Being oppressed means the absence of choices
I’m re-reading bell hooks’ Feminist theory: from margin to center right now, hence this small portrait of her. I’m thinking about removing it from the frame & making it into a patch to put on a t-shirt instead (just have to find a suitable tee).
For those of you that don’t know, bell hooks (or Gloria Jean Watkins, which is her real name) is an American writer, feminist & scholar that deals with the relationship between sexism, racism & class. I like they way she challenges the contemporary idea of feminism as a movement & an expression that could mean just anything, depending on who defines it. According to hooks, feminism must be “the struggle to end sexist oppression” & that means that the dominant liberal feminism of today, that doesn’t deal with class issues, can never be real feminism. She is relentless in her assault on white, middle class feminists (hey, that’s me!) & the movements unwillingness to acknowledge & analyze it’s own racism & class issues. But at the same time as she advocates a raging criticism against how white feminists have excluded & marginalized black women or other ethnic groups & made their own