A pink flag, sunshine all year round, Aya Nakamura as Prime Minister and above all… no men. These are the promises of Tanaland, a fictional country reserved exclusively for women.
It all started with an insult on social networks. In fact, the word “tana” (probably from the Spanish “putana”, meaning “whore”) is used by more and more users to insult women in the comments section of their Tiktok videos. In some cases, these behaviors become cyberbullying.
“It is simply wanting to live in peace”
A makeup video, a story video (a format where the user tells an anecdoteeditor’s note) or a simple dance: “As soon as a girl appears, you’re sure to find at least five comments from people insulting Tana.” The content creator herself, followed by 1.3 million subscribers on Tiktok, was a victim of these insulting comments.
Annoyed by these recurring behaviorsFor this reason, some users have decided to recover the meaning of the word by inventing Tanaland, a “safe place” for women. Only two rules apply here: the country is closed to men and everything must be rosy.
The advantages of this imaginary city are numerous. Without men, you don’t need to pay attention, for example, to your clothing. Women can express themselves freely, without judgment and without fear of being attacked.
A flag, an anthem and 18 million inhabitants
Using hashtags and montages, various users and content creators share videos on the platform to show what the country would be like. The videos are directly inspired by the world of Barbie, with pink buildings and landscapes supporting it.
Little by little, the community became structured and created its own flag, its own anthem and even its own map.
We thus find the districts “Brook-Tana”, “Tana VIP Quarter” and a metro line with stops such as “Porte de polska” or “Tribunale de Lucie-sur-Tana”. There is also a Tiktok account, called Tanaland info, which serves as a national media outlet. As for the climate, the sun shines every day in this imaginary world, guaranteeing its occupants a perfect tan all year round.
Since then a government has been created. It was Aya Nakamura, one of the most listened to French-speaking singers in the world, who was proposed as Prime Minister. ToomuchLucile, for her part, was elected president of the country, along with the influencer Polska. They thus govern a country of 18 million users from Tana City, the country’s capital.
A political message
Because beyond this humorous response, the message is above all political. Tanaland is a spontaneous burst of feminism that aims to counter a new wave of sexist comments on the platforms. Let us remember that, according to the 2022 survey by the Feminists Against Harassment association, 84% of victims of cyber violence are women.
“From the moment we no longer care about men’s opinions or their insults, we no longer give them importance and redefine their insults, all the power is in our hands,” underlines content creator Kriplusfort on Instagram. “They can’t do anything anymore, they don’t have any power anymore!”
To highlight street harassment or men’s comments about their clothing, women, for example, film their clothing while explaining that they are “on their way to Tanaland,” a place where they can dress however they want without fearing a misogynistic comment. “I’m meeting you in Tanaland because I dared to wear tights during the day,” jokes one netizen.
The scale of the movement is such that it goes beyond the simple framework of social media. Users gathered through WhatsApp groups or discussion groups on Instagram to communicate with each other and help each other. Some even plan to organize evenings in Tanaland, reserved only for women.
Tanaland VS Charoland
An initiative that, despite everything, has generated numerous sexist comments.
To respond to the Tanaland trend, some men created Charoland, an imaginary land full of women… where they could act as they wanted. In short, a world not far from reality according to some users. Other men on the social network, however, have spoken out to defend Tanaland and are even trying to apply for a visa for the candy-pink country.
It is not the first time that social networks invent a country. In 2022, a handful of Internet users on Twitter created Listenbourg from scratch, a fictional country to mock the geographic level of Americans.
Source: BFM TV
