In Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Take It Back, I write about the way we have to radically change who we follow, what we share, and what we reward with our attention on social media in order to empower ourselves and other women. Here’s a list of just a few great feminists to follow to get you started.
For women who had their own websites when I compiled this list, I’m linking to their sites so you can follow their latest social handles, podcasts and newsletters. When they didn’t, I linked to some of their social channels.
• Kara Alaimo (me). I write about issues affecting women and the social impact of social media. Find me on Facebook, X and Instagram.
• Sima Bahous is the head of UN Women, which works to empower women and promote gender equality around the world. Here she is on X. Also follow UN Women.
• Tarana Burke is founder of the #MeToo movement.
• Soraya Chemaly is a feminist whose book Rage Becomes Her explores our society’s unfair expectations for how women express anger.
• Brittney Cooper is a Black feminist intellectual. Here she is on X, Instagram and Facebook.
• Kimberlé Crenshaw is a professor renowned for her work on feminism and race. Here she is on X and Instagram.
• Patrisse Cullors is co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
• Mona Eltahawy writes about issues affecting Arab and Muslim women and global feminism.
• Jill Filipovic is an American writer and lawyer who frequently focuses on issues affecting women.
• Deborah Frances-White hosts of one of my favorite podcasts, The Guilty Feminist.
• Alicia Garza is co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
• Roxane Gay is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times who writes about feminism & many other topics.
• Aubrey Gordon fights bias against fat people.
• Amanda Gorman is an American poet, famous for the poem she delivered at the inauguration of Joe Biden.
• Nikole Hannah-Jones is a professor, New York Times reporter and creator of the 1619 Project who focuses on racial injustice and the history and effects of slavery in America.
• Nina Jankowicz is a disinformation expert and author of How to Be a Woman Online: Surviving Abuse and Harassment, and How to Fight Back.
• Mikki Kendall writes about race and feminism.
• Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., advocates for nonviolent social change and civil rights.
• Naomi Klein is an expert on climate justice and corporate misdeeds.
• Kate Manne is a professor who writes about feminism and philosophy.
• Amanda Montei is a feminist who writes about motherhood, language and more.
• Ifeoma Ozoma is an advocate for gender and racial equity in tech jobs. Here she is on X and Instagram.
• Zoë Quinn is an advocate for victims of online violence.
• Loretta Ross is a feminist and human rights activist who preaches calling people “in” for difficult conversations.
• Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner is co-founder and CEO of Mom’s Rising, an important, powerful organization advocating for America’s moms.
• Julia Serano writes about issues faced by trans women.
• Linda Sarsour is a Muslim feminist activist and co-chair of the Women’s March.
• Senti Sojwal is co-founder of the Asian-American Feminist Collective.
• Renee Bracey Sherman is a reproductive justice activist.
• Rebecca Solnit writes about feminism, history, social change, and more.
• Greta Thunberg is a climate activist. Here she is on Insta, Facebook and X.
• Rebecca Traister is a New York Magazine writer who often writes about issues affecting women.
• Jessica Valenti writes about feminism.
• Holly Whitaker focuses on how alcohol and alcoholism affect women.
• Malala Yousafzai, who was famously shot in the head for advocating for girls’ education in Pakistan, advocates for girls’ education and gender equality globally.
• Andi Zeisler is co-founder of Bitch Media.
Content Creators With Credentials
In Over the Influence, I also write about why social media shouldn’t be your source of medical information. But if you’re looking for credible experts who share info on pregnancy & parenting sans sanctimony, here’s who I suggest you follow:
• Kimberly Seals Allers is an advocate for moms of color. She talks about everything from how to reduce Black women’s higher rates of maternal deaths to contending with racism at summer camp.
• Jennifer Anderson is a registered dietitian who shares advice on handling picky eaters.
• Big Little Feelings is a series of accounts by a child therapist and mom focused on how to negotiate with toddlers.
• The Child Mind Institute is a non-profit that provides support and information for parents of children with learning and mental health disorders.
• Shannon Clark, MD is an OB-GYN, maternal fetal medicine physician, and professor who shares information about reproductive health and becoming a mom after age 35.
• Kelly Fradin, MD is a pediatrician who shares “evidence-based parenting and health tips.”
• Jen Gunter, MD is an OB-GYN who posts about vaccines and reproductive health.
• Free N. Hess, MD is a pediatrician, pediatric emergency medicine physician, and expert on child safety.
• Katelyn Jetelina is a public health expert who calls herself “Your Local Epidemiologist.”
• Danielle Jones, MD is an OB-GYN who shares information on reproductive health.
• Becky Kennedy, PhD is a clinical psychologist who offers advice on managing the feelings of kids and their parents.
• Wendy Goodall McDonald, MD is an OB-GYN who shares information “for humans with vaginas.”
• Emily Oster, PhD is an economist who shares what data tells us about pregnancy and parenting
• Marta Perez, MD is an OB-GYN and researcher who shares information on reproductive health.
• Krupa Playforth, MD, a.k.a. “The Pediatrician Mom,” shares helpful medical knowledge.
• Ashley Saucier, MD is a pediatric emergency medicine physician and mom who shares information about child illnesses and mental and behavioral health.
• Amy Tuteur, MD, who you hear a lot from in my book, is an obstetrician who talks about the importance of medical care during childbirth and avoiding the sanctimommies.
