Storyboard: Feminist

That is so cool!

Thank you for this story :)

Love this story!

I'm pretty sure that Joanie writes because she is emotional....and writes and cries, and cries and writes. Sometimes Gloria asked things she already had the answers to......

Thank you for your story!

The geometric skirt is my favorite!

FANTASTIC story!!! Thank you, love it!!!

Does feminism need to be extended to material things? I think of feminism as more closely tied to power. There is real power in being a woman. We can do things no man can. Some of them seem to be scared of that. It's that dynamic that feminism was born out of, not *things*.

I dunno... Consciousness shapes the material world, and the material world shapes consciousness, so sometimes the things matter.

Love these items!

um can I have that geometric skirt? LOVE. ♥

You make a really good point Sharon! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Great post!

"from Adam's rib to Woman's Lib" that is an eye catcher.

"You can only be made to feel inferior with your permission." Eleanor Roosevelt.

Wow....this article really offends me. Feminism is not a style or trend that can be defined by objects. Ug....the hipsterization of feminism.

I don't believe "feminist" should be used as an adjective. Whether you are male or female, I believe feminist is an evolution of thought. A feminist is someone who does not define a persons role in life by genitalia.

Great story!

I love this! Stay strong ladies!

I have no clue what kind of material objects (clothing, decor, ect) that could be defined as "feminist", and I am not sure if it should be defined. For one, there are so many variations and definitions of feminism that it would be impossible to do so. I do not consider myself as a feminist, but I do have a strong appreciation for the feminine and maternal side of the world. I love anything that conjures goddesses and Mother Nature--but these things could be argued as fitting into gender stereotypes I suppose.

Interesting blog post! Feminism is a deep subject!

Interesting collection. I like the inspiration.

Feminists are people too, I think.

Awesome collection!

I dunno, I tend to think all things are feministic. Things for the home, family, work place, etc.... Because, the feminist walks in the world of her choosing. Be it as a strong female home educator and house wife or be it as a hardworking CEO of a major law firm. It's not about what you choose.... Or how you balance. It is about making the choice itself. Some have no interest in working. Others have no interest in babies. There is no wrong way for a woman to be strong. All things therefore stand as a statement to the unwavering strength of women. Just look at our history.... Marred by male dominance through the ages. Sold into marriages by our fathers during the middle ages.... Tortured to death as witches during the inquisition. Women have stood strong through the ugliest that humanity has thrown at us through the ages. And we are still standing. In our own unique ways. Making our own independent choices. There is no wrong way to be a woman and no specific items that go along with female strength and choice. As the daughter of the first female Pepsi driver in America, I just want to take a moment to approve my own message.

worksofwhimsy says: "Ug....the hipsterization of feminism" ---------------------- Ha!

How is an object feminist? How is an object political? I suppose that it all comes down to the meaning and power that we imbue the object with, the ideologies surrounding it, or how we choose to subvert them - ideological upcycling, if you will. But as for a particular mode of dress, say, being or not being feminist, I feel like this can get problematic pretty quickly. It harkens back to the whole 1970s question of "what does a feminist look like," to which the answer should be "a feminist looks like any person who embraces feminist ideas." Anything more specific, even if it's meant to be celebratory, still enforces certain stereotypes, and the notion that if you don't present outwardly in certain ways, you're not properly enacting feminism, which is nonsense. Any way you slice it, any sub-theory you subscribe to, the heart of feminist thinking should be that all women are entitled to the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities as men. (But I'm still coveting that plaid wrap jacket, because it IS amazeballs.)

Love this!

I think of the iconic "we can do it" woman showing the world her bicep muscle. But to be feminist I don't neccessarily think you have to burn your bra, not shave your legs and wear black manly boots. Being a feminist just means you believe women should be treated as equals, it doesn't mean you have to be more like a man.

South London Women Artists put together an academic year diary (running from Sep 2012 to Oct 2013) with 130 images of art by women, to coincide with our recent major London show. It also includes interesting texts about feminist art by the exhibition's 3 curators. If you'd like to buy one get in touch! http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150792421072953&set=a.10150792421067953.472035.300805922952&type=3&theater Or to find out more about the SLWA group, visit http://www.southlondonwomenartists.co.uk/

i'm not sure fashion is relevant to feminist ideals. I think it's true that the clothes we wear are a direct extension of our personalities, as I also think it's true that people with like minded ideals tend to dress similarly. So are we talking about aesthetic stereotypes? .... because i like high heels and support women's lib. and contrary to some "fundamentalist feminists" I know, I don't think they have to be mutually exclusive.

