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Sarai Sepulveda

Professor McCann

English 1301.127

1 December 2021

The Long Game

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico’s infamous president, walking the streets of

Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, holding up a sign that says “MISOGYNY” is a sight one would never

expect to behold. As of now, no one still has come across this, for the “president” was in reality a

woman sporting a mask of the man who is well aware of the apparent sexism that is being taken

out on the females of Mexico through the crime of homicide, otherwise known as femicide. All

over the nation, females have decided that enough is enough, and that they need to band together

to try to put an end to these daily tragedies. Their activism is seen marching through the paved

roads, it is seen through the president’s recognition of femicides, and it is globally seen online

where billions of people witness their combative actions through Instagram posts. The stigma of

social media will linger, but the strong, successful campaigns preaching for change will

inevitably counteract that. By targeting females that want to join the fight, motivating the

nation’s females to continue the fight for justice, and providing a first-hand account of a woman

who has been fighting for seventy years, @womensonfire uses a recent Instagram post to raise

awareness on the numerous femicides that are occurring throughout Mexico.

         The flattery of admiration is used throughout the jaw-dropping image’s caption as it

focuses on the females who are yet to speak out on the threats they face every day. Fear and

encouragement are at a constant brawl to stump one another and take control but the words “We

owe it to those who never came back” win by a landslide (Women on Fire). When confronted
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with the severity of the situation, hesitation no longer seems like an option. “All of you inspire

us, we learn from each of you, day by day,” the account calls on the females who are

participating through protests and marches, but also tempts those who lurk online, anxiously

debating their own potential involvement (Women on Fire). Despite the hundreds of supporters

in the comment section, @womensonfire calls for more. Further into the caption, the account

recalls a time where their voice was not as loud as they would have liked it to be, “...more than

the 10 or 20 of always and who I have spent several years walking the same path with over

again” (Women on Fire). This is the kind of commitment that the community seeks: those will

join the fight and not leave until it has been won. It is revealed throughout the caption, that the

day on which the image of the “misogynist president” was captured, was also a historical day for

the targeted females whose precarity on the notion of feminism was finally hindered. The caption

reads, “Women who once had their doubts about feminism and/or named themselves feminists,

and those who had debated the topic, that day I embraced them with joy and welcomed them...”

(Women on Fire). This confirms that there were in fact particular females who lived with

uncertainty, but ultimately gave into the fight. Through its empowering post, @womensonfire is

able to reach females despite their previous beliefs and lure them into tackling this atrocity of a

problem.

         The ladies who were once known as the “crazy, screaming, and scandalous girls” are now

praised for their continuous bravery, courage, and fearlessness as they persevere through the

backlash that seemingly works for them rather than against them. With the wide publicity these

females receive, they recruit more members and convince current participants to stick around for

the end. One of the main sentences within the caption declares, “...you teach us to keep fighting

and to never give up,” alluding to the females who have battled and are motivated to keep the
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battle going (Women on Fire). There are multiple ill-conceived notions that circulate throughout

the media that discourage females to stray away from the initial goal that is to “Stand up and

raise your voice” (Women on Fire). As if the echoes of the chants were to attract justice towards

the eyes of the government, the whoops and hollers resume as though justice were a million

miles away because, in their eyes, that is the case. If justice has not been served, then they shall

keep on vying for it. One of the hashtags that has gone viral and simmers greatly all over this

community is “#NiUnaMas”. Not one more life should be taken, not one more woman should be

killed, and not one more female shall have to live in fear because of others who desire to cause

her harm. This hashtag that is included in the text, is one that single-handedly brought rise to

many female activists seen today. It is their constant reminder of why they fight and why they

will not surrender. The fiery energy spread amongst the community and powerful mantra inspire

females to not succumb to the higher powers, instead, to keep pushing and confronting the ones

who will provide them their longed equity. 

         Another way @womensonfire strives to shine a light on the femicides is by exposing a

conservative ideology that surges in households all over Mexico. Executed through the personal

account of 70-year-old woman Liliana, she recognizes that femicides are deeply rooted in other

problems, one of them being toxic machismo: an exaggerated and aggressive sense of male

pride. While this was a frequent concept she had to tackle as she grew up, she did not let it stop

her from influencing her true beliefs, Liliana states, “...despite being a traditional woman of 70

years, who was born and raised in a machista (sexist) family” (Women on Fire). She does not

allow for these views to affect other females as well. Of these females was her own daughter,

who she then inspired to join the movement, “That day my daughter accompanied me and I

could not be more proud of her for opening her mind and heart towards things that interest
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me…” (Women on Fire). Like so, she tells the female community that she has had the privilege

of making her voice heard ever since she was a little girl. “It was very important since I have

been documenting feminism in my birth city of Culiacán, and although I am no longer a girl my

mother still worries whenever I leave to these protests,” she says, depicting the thoughts of both

young female activists and supportive, yet concerned parents (Women on Fire). Liliana uses the

Instagram platform to demonstrate to the women out there that if she can do it, then so can they.

Regardless of all the time that has passed and how as each year goes by the idea of quitting

entices females a little more, they cannot afford to fall into temptation. There is no better call-

for-action on a matter so grand than the exemplification of Liliana and her 70-year fight for

change.

         In conclusion, @womensonfire uses the Instagram platform to post, which allows them to

consistently express support for the abolishment of neglected femicides by calling on females to

join the fight, pushing current activists to continue the fight, and demonstrating how the fighting

does not stop, not even 70 years later. Through the provided text, females are able to see the

distinct ways why they should do their part to help solve what appears to be a never-ending

problem. For this tight-knit community of females who only aim for the best, the closer they

move, the farther the end gets. The account @womeonsonfire recognizes that there are not

enough females voicing what must be heard because with few people comes quiet noise.

However, with a group of an impressive amount of people, there simply is no ignoring the loud

voices of society. If it is not the president, then it is not the government, and if it is not the

government, then it is up to the people, the women. All the restrictions in the world could never

get in the way of what a group of women has to say. A female with a purpose is best not to be

disturbed for she is in it for the long game.

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Work Cited

Women On Fire [@womensonfire]. Photo of a woman protesting. Instagram, photographed by

Iliana Diaz Mexia, 27 Aug. 2021, https://www.instagram.com/p/CTGHSAQJcya/?

utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.