Starting a new job is always tricky. There is a whole lot of figuring people out and of people figuring you out. It's doubly difficult when you're also new to the country, so you're trying to work out if these new colleagues are roughly representative of their country, and they are trying to do the same for you. There are always a few things I like to lay on the table early to avoid awkward conversations later on - my feminism (discussions helpfully triggered by sexy Julia Gillard newspaper cartoons), my hatred of racism (discussions helpfully triggered by someone gushing about the Help) and my love of crafting (discussions triggered by bringing in gluten free banana loaf for morning tea).
I've always been, much to my own chagrin, more interested in stereotypically feminine pursuits than sterotypically masculine ones. As a kid I was much more likely to be found indoors in a pink tulle dress playing princesses than outdoors playing cricket. And now as an adult, not much has changed. My interests are certainly more balanced but by and large I'd rather be knitting a cushion than kicking a ball. And I'm not alone in this. Crafting has become a worldwide craze, with various commentators citing the recession, third wave feminism and hipsterism as causes for the trend. Crafter-driven websites like Etsy are massively popular, craft fairs are the new malls, and the crafting trend has been featured in publications like the New York Times. But I've never been clear as to how this passion for crafting fits with my feminist beliefs.
And I'm certainly not the first feminist to grapple with this craze. Many before me have felt discomfort in the wholehearted embrace of something our second wave sisters so flatly rejected. Pro-crafting feminists have defended craft by talking about choice and claiming feminism has moved beyond agitating to be able to vote and go to work. But I've found little discussion on the inherent problems that exist in the craft trend even though we're no longer forced to remain barefoot and pregnant.
The language of choice and reclamation is well known, and well understood. A third wave feminist might argue that we're reclaiming craft, we're choosing these pasttimes without pressure and we're recognising the inherent value in craft that for so long has been minimised as 'woman's work'. We're making these choices freely and consciously. But I'm not so sure. I think this (and much of third wave feminism in general) mischaracterises our environment as one of free choice and almost seems to declare the battle won. It's premised on a false assumption of equality that sometimes dismisses the history of struggle, and the rampant inequalities that still exist between men and women, especially those of lower socioeconomic status.
I also feel uncomfortable talking about craft to other women who may not share my interests. I find bringing baking to work and friends one of those things - I love baking, I can't eat a whole cake myself and I love bringing baking to people especially when I've noticed them looking stressed or overwhelmed. But I can't help but feel show-offy, especially if I make something a little complicated or if the target of my baking-love-bomb is somebody who doesn't enjoy baking, or who may not have the time, or may not be that good at it. Sometimes I think the implication is almost 'I'm a better woman than you'. I feel like this with a lot of crafting, the better you are at it and the more you embrace it, the more feminine and successful at being a woman you appear. And I think the same is true for men and DIY - I've observed many a 'so what did you do this weekend?' conversation between men becoming a competition as to who did the most complicated and physically demanding home renovation themselves. There also seems to be a special kind of disdain reserved for men who hire tradesmen. This gender essentialisation of our hobbies shows exactly how far we've not come.
But my biggest discomfort with the craft craze is also my biggest discomfort with much of the mainstream feminist movement, and that is its blindness to economic inequalities. For me and other crafty Western feminists, crafting is indeed a choice. It's a choice because I have time, money and ability - I have the time to knit as a hobby, I have the money to spend on bespoke mini quiche pans and I have the ability to give things up if they get too hard. But for most non-Western women around the world who craft, its anything but a choice. Disadvantage, prejudice and social structures mean that women who craft in the developing world craft to survive. And this phenomenon allows crafting to survive as a hobby. I can turn my hand to sewing as a pasttime because most of my clothes are bought on the cheap from China and the developing world. Things aren't more equal, we simply have poorer women doing it for us. And is it really feminist if it isn't a choice for all women? It just isn't as easy as reclamation, as nice and clean an explanation as that is.
But I'm not going to stop crafting because I love it. I love the sense of achievement when I bake or sew something a little complicated. I love baking people their favourite cupcakes because it shows extra thought and care. But I'm certainly not going to celebrate it as a triumph of feminism, or have my ironic cross-stitches displayed as a hipster badge next to my Wayfarers and Navajo panties. I knowingly enjoy so many other things that are problematic, and I guess crafting is small fries compared to my obsessive love of Mariah Carey.
And I'm certainly not the first feminist to grapple with this craze. Many before me have felt discomfort in the wholehearted embrace of something our second wave sisters so flatly rejected. Pro-crafting feminists have defended craft by talking about choice and claiming feminism has moved beyond agitating to be able to vote and go to work. But I've found little discussion on the inherent problems that exist in the craft trend even though we're no longer forced to remain barefoot and pregnant.
The language of choice and reclamation is well known, and well understood. A third wave feminist might argue that we're reclaiming craft, we're choosing these pasttimes without pressure and we're recognising the inherent value in craft that for so long has been minimised as 'woman's work'. We're making these choices freely and consciously. But I'm not so sure. I think this (and much of third wave feminism in general) mischaracterises our environment as one of free choice and almost seems to declare the battle won. It's premised on a false assumption of equality that sometimes dismisses the history of struggle, and the rampant inequalities that still exist between men and women, especially those of lower socioeconomic status.
I also feel uncomfortable talking about craft to other women who may not share my interests. I find bringing baking to work and friends one of those things - I love baking, I can't eat a whole cake myself and I love bringing baking to people especially when I've noticed them looking stressed or overwhelmed. But I can't help but feel show-offy, especially if I make something a little complicated or if the target of my baking-love-bomb is somebody who doesn't enjoy baking, or who may not have the time, or may not be that good at it. Sometimes I think the implication is almost 'I'm a better woman than you'. I feel like this with a lot of crafting, the better you are at it and the more you embrace it, the more feminine and successful at being a woman you appear. And I think the same is true for men and DIY - I've observed many a 'so what did you do this weekend?' conversation between men becoming a competition as to who did the most complicated and physically demanding home renovation themselves. There also seems to be a special kind of disdain reserved for men who hire tradesmen. This gender essentialisation of our hobbies shows exactly how far we've not come.
But my biggest discomfort with the craft craze is also my biggest discomfort with much of the mainstream feminist movement, and that is its blindness to economic inequalities. For me and other crafty Western feminists, crafting is indeed a choice. It's a choice because I have time, money and ability - I have the time to knit as a hobby, I have the money to spend on bespoke mini quiche pans and I have the ability to give things up if they get too hard. But for most non-Western women around the world who craft, its anything but a choice. Disadvantage, prejudice and social structures mean that women who craft in the developing world craft to survive. And this phenomenon allows crafting to survive as a hobby. I can turn my hand to sewing as a pasttime because most of my clothes are bought on the cheap from China and the developing world. Things aren't more equal, we simply have poorer women doing it for us. And is it really feminist if it isn't a choice for all women? It just isn't as easy as reclamation, as nice and clean an explanation as that is.
But I'm not going to stop crafting because I love it. I love the sense of achievement when I bake or sew something a little complicated. I love baking people their favourite cupcakes because it shows extra thought and care. But I'm certainly not going to celebrate it as a triumph of feminism, or have my ironic cross-stitches displayed as a hipster badge next to my Wayfarers and Navajo panties. I knowingly enjoy so many other things that are problematic, and I guess crafting is small fries compared to my obsessive love of Mariah Carey.
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