Hi @worksofwhimsy -- I've written before about the laziness of the word hipster, and how I think disdain is only effective and smart if it's also precise, but I will respond to the first part of your comment to say, I wish you might have actually read the piece, or been more thoughtful and generous in your reading, especially these lines: "maybe feminism has become something purer in its broadness, that refuses to be redirected into the shorthand of things, that insists the only way to assuage the small insults is to fight, hard, the really grievous assaults, the ones of body and work and unfettered freedom." AND ALSO: "it’s a sort of relief that ... the stuff of feminism doesn’t fit neatly into et cetera or et al., a small victory for the ill-fitting and the out of character." Or, let me know if I misunderstood and there is something else that offends you.

I love when anyone brings up feminism in general, and particularly when they are owning it. Fashion, culture, art-- they are just some of the many things we (feminists) use to express ourselves, share ideas, and continue to grow. It's a complex and expansive idea, and while it can not be reduced to an object, it can be made more meaningful to individuals through symbolism. Even the written word, which can be very meaningful and represent the epitome of intellectual expression to some, are just symbols of our ideas. Either way, I just love when people talk about feminism, whether you think that means pins with messages or not.

This article is... probably not what you intended it to be. This is basically telling me that believing in gender equality means that I should fill my home and my life with meaningless items that someone else deems trendy. What trendy items can you find that are symbolic of racial equality? Religious equality? Do those items really mean anything at all? What does my style of dress have to do with my thoughts or feelings on ANY subject at all? How does my home decor give you ANY insight into what type of person I am?

Cute items, very interesting and unique.

I think anything can be defined as "feminist". As long as no one but you is defining it. 3rd wave feminism allows women to be whatever they want. Like whatever they want. Do whatever they want. An apron can be as "feminist" as a bow tie.

Oh, clearly you're not a real feminist unless you own all the right things and read all the right books and buy a whole bunch of crap that somebody has deemed appropriate for feminism. And we should most certainly define people by the things they own and what they wear, that's definitely a progressive and egalitarian way of thinking. And might I ask, HOW is it murky as to whether or not you can be depressed and a feminist? Because the Queen B of modern feminism spouted off a bunch of garbage about whether or not somebody suffering from legitimate, chemically-caused mental illness is a 'real feminist'? Look, I don't carry the feminist label, but I'm positively disgusted that anyone could even momentarily entertain the thought that you can't be a feminist because of factors completely beyond your control. What next? Women in wheelchairs can't be feminists? Women with cancer can't be feminists? Ridiculous. Sorry, but I don't think a true feminist is going to hold any other person's opinion as their personal ultimate truth. Everybody's full of it to some degree and I believe you've found a big ol' nugget of BS in Steinem's opinions.

Really? My previous post is gone? What about censoring another woman's opinion says 'feminism' to you? I'm sorry for speaking my mind. I'll just sit over here and make sandwiches instead.

LOL. Trolled by threadglitch. Lurking admins, you can delete this and my grumpy post above, if you'd like.

I am a feminist. My mother was, my grandmother was....and I dont find myself identifying with any of that. Though the hairy legs made me snort, no burnt bras? Yes I agree with the about women can and should be true to themselves. really how is there not a single goddess up there? mother figure? wise woman? warrior? You know if we are going to represent feminism, then go back to the core tenants of women's strength...that all of us could identify with.

Cool article!

I do not understand where consumerism comes into play here, or why any of the the above listed items could be "feminist". Disappointing.

personally, i think objects will always carry meaning, consumerist or not. an object's existence alone, or even discussing objects doesn't have to be about consumerism. but i also think meaning is in the eye of the beholder. and "murkiness"... that's just it. that's just the thing that some of us 90s riot girls are now looking for. that one word has worked better than so many sentences i've tried to use to describe it. it's like the "i just want my power (and/or weakness) to be just power, not feminine or masculine or even neutral" feeling. thanks for that.

