Thoughts on Sewing
I recently got and started using a sewing machine. At one point, while planning something I was going to make, I had a realization…my grandma is really cool. I think of d.i.y. and making your own clothes as really cool, and she’s been doing this stuff for 60 years!
I was a little uncomfortable at the idea of liking such “domestic” activities at first, but then I realized that the point of feminism is that I can like what I like, regardless of my gender. It would be different if I didn’t enjoy making things but felt like I had to because I’m a woman, or if I thought it was weird or wrong if a men liked sewing, but neither of these things is the case. Sewing things I can give to friends, wear, or use, makes me feel creative and accomplished. It’s awesome because I can make things exactly how I want them and not have to spend a bunch of money and because the things I make are unique…there aren’t hundred of others exactly like them. And I think the idea of men sewing is awesome too. I like the activity for the activity and not the gender role that is often placed behind it.
It’s all about choice. It makes me think of women who decide to take time off of work to stay at home and/or raise kids. People might think this is harmful to all the work feminism has done to help women gain equality in the workplace and elsewhere, but this isn’t the case at all. If a woman wants to work, I want her to have every opportunity a man has to get to the place she wants to be. And if a woman wants to stay home with her kids, I want her to be able to choose to do that with her life too. And just like sewing…it would be different if I thought a woman should stay at home or if I thought it was out of place for men to do so or to want to.
Don’t let gender roles stop you from doing things that aren’t traditionally feminine. But don’t let them stop you from doing things that are, either.
On another note, since I’ve started sewing, I’ve found some really cool crafting communities…places where people share patterns, ideas, projects they’ve completed, etc. Check them out if you’re interested!
