It’s Just a Joke:  Challenging Sexism through Counter-narrative Memes

Stacey Elizabeth Cann; Juan Carlos Castro

Stacey Elizabeth Cann Concordia University
Juan Carlos Castro Concordia University

Abstract

Memes are a current visual cultural form that communicates ideas, emotions, and beliefs, usually by repurposing images from popular culture. In this study, we examined how bicycling memes depict women in stereotypical ways, further reinforcing ideas that are already prevalent in society. Specifically, we study memes about the culture of road cycling and racing, rather than commuter cycling. Applying critical visual methodology to analyze cycling memes that depict women on Instagram during a six-month time period (November 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021), our analysis examined how these memes buttress the social norms towards women in the cycling and broader community. From our research, we conclude this article with suggestions on how to counteract the negative narratives presented in memes within the classroom using examples from our data set.

Author Biographies

Stacey Elizabeth Cann, Concordia University

Stacey Cann is an artist, instructor, and Ph.D. candidate in Art Education at Concordia University in Tiohti:áke also known as Montreal. She is interested in ways that visual culture permeates our daily lives and the connections it creates, particularly through networked practices. Her current research examines collaborative practices and how artists work together to create shared meaning. She can be reached at stacey.cann@gmail.com

Juan Carlos Castro, Concordia University

Juan Carlos Castro, Ph.D. is Professor of Art Education at Concordia University. He is the editor of the book: Mobile media in and outside of the art classroom: Attending to identity, spatiality, movement, and materiality (2019) in which he and his team examined how mobile media coupled with creative production networks knowledge in urban environments to create educational and civic engagement with teens and young adults. His current research, as the Principal Investigator of the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funded project: Investigating the Creative Practices of Youth in Digital Visual Learning Networks looks at how young people use digital visual networks to support creative practice outside of formal schooling. He can be reached at JuanCarlos.Castro@concordia.ca