TW: Suicide

If you have children, or know any baby boomers who love to share posts on Facebook but lack the ability to tell a New York Times article from Liberalsarecomingtostealyourgunsandeatyourbabies.net, you’ve probably heard of Momo. On Tuesday, twitter user Wanda Maximoff posted a (now deleted) tweet pleading “Warning! Please read, this is real. There is a thing called ‘Momo’ that’s instructing kids to kill themselves. INFORM EVERYONE YOU CAN.”

The claim was quickly debunked, and there’s no evidence of anyone who has harmed themselves, or been affected by, Momo. And Wellesley is determined to change that!

Obviously, Momo’s ineffectiveness is a symptom of misogyny’s deep roots in our culture. We aren’t ready, as a society, to fully embrace a viral meme like Momo, who openly embraces her femininity with long, dark, hair and on-trend wispy bangs. She has naturally large, haunting eyes and a stunning smile, but doesn’t wear a hint of makeup. Couldn’t young women today take a lesson from her willingness to appear in newspapers and prominent websites barefaced?

As a historically women’s college and a member of the seven sisters, Wellesley has always had a mission of elevating women and highlighting their often ignored contributions. The college hasn’t shied away from inviting controversial figures either, like Barbara Bush in 1990, or Laura Kipnis in 2017. Momo is the latest addition to this long and accomplished list. After all, well behaved women rarely make history!

Let’s face it: Momo is a queen slaying the world of online hoaxes, which has been dominated by men for far too long. Sure, her message is ‘problematic,’ but it’s also inspiring to see a woman standing up for what she believes in. Enough about slenderman. It’s time for a slenderWOMAN.