Anita Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian is a Canadian-American feminist media critic, public speaker, and founder of Feminist Frequency, a website dedicated to videos and commentary analyzing portrayals of women in popular culture. Sarkeesian earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies at California State University Northridge and a master's degree in social and political thought at York University. She launched the nonprofit organization and website Feminist Frequency while a student at York University, aiming to create accessible feminist media criticism. Sarkeesian's work has positioned her as a leading voice at the intersection of gender, digital culture, and social justice.

Sarkeesian is the creator of the Peabody Award-winning video series "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games," which explores the history of women's representation in gaming and has garnered millions of views on YouTube. The series examined the persistent denigration of women in video games, one of the most popular media forms globally. Sarkeesian's Kickstarter campaign for the series raised nearly $160,000, far exceeding its initial goal. Her work as a media critic, public speaker, and producer has contributed to ongoing conversations about improving the representation of marginalized people in video games.

Sarkeesian was named one of TIME's 100 most influential people in the world and received the Game Developers Choice Ambassador Award. She also received an honorary award from the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers and was nominated for Microsoft's Women in Games Ambassador Award. Newsweek named her one of its 125 Women of Impact. Sarkeesian has been interviewed and featured in publications such as Wired, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Colbert Report.

Following the launch of her Kickstarter project for "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games," Sarkeesian was targeted by an online harassment campaign that generated widespread media attention and placed her at the center of discussions about misogyny in video game culture and online harassment. She has spoken at TEDxWomen, XOXO Festival, and the United Nations Broadband Working Group on Gender, addressing her experiences and the challenges of improving gender representation. Sarkeesian lectures and presents at universities, conferences, and game development studios internationally.

Sarkeesian has also contributed to publishing. Along with Ebony Adams, Ph.D., she co-authored "History vs. Women," which highlights the stories of 25 women who defied history and influenced the world around them. After several seasons of "Tropes vs. Women," she produced a series on unsung women in history, and her channel distributed the series "Queer Tropes." Feminist Frequency concluded operations after 15 years, but Sarkeesian's influence as a critic who shaped conversations about gender, representation, and online culture continues.