# Binders Full Of Women

> Binders Full of Women is a 2012 political meme originating from Mitt Romney's awkward debate response about receiving "binders full of women," spawning product review parodies and image macros online.

"Binders Full of Women" is a political gaffe turned internet meme from October 2012, when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney awkwardly described receiving "whole binders full of women" during the second presidential debate against Barack Obama[1]. The phrase, delivered in response to a question about pay equity, spread across Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Amazon within hours, making it one of the fastest-spawning political memes of the 2012 election cycle[7].

## Origin
On October 16, 2012, the second presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney took place at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York[4]. Moderator Candy Crowley fielded a question from audience member Katherine Fenton about pay equity for women[11].

Romney's full response included: "I had the chance to pull together a cabinet and all the applicants seemed to be men. [...] I went to a number of women's groups and said, 'Can you help us find folks?' And they brought us whole binders full of women"[5]. The quote aired live to millions of viewers.

Before the debate even ended, social media had already run with it. Veronica De Souza, a recently laid-off social media manager from Brooklyn, created the Tumblr blog "Binders Full of Women" at approximately 9:48 PM that night[8]. The first image macro posted was a riff on the Trapper Keeper brand, captioned "Trap Her, Keep Her"[8]. Michael M. Fil from Toronto, Ontario created the Facebook page the same evening[8].

The @RomneysBinder Twitter parody account attracted 30,000 followers before the debate was even over[5]. Tweet volume during the "binders" segment of the debate hit 104,704 tweets per minute[7].

- **Platform:** Television (presidential debate), Twitter / Tumblr / Facebook (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Mitt Romney (source quote), Veronica De Souza (Tumblr blog creator), Michael M. Fil (Facebook page creator)
- **Date:** 2012

## Overview
"Binders Full of Women" is a meme built around a single clumsy phrase from the 2012 United States presidential debates. During the second debate at Hofstra University on October 16, 2012, an undecided voter named Katherine Fenton asked both candidates about pay inequality for women[4]. Romney responded with an anecdote about staffing his Massachusetts governor's cabinet, explaining that women's groups "brought us whole binders full of women"[5].

The phrase landed badly for several reasons. The image of women literally filed inside office supplies struck many viewers as both funny and telling[9]. Critics read it as reducing women to items in a catalog, while the broader answer sidestepped the actual question about equal pay legislation[2]. The combination of absurd visual imagery and political substance made it catnip for the internet.

Within minutes, the quote generated image macros, parody accounts, Tumblr blogs, and satirical Amazon reviews. The meme took multiple forms: Photoshopped images of women inside binders, '80s Trapper Keeper jokes with the caption "Trap Her, Keep Her," image macros featuring celebrities like Beyonce and Hillary Clinton, and hundreds of fake product reviews for office binders on Amazon.com[8].

## How It Spread
The meme moved at unusual speed even by 2012 standards. Within minutes of the remark, image macros began flooding Twitter[4]. The Tumblr blog collected over 200 image macros and gained 11,000 followers in its first 24 hours[13]. The Facebook page hit 55,000 likes in one hour, 112,000 in two hours, and surpassed 250,000 by the next morning[1].

The American Bridge PAC snapped up the domain BindersFullOfWomen.com within 90 seconds of the comment to run anti-Romney messaging[14]. Multiple competing websites launched, and imitator Facebook pages appeared for "Binders Full of Men" and "Binders Full of Gays"[2].

On October 17, Amazon.com became a second front. Users flooded product pages for binders with satirical reviews. One review by a user named "Bazinga" for the Avery Durable View Binder joked, "I don't want to be filed away in an inferior & confusing electronic doohickey that I couldn't possibly understand," mocking stereotypes about women and technology[8]. Over 13,000 users marked that review as "most useful"[8]. Coverage of the Amazon reviews spread to BuzzFeed, TIME, The Daily Beast, CNET, and Gizmodo within 48 hours[4].

Major news outlets including The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Wired, The Atlantic, CBS News, and TIME all ran stories on the meme by October 17[4]. The phrase was the third most-searched term on Google during the debate[15]. The Obama campaign incorporated it into election ads, with the president himself quipping at a campaign stop: "I've got to tell you, we don't have to collect a bunch of binders to find qualified, talented, driven young women"[5].

## How to Use
The "Binders Full of Women" meme typically takes one of several forms:
1. **Image macros**: Place a photo of someone (often a politician or public figure) with a binder, captioned with variations on "binders full of women" or jokes about filing women in office supplies.
2. **Trapper Keeper parodies**: Riff on '80s school binder brands with puns like "Trap Her, Keep Her."
3. **Amazon-style fake reviews**: Write satirical product reviews for actual binder products, treating them as containers for women.
4. **Celebrity inserts**: Photoshop well-known women "inside" binders, or show famous people holding binders with the quote overlaid.