In the 60s, getting women out into the world--physically in places where women didn't usually go alone--was feminist and revolutionary. Women in sports, women in business, women walking alone at night, traveling alone on a motorcycle across the country, driving their own cars, buying their own homes--all those freedoms led women to make their own decisions about who they could be. I knew a woman back then who said that another woman wasn't a feminist because she wore clogs. Ridiculous. In those early days, "feminism" was called "women's liberation" and that said a lot--liberation from the strictures that limited women's lives, that tried to make women less than they could be. Those strictures still threaten us but women are more organized now to fight them. We're not going back. I don't think shoes or any object is inherently feminist or not--but the systems that surround their production, marketing, and consumption can be. The challenge is in analyzing the context without judgments of individuals alone.

There is nothing "feminist" about these items. JUST. NO. This article belongs on a personal blog not a indie market site. If you want to discuss "feminism" why don't you have an article highlighting the history of female ran business instead and then showcase female shop owners?

Interesting reactions reflecting how individual the concept of feminism is, whether you own it or not.

Hey @Denise -- So glad you commented, and by all means I'm always willing to discuss more, but really I think we're not disagreeing, that nothing that you own or read is shorthand for being a feminist, just as nothing that you own or read makes you not a feminist (though I'd be more willing to argue a nuanced view on that). And if it's not murky for you, more power to you for your confidence that Steinem is wrong, Here's something she recently said in an interview for Rookie: "Remember that if we don’t express our anger, it can turn into depression. What depression is, is anger turned inward. So that’s one more reason to use it." And I might be misreading her, just as I think I might be getting misread here, but I remember thinking, great, now if I'm depressed, I also get to fell guilty about it.

@AliceAdams -- I think your question, "Do these items really mean anything at all?" is exactly it. And I completely agree with @PinkCheetahVintage and @Tacyda -- I freakin' love talking about feminism.

@dustyrosevintage -- Yes! This is an unsatisfying post, without any prescriptions, but that's exactly what being feminist is about, right?

I sort of feel like crying over some of these comments, but I'm trying to have some distance about it, and mainly I think some clarifications are in order: that I'm saying, as precisely as I can, that I think objects are not enough; and I'm saying, best I know how, that I hope feminism can be encompassing and inclusive; and I'm saying, now, as someone who has no problem calling herself a feminist, that I stand by what I wrote and the questions that I raised, and that I'm pretty sure (especially upon careful rereading) that I don't presume to know your tastes or how you live your life -- that i write about the longing to be unpresumed -- and I wish you'd extend me the same courtesy.

I think its a shame that so many modern women dont relate to or with the feminist movement. In the UK so many women take their vote for granted saying 'voting isnt for me', kinda makes me sad that so many women campaigned so hard just for them not to use it...

Definitions of 'feminist' [-i-niz-uhm] Dictionary.com - (Showing 1 definitions) (noun) 1. support of social, political, and economic rights for women equal to those of men Hmmm...not a word about clothes or style.

We saw the awe-inspiring movie "Iron Jawed Angels" about feminist's fight for women's vote in this country. Great movie.

I absolutely relate to what you've said here about longing for murkiness! To not be pinned down as this or that. And that is so relevant to choices I have made about the material objects I wear and carry. Perhaps it's simply that I'm of an age and subcultural understanding that the aesthetics featured in your list speak to me. This post is thoughtful and poetic, and as you've noted about, many people struggle with poetic and non-prescriptive approaches, especially to something that lives so much in the political sphere, like feminism/s. Thank you for making this lovely list for the Etsy hoardes!

Why are we bashing

Sorry, accidentally pressed that add your comment button, but what I was going to say was, why are we bashing lethilogica "Su" for stating her own opinions and thoughts? Shouldn't we be supporting women in their individual opinions instead of putting them down, just because they are not our own does not mean we have to put her down for what she believes. I think that is quite anti-feminist myself.

I thought this was very interesting. Feminism can mean so many different things to different people. And to those bashing the author by saying that feminism has nothing to do with consumerism that is naive at best. Companies, shops, artisians market based on the ideas and lifestyles of their target consumers. Due to that, I thought this was great. Do I agree with everything you said? Maybe, Maybe not, but I don't have to in order to find it interesting and thought provoking. Thank you!

Remember when Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House? The first thing discussed was her Armani suit. When powerful women/celebs are discussed, their clothes are often brought into the conversation. Strong women in Armani suits are not feminine is the perception. Like it or not, fashion and feminism are linked.

