10 feminist Instagram accounts you should be following

There's more to Instagram than selfies, outfits and #foodporn. It's also a haven for social justice lovers.

Given its popularity with young adults and women, Instagram is a treasure trove of wonderfully creative self-expression around feminism and gender issues. Here are 10 Instagram accounts that I have come across that I highly recommend.

1. Joannathangiah 

Joanna Thangiah, of Sydney, uses art to discuss "feminism, mental health and fragments of my inner monologue." The 26-year-old student of graphic design draws comic-book-style women who are curvy, sexy, fashionable and sufficiently confident. They talk about body image, fat shaming and sexual harassment.

"My art initially started off as a reflection of my own experiences," Thangiah told Women's eNews in an email exchange. "It turns out a lot of people have shared these experiences, which allows me to help them while I try and help myself." Thangiah also transforms her drawings into stickers, pins and accessories that she sells online.

2. Feminist Thought Bubble

Molly Williams, a 20-year-old college student, draws real and fictional women who are challenging sexism. Her Instagram account features celebrities and historic figures such as Frida Kahlo, Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, Malala Yousafzai and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Each drawing is accompanied by a quote that addresses feminist issues such sexual identity, equal pay, intersectionality, health, body image and religion.

"I basically started this account on a whim one day because I was feeling frustrated with both the micro and macro aggressions that I experience and witness regularly as a woman," Williams told The Huffington Post.

3. Ambertheactivist

Amber Amour is the founder of #StopRapeEducate, a worldwide campaign using education and public awareness to fight rape culture. She was sexually assaulted in September 2014 but her case was never pursued by the New York Police Department, according to her crowfunding website.

"Three days after her assault, she began doing chalk art to educate the masses about rape culture and consent," reads the site. After touring several US cities, her campaign is now raising funds for her to travel abroad with the mission of using education as a tool to fight rape. Amour is currently hosting a photo challenge inviting anyone to take a photo with a message and post it under the hashtag #StopRapeEducate. Men are also joining the challenge.

4. Politicalpoet

Alyssa Seibert writes poetry and shares her words on Instagram. Her frequent subjects are feminism and social justice. One of her latest poems is about the death of Sandra Bland, who died in a Waller County, Texas jail cell.

5. Womenincomics

Here you can find female superheroes and other characters fighting sexism and violence. The account also features drawings of victims of sexual violence. Amber, 28, started the account out of love for comic books and feminism, she told Women's eNews. Amber is a therapist at a nonprofit for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Maryland.

"My objective is to provide a safe space for people to express their opinions about both feminism and comic books. I want to spread awareness of intersectional feminism using comic books as my medium," Amber said.

6. Carolrossetti88

Carol Rossetti is a 26-year-old illustrator and graphic designer from Brazil. She is the author of the Women Project, a series of portraits of women with short captions that often touch on issues affecting women.

"I feel very disturbed by the world's attempts to control women's bodies, behaviors and identities so I've started a series of illustrations in a friendly tone hoping to reach people about how absurd this really is," Rossetti writes on her website. She would like to take this conversation beyond women's circles. "The fact that my protagonists are women does not make this is project just 'for girls'."

7. Feministastic

With over 11,400 followers, Feministastic is a call to "smash the kiriarchy." Feministastic is run by Lisa Dzera, a graphic designer from North Carolina, who said she has "a passion for ending intersecting systems of oppression." On her account, Dzera defines kiriarchy as "the social system that keeps all intersecting oppressions (race, gender, class, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, culture, etc) in place." Feministastic is a platform where, Dzera said, she can express her graphic design talents and her interest in feminism and equality.

"My posts are either based on current events or on issues that I feel do not receive enough attention," Dzera told Women's eNews. "For example, I follow many other feminist accounts, and if I notice that many of them are not posting about issues such as prison reform or Islamophobia, I'll make an effort to create some graphics related to those issues. I try to be very intersectional in what I post and repost quotes from people whose voices are often not heard."

8. SheKnowsNow

She Knows Now is using Instagram as a platform to share its digital collection of short video clips featuring women sharing insight on "what they each know for sure in their personal and/or professional experience." The project was launched in February 2015 by Tiffany Hardin, a branding and entertainment entrepreneur. She Knows Now aims to promote positive images of women in media and nurture a community. "The collection serves as an anchor where women who trust their own 'Hero's Journey' can share how they live authentically with the love of self," reads the website.

9. Feministabulous

This list would not be complete without Elizabeth Plank's Instagram account. Plank is one of the best known voices of millennial feminism in the US She is currently a senior editor at Mic.com and hosts the new web series "Flip the Script." On her Instagram, Plank shares a lot of memes, tweets and photos illustrating current gender and social issues. And because a millennial would not be a millennial without taking selfies, Plank also poses happily in front of the camera. On Instagram, Plank is as popular as she is on her other social media accounts. She boasts over than 15,600 followers.

10. AllMenCan

Since we are talking about Elizabeth Plank, let's finish with the Instagram account AllMenCan. Plank and Mic.com inspired a Tumblr using the same name and hashtag #allmencan. The Instagram account features photos of men holding signs with written messages addressing many of the issues faced by women, such as street harassment, gun violence and objectification.

Hajer Naili is a New York-based reporter for Women's eNews. She has worked for several radio stations and publications in France and North Africa and specializes in Middle East and North Africa women in Islam. Follow her on Twitter @h_naili.