How does the viral, algorithmically driven structure of TikTok shape the affective intensity of feminist protests? What emotional forms of expression and strategies do content creators use in their posts – and how does the platform shape them? And last but not least: Which forms of feminist digital activism are made particularly visible or privileged by such affective dynamics? These are the questions addressed in the article “Affective Dynamics in #MyBodyMyChoice Memetic Performances on TikTok: Between Feminist Killjoys and Happy Feminism”.

Two turning points in the global discourse on reproductive rights serve as the starting point: the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court in the USA and the repeal of §219a in Germany on the same day – 24th June 2022. Against this background, the article analyzes TikTok as a site of affective, feminist mobilization.

At the center of the investigation is the #MyBodyMyChoice challenge or the so-called coat hanger trend – whose memetic performances the authors examine through a moving-image type analysis informed by affect theory. The results show affective registers of anger, shock, support and joy that are mobilized by TikTok users – but often only short-lived, regionally limited and within the commercialized logics of the platform. The article then discusses the different types of memetic performances as tensions between “happy” and “killjoy feminism,” shedding light on both the potential and the limits of feminist mobilization on TikTok.

The article is freely accessible at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2025.2502712