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion.

Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist podcaster known for his long history of antisemitic and misogynistic remarks, wrote on X/Twitter as Trump’s victory emerged: “Your body, my choice. Forever.”

The phrase has gained fast popularity on TikTok, where numerous women have been told their bodies no longer belong to them following the presidential election result.

“‘Your body. Our choice’ and ‘We own your body now’ comments are starting to pour in,” Hannah Cor, advocate for women’s healing and liberation said in a post on the app.

“Men no longer have or be quiet in their hatred for women,” she claimed. “They can hate us out loud and lose nothing.”

Meanwhile, influencer Camila Guadarrama revealed: “I had to delete a video because I was being threatened and several men [were] commenting saying they couldn’t wait until I get [raped] or [they were saying] ‘your body my choice.”

“How are young women supposed to feel right now,” one user on X/Twitter questioned in response to the pervasive online misogyny.

“They’re just proving that it’s more about controlling us women than actually caring about politics or policies,” another person claimed.

While abortion remains legal in many states, the Trump and JD Vance administration could see a federal ban on the table. Trump has claimed her would veto such a ban — insisting he’ll leave the issue to the states — but his messaging on the issue has been unclear.

Even without a federal ban, the existing state-level laws have already damaged reproductive care across the board. Access to contraception and IVF treatments are under threat.

The number of OBGYNs and abortion clinics are shrinking, maternal mortality rates are on the rise and physicians in some states are at risk of criminal penalties should they provide abortions.

Read more of The Independent’s investigation into what’s next for reproductive healthcare during the Trump administration here.