Digital Femininity Unfiltered: Opportunities and Oppressions in Facebook

Abstract

In the context of Bangladesh’s Muslim-majority, heteropatriarchal society, women face layered and intersectional forms of oppression—both offline and online. This paper critically explores how digital platforms, particularly Facebook, function as contested terrains of feminist activism and patriarchal surveillance. Drawing on a 2022 incident in Narshingdi, where a young woman was physically assaulted for wearing a crop top and jeans, the study examines the legal, cultural, and digital responses that followed. The High Court’s verdict, which justified the assault by framing the victim’s attire as culturally inappropriate, ignited polarized reactions across social and physical spaces. By analyzing this event and the broader sociotechnical environment of Facebook, this paper argues that while digital platforms provide new avenues for feminist resistance and solidarity, they simultaneously reinforce existing power structures through moral policing, algorithmic bias, and hegemonic self-regulation. Theoretical frameworks by Langdon Winner and Gramsci underpin the critique of Facebook’s political nature and its role in maintaining dominant ideologies. Through global parallels such as the Arab Spring, the #MeToo movement, and Iranian cyberfeminist initiatives, this paper situates Bangladeshi feminist activism within a transnational dialogue. Ultimately, the study highlights the double-edged role of social media: as both a tool for feminist empowerment and a mechanism of patriarchal control.