Representations of gender-based violence on <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i> Instagram page and audience engagement

This article examines how The Handmaid’s Tale ’s official Instagram account represents gender-based violence and how users engage with these portrayals within a commercial, algorithm-driven platform. While the series has become a cultural symbol of feminist resistance, particularly through iconic imagery such as red cloaks and white bonnets, its digital presence reveals a tension between its political messaging and promotional strategy. Through thematic analysis of 997 posts and engagement metrics, three dominant themes were identified: (1) visual and symbolic depictions of oppression, (2) narratives of trauma and survival, and (3) ethical critiques of violence and trauma. Findings indicate that symbolic content tends to generate surface-level engagement (likes), while ethically and narratively complex posts elicit deeper user interaction (comments, shares, video views). These results highlight the contradictory space occupied by the account, where feminist discourse navigates the constraints of corporate branding and algorithmic visibility. This study contributes to ongoing debates in feminist media scholarship by highlighting how activism on social media is both facilitated and constrained by platform logics and calls for critical reflection on the commodification of feminist politics in digital visual cultures.