【】
Memes are not celebrated for being pretty. They usually take the form of crudely Photoshopped images placed next to text, remarkable only for being relatable and funny.
But alongside those traditional memes in your Instagram "Search & Explore" tab, you may have noticed a new crop of female artists reclaiming the medium for themselves.
SEE ALSO:Bold art series honors the work and struggle of trans activists of colorThe work of these artists is mostly hand-drawn, making it immensely more personal. And that's especially important when you consider the topics they address: feminism, sexual violence, loss, mental health, disabilities and what it means to identify as female in 2016.
We spoke to a few of these artists about their work, and how it has been received on Instagram.
1. Mari Andrew (@bymariandrew)
View this post on Instagram
"I began illustrating to gain some control over the not-so-great parts of my life," Washington D.C.-based artist Mari Andrew told Mashablein an email.
Andrew has garnered more 200,000 Instagram followers in the two years since she launched her account. Andrew didn't start drawing until she was 29, and never received any formal training.
"Like every woman, I experience sexism every day."
"People sometimes ask me how to become an 'artist,' which is hilarious to me because I do not feel like an artist by any means. I just do what I like, and put it on a social media platform," she said.
Many of her colorful posts depict issues concerning sexism, which wasn't immediately deliberate.
"It just naturally arises as a common theme in my work, since, like every woman, I experience sexism every day," she said.
Her posts show, with brutal honesty, the realities of trying to navigate daily life as a woman today. They'll make you laugh, in that way when something depressing rings true.
View this post on Instagram
"I've gathered that it's refreshing for people to see really raw work," she said.
Her gentle figures and playful, swirling text convey one simple promise throughout: You are not alone.
2. BIG SIS (@bigsis666)
View this post on Instagram
The work of this 26-year-old, Toronto-based artist will make you laugh and wince at the same time.
BIG SIS's anonymous art, showcased exclusively on Instagram, tackles the underbelly of the female experience -- topics like jealousy, impossible societal beauty standards, masturbation and navigating complicated romantic relationships in a post-Tinder world.
"Really, I keep coming back to shame and trying to expose it."
In her short, mostly single-panel comics, she shamelessly announces the kinds of insecurities that many women have trouble even admitting to themselves.
Her characters have bodies that real women can relate to, even if they're not intended to be photorealistic. BIG SIS creates a complex world for these characters, and doesn't offer quick and easy solutions to difficult problems.
Instead, she simply presents women's experiences as they are. The political commentary goes unsaid. Her comics serve as both a comforting and terrifying reminder that many of the absurd challenges women face are in fact totally normal.
View this post on Instagram
"Really, I keep coming back to shame and trying to expose it," BIG SIS told Mashable. "I'm hoping that the more it's out there, the weaker it gets. It seems to be at the root of my most debilitating feelings, and I know I'm not alone in that."
She's also created an online shop where you can snag pins, patches and zines showcasing her work.
3. Frances Cannon (@frances_cannon)
View this post on Instagram
Frances Cannon is an artist based in Melbourne, Australia, who wants you to know it's perfectly OK to love your own body.
"I allow my intimate emotions to fuel my work."
Her drawings feature women, often naked, depicted in a non-sexual way. Instead, the focus is on their individual beauty. Her pieces invite you to reconsider what a female body should look like, especially in art.
"A lot of the bodies I draw are based on my own body, and I allow my intimate emotions to fuel my work," Cannon told Mashable.
The artist is committed to celebrating every woman in her work, and she recently began creating pieces that showcase women with disabilities.
View this post on Instagram
Alongside her art, Cannon often posts pictures of herself, encouraging women to celebrate who they are.
"It has taken me a long time to get to know my body and fall in love with my body, and my work documents this journey," Cannon said.
A number of women have related so much to Cannon's art, they've gotten tattoos of her pieces. She also has an online store where you can purchase prints and other items featuring her work.
4. Tara Booth (@tarabooth)
View this post on Instagram
Tara Booth is a comic book artist from Philadelphia, currently based in Portland, Oregon. She skillfully reframes mundane moments as what they really are: shared experiences that we all go through, like trying to find a matching pair of socks.
"I'm contributing a woman's perspective to a male-dominated art form."
The women she creates are effortlessly relatable to other women, and Booth's work seeks to go against typical themes for comic artists.
"By making my work public, I'm contributing a woman's perspective to a male-dominated art form," she told Mashablein an email. "The portrayal of women in comics is shamelessly sexist and distorted. It's important for me to reclaim the image of my own body."
Booth ended up finding Instagram as an unlikely outlet for her work as a result of unfortunate events.
"Driving through San Francisco, my car was broken into and my computer stolen. Without a computer or scanner, I relied on my phone to document new paintings. Instagram is super direct and accessible," she said.
View this post on Instagram
The social platform ended up being a particularly effective outlet for her art.
"I'm shocked by how well my drawings have been received," she said. "The most important feedback that I've gotten has been from young women who've messaged to thank me for helping them get through hard times."
You can buy limited edition prints of her work online here.
5. Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell (@cartoonsbyhilary)
View this post on Instagram
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is a New York City-based comic book artist inspired by Peanutsand Charlie Brown. She got her start by making documentary films.
"I was just trying to find my voice," she told Mashable.
"Knowing that other people are going through pain makes everything a little less lonely."
What unites her films and comics is the fact that they both tackle real life. On Instagram, she started posting short cartoons depicting her friend's breakup stories. "Maybe laughing about it, we could all feel better," she thought.
"Knowing that other people are going through pain makes everything a little less lonely," she said.
Campbell successfully Kickstarted that idea into her first book, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, But You Could've Done Better, which tells true, anonymous breakup stories that Campbell illustrates.
She says working on Instagram can be a challenge.
"It really forced me to finesse my voice," she said, explaining that it's just a chronological timeline of an artist's work. Finding a style without being constrained was a difficult balance.
"You shouldn't just be putting art out there to get likes," she said.
View this post on Instagram
Campbell's work is often simple, punchy and relatable. Her short comics share so easily because they're honest and translate complicated feelings into bite-sized portions. She creates the kind of art you can text to your friends when you can't quite put emotions into words.
Her feed doesn't focus solely on women's experiences, but for Campbell, that's the point.
"Not everything I do is feminism," she said. "But that is feminism -- I’m just doing what I want to do, and I happen to be a woman."
Campbell also co-illustrated Feminist Fight Club, a guide to combating sexism in the workplace.
TopicsGenderInstagramSocial GoodSocial Media