The week in hashtags: #DryJanuary, #UnitedWithIvy, #ShadesofRevlon, #RealLiveTransAdult

It’s the first week of the year, and the internet’s already been busy…

#DryJanuary

It’s January, had you noticed? And because no month is ever just a month anymore, the arrival of 2015 has also brought with it Dry January, #Veganuary, #EatClean and a whole basketful of other opportunities for self-denial, self-improvement – and, let’s face it, smugness.

On the topic of smugness, Nigel Farage is doing Dry January. Which makes a double G&T sound all the more appealing, doesn’t it?


 
 

#RealLiveTransAdult

One of the most heartbreaking stories to emerge at the end of last year was the suicide of Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen in Ohio who scheduled farewell messages on her Tumblr to appear shortly after she killed herself on 28 December.

The trans community has since rallied in response with the powerful #RealLiveTransAdult hashtag, an outpouring of positive stories and encouragement for trans teens struggling to picture a happier future. Wonderful stuff.


 
 

#UnitedWithIvy

Elit Kirschenbaum took to Twitter last week to complain about the treatment her family had received when travelling on United Airlines with their three-year-old daughter Ivy, who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. After explaining how she and her daughter were humiliated by a stewardess who insisted Ivy couldn’t sit on her mother’s lap during take-off (despite not being able to sit up alone), Elit received an apology from the airline and a huge surge of online support using the #UnitedWithIvy hashtag.

But then, proving that there is basically no story the internet can’t manage to produce a backlash against, tweeters began arguing that the Kirschenbaum family were the selfish ones, having failed to follow airline safety rules and bought themselves tickets in first class while Ivy’s seat was back in standard class. Yikes.

 
 

#ShadesofRevlon

This is the story of an ugly lawsuit, and a rather attractive opportunity for Twitter to throw some shade. Revlon CEO Lorenzo Delpani is being sued by a former employee for discrimination and allegedly making some horribly racist, anti-semitic and xenophobic remarks – among them, claiming he could ‘smell a black person when he entered a room.’

But it wasn’t long before the #ShadesofRevlon hashtag was holding a mirror up to the company’s reputation, with a long list of suggested new make-up colours for the prejudiced company boss and discussions around the lack of diversity in the beauty industry. Good old Twitter. Horrible old world.


 
 

#какойкризи

Before you ask, it translates as ‘#whatcrisis’ – and it’s a joke. Western trade sanctions have caused an economic downward turn for Russia in recent weeks, with many citizens struggling with mounting debts as the rouble’s value continues to fall at a speedy pace.

But some wealthy Russians have taken to Instagram to post photos of red caviar (one of the world’s spendiest foods, it’s slightly cheaper in Russia) accompanied by the sarcastic hashtag, to prove that not everyone is feeling the pinch. In a super-classy move, some have even been feeding it to their cats.

A photo posted by Викуля (@viktori_phanaeva) on

 
 

#LoveTheDarts

Just when you thought you pretty much had everybody sussed, it suddenly turns out half the people you follow are really into darts.

The hashtag #lovethedarts has been trending on and off over the past few weeks, but it really gathered force last night as the World Championships drew to a close at Alexandra Palace and newby Gary Anderson beat 16-time champ Phil Taylor… presumably through scoring lots of 180s, or something. Don’t ask me, it’s been a long time since Bullseye was on.

 
 

#BacktoWork

If you can remember how.

Black Books typing gif

Main image: Oriol Llado’s Flickr

Lauren Bravo