## Cultural Impact
The meme had real political consequences during the 2012 election. The Washington Post stated that the comment "did more than go viral; it put women's issues back in the campaign spotlight"[5]. The New York Times covered how the debate shifted focus back to gender issues in the final weeks of the campaign[7].

TIME magazine ran an analysis explaining why the phrase struck such a nerve, arguing it worked as "a perfect metaphor for the obstacles so many women face in the workplace" and could replace the worn-out "glass ceiling" image because "you can't dress up for Halloween as a glass ceiling"[9].

The Obama campaign incorporated the phrase into official ads[14]. At campaign stops, Obama directly referenced it to draw contrast on women's issues[5]. The meme was widely credited with helping keep gender equality in the campaign conversation during a tight race[7].

The Veronica De Souza story added a human-interest layer. The Wall Street Journal profiled her, noting she had been laid off from her social media manager job just hours before the debate and hoped the viral blog would bring new employment opportunities[13].

BinderCon, the writers' conference born from the meme, ran multiple events and raised $55,000 through Kickstarter for its inaugural 2014 symposium[4]. It stood as a rare example of a political gaffe meme being reclaimed for constructive activism.

## Fun Facts
- The domain BindersFullOfWomen.com was purchased within 90 seconds of Romney saying the phrase on live television[14].
- The actual binders were recovered in 2017 and weighed 15 pounds, 6 ounces combined, containing nearly 200 resumes[12].
- Tweet volume hit 104,704 tweets per minute during the "binders" portion of the debate[7].
- Veronica De Souza, who created the Tumblr, had been laid off from her social media job just hours before the debate[13].
- Jeopardy! ran a "Binder Full of Women" category in February 2013 with clues about famous women[5].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Binders Full of Women?
"Binders Full of Women" is a political meme from the 2012 U.S. presidential election. It comes from Mitt Romney's awkward phrasing during the second presidential debate when he described receiving "whole binders full of women" to fill cabinet positions as governor of Massachusetts[1].

### Where did Binders Full of Women come from?
The phrase originated during the second presidential debate on October 16, 2012, at Hofstra University. Romney used it while answering a question about pay equity for women from audience member Katherine Fenton[4].

### What does Binders Full of Women mean?
The phrase refers to ring binders containing resumes of female job candidates. Critics read it as reducing women to items in a filing system, and the awkward phrasing made it ripe for parody[9].

### How do you use Binders Full of Women?
The meme typically appears as image macros with the quote, satirical product reviews for actual binders, or Photoshopped images of women inside binders. It's used to mock patronizing attitudes toward women in professional settings[8].

### Is Binders Full of Women still popular?
The meme's peak was October 2012 during the election cycle. It's now a classic piece of political meme history, referenced during election seasons and recognized as one of the defining memes of the 2012 campaign[5].

### Did Romney actually have binders full of women?
Yes. In 2017, the Boston Globe obtained the actual binders from a former Romney aide. They were two white three-ring binders containing nearly 200 resumes and cover letters, weighing over 15 pounds combined[12].

### Who really created the binders?
A bipartisan women's coalition called MassGAP compiled the binders before the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial election and presented them to whoever won, contradicting Romney's debate claim that he asked women's groups for them[3].

### Who created the Binders Full of Women Tumblr?
Veronica De Souza, a social media professional from Brooklyn who had been laid off from her job hours before the debate, created the Tumblr at approximately 9:48 PM on debate night[13].

### How fast did the meme spread?
The @RomneysBinder Twitter account gained 30,000 followers before the debate ended. The Facebook page hit 250,000 likes by the next morning. Tweets peaked at 104,704 per minute during the relevant debate segment[7].

### What were the Amazon binder reviews?
Users flooded Amazon product pages for office binders with hundreds of satirical reviews joking about storing women inside them. One top review by "Bazinga" received over 13,000 "helpful" votes[8].

### What is BinderCon?
BinderCon was a writers' conference for women and gender-nonconforming writers that reclaimed the "binders" phrase. It launched in 2014 with a Kickstarter that raised $55,000 and held its first event at NYU in October 2014[4].

### Did the meme affect the 2012 election?
The Washington Post said the comment "did more than go viral; it put women's issues back in the campaign spotlight." The Obama campaign used it in ads, and it helped keep gender equity in the conversation during the final weeks of the race[5].

### Was the Binders Full of Women phrase referenced in The Handmaid's Tale?
Yes. In Season 3, Episode 3 of The Handmaid's Tale (aired June 5, 2019), the character Commander Lawrence spoke the phrase "binders full of women"[5].