I love reading all the comments...I do seem to agree with most that feminism cant be defined with an object. It encompasses so much.

It's very hard for me to believe that a category as broad as "things" can have nothing to do with feminism. I actually think this debate is really good because it exposes a longstanding bias--the preconceived idea that feminism has to be antagonistic to capitalism, and yet here we are, feminists (and some who choose not to label themselves as such) on Etsy, spending *our* money at a marketplace for handmade and vintage products, a place for small businesses that are getting written out of the picture otherwise. First women burned their bras, and then they started designing their own corsets--but it was different the second time around (I'm thinking of Gaultier). Su's storyboard seems really appropriate for this venue and takes it to a level of thoughtful consumerism that doesn't just automatically say that because it involves an exchange of money for things, it has to be in another realm from politics. People have to buy things sometimes, and just as we can choose to buy environmentally or ethically conscious things, it seems obvious to me that we can also express ourselves politically not just with what we buy, but with what we like and choose to show others that we like. Have any of you ever felt a weird little pang of guilt as you go on Etsy to look for things, or when you say that crafting is one of your hobbies? I definitely do, at least when I'm browsing through 70s embroidery manuals and hearing this little voice in me say, "Where are the men in these books? All these women are just making these incredibly detailed things because they're stuck at home, and by being into this, you're being nostalgic about that whole system," but then part of me is indignant, thinking, "Where is this guilt coming from if not from some force that is trying to define me and how I pursue my hobbies?" There's been a wave of crafters who also portray themselves as feminists, demonstrating through their work that a craft is just that--a craft. It's a way to make things, and the things you make with it can convey or subvert whatever message you think they can, but they don't have to just be "beautiful" or "cute" or "homey"--they can provoke thought if we think about them more actively, which is exactly what this storyboard encourages us to do. One thing about the board that makes things murky in a good way--how some of these clothes (the dresses, leotard) are designed to show curves, while the loose white and blue dress and plaid jacket kind of throws that aesthetic off. Wearing outfits that evoke those extremes is one mode of activist dressing, I think, so it's not just about whether the things themselves are feminist but the ensemble you can create with them. And some of the minimalist items here seem to subvert difference by condensing it to its most basic form or just by minimizing it, while others are much more ornate and attention-grabbing. I like those juxtapositions. My favorite feminist piece of clothing is Tanaka Atsuko's "Electric Dress": http://youtu.be/JdXcZq16yFc

When anyone, or in this case a woman, puts on an outfit, there is a dialogue that can be read. The products that we use are mostly reproductions of very old concepts, tweaked with new colors or contemporary modifications. It is all a form of language, intentionally or unintentionally. It is most difficult to say what a feminist would wear, when we all have such different ideas of how pattern, color, shape, and texture really translate, and even down to the nitty gritty of how products are actually created. However, in leu of this article, the products chosen are quite celebratory of what it means to be a woman. There is something extraordinary about not being questioned for serving tea to your guests in that whacky 80s coffee cup and sporting a Totem Dress regardless of heritage.

I do not really agree with the depression quote. Depression is a complicated illness and it is just not "anger turned inward". It may be one factor but many things can cause depression. Biology, genetics, traumatic events, stress, OCD, anxiety, thyroid problem, PMS, medications and chronic or terminal illnesses are a few things that can be the source of depression.

I most definitely think objects can symbolize feminism. I think that by choosing to buy handmade, vintage, local, non-corporate/ non-mass produced clothing, magazines, housewares etc,. we are "being" feminist in that we are choosing to be informed and respectful consumers and reject an oppressive unequal global free market.

"I LIKE GIRLS" button. i really like how this isn't just trying to find shit to physically show your feminism, its also calling all feminists lesbians. gratz.

overthought?

MM... my daily wear for the last twelve years has been work boots(the more holes the better), white t shirts covered in paint and baggy carpenter jeans (covered in paint and burn marks). About 3 bandanas in pockets and my hair in pony tails. And I'm not a feminist...lol. Just kind of funny.

I'm having a hard time connecting the dots of this article. All I'm seeing is a whole bunch of items that have little to nothing to do with feminism and some vaguely written paragraphs that really don't seem to say much at all about feminism.