## References
1. [Binders full of women meme: Romney debate gaffe goes viral on Tumblr, Facebook.](<https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2012/10/binders-full-of-women-meme-romney-debate-gaffe-goes-viral-on-tumblr-facebook.html>)
2. [Binders Full of Women: A Meme That Means Something - The Atlantic](<https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/binders-full-of-women-a-meme-that-means-something/263740/>)
3. [Mitt's "binders full of women" not even true - Salon.com](<https://www.salon.com/2012/10/17/mitts_binders_full_of_women_not_even_true/>)
4. [Binders Full of Women - Know Your Meme](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/binders-full-of-women>)
5. [Binders full of women](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binders_full_of_women>)
6. [Binders Full of Women - Urban Dictionary](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Binders%20Full%20of%20Women>)
7. [Amazon's Binder Pages Are Now Full of Funny Romney-Related Reviews](<https://gizmodo.com/amazons-binder-pages-are-now-full-of-funny-romney-relat-5952716>)
8. [Presidential Debate Spins 'Binders Full Of Women' Meme, Fact Checks : The Two-Way : NPR](<https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/10/17/163071667/presidential-debate-spins-binders-full-of-women-meme>)
9. [Binders Full of Women: A Feminist Meme to Bind them All  Samantha C. Thrift and Carrie A. Rentschler  / University of Calgary and McGill University – Flow](<https://www.flowjournal.org/2014/11/binders-full-of-women/>)
10. [How Romney's Binders Went From Internet Meme to Political Symbol | TIME.com](<https://ideas.time.com/2012/10/19/romneys-binders-the-meme-women-love-to-hate/>)
11. [""Whole Binders Full of Women:" From Meme to Political Satire by way of" by Joanne E. Gates](<https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/fac_pres/14/>)
12. [The Best of Romney's 'Binders Full of Women' Meme - Government Executive](<https://www.govexec.com/management/2012/10/best-romneys-binders-full-women-meme/58825/>)
13. [Mitt Romney Really Did Have Binders Full of Women](<https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/04/11/mitt-romney-binders-full-of-women-real/>)
14. [9 Amazon Reviews Of Binders For Women](<https://www.buzzfeed.com/annanorth/amazon-reviews-of-binders-for-women>)
15. [Binders Full of Women Remark By Mitt Romney Leads to Fame for Laid-Off Woman - WSJ](<http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2012/10/17/romney-binders-full-of-women-sparks-fame-for-laid-off-blogger/>)
16. [Mitt's "binders full of women" not even true - Salon.com](<http://www.salon.com/2012/10/17/mitts_binders_full_of_women_not_even_true/>)
17. [Amazon’s Binder Pages Flooded With Snarky Romney-Related Reviews | TIME.com](<http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/18/amazons-binder-pages-flooded-with-snarky-romney-related-reviews#ixzz29gdhHFcE>)
18. [Presidential Debate Spins 'Binders Full Of Women' Meme, Fact Checks : The Two-Way : NPR](<http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/10/17/163071667/presidential-debate-spins-binders-full-of-women-meme>)
19. [Binders full of women meme: Romney debate gaffe goes viral on Tumblr, Facebook.](<https://www.slate.com/blogs/trending/2012/10/17/binders_full_of_women_meme_romney_debate_gaffe_goes_viral_on_tumblr_facebook.html>)
20. [A Binder Full of Memes | HuffPost Latest News](<https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-palombo/binders-full-of-women_b_1974937.html>)
21. [Binders Full of Women: Ladies and Gentlemen, Your New Political Meme | TIME.com](<http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/17/binders-full-of-women-ladies-and-gentlemen-your-new-political-meme/>)
22. [What BinderCon Means for Women, Power, and Media — From Jill Abramson’s Divisive Keynote to the Push for Diversity](<http://flavorwire.com/482452/what-bindercon-means-for-women-power-and-media-from-jill-abramsons-divisive-keynote-to-the-push-for-diversity>)
23. [CNET: Product reviews, advice, how-tos and the latest news](<http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57535138-71/romney-breathes-new-life-into-amazons-binder-reviews/>)
24. [Amazon's Binder Pages Are Now Full of Funny Romney-Related Reviews](<http://gizmodo.com/5952716/whole-amazons-binders-products-now-full-of-funny-reviews>)
25. ['Binders Full of Women' Spawns Three-Ring Circus on Web - WSJ](<https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/10/17/presidential-debate-spawns-binders-full-of-women-meme/>)
26. [Romney 'Binders Full Of Women' Female Hiring Boast Falls Apart | HuffPost Latest News](<https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/17/romney-binders-full-of-women_n_1974092.html>)
27. [Amazon Users Review Binders](<http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/10/18/amazon-users-review-binders.html>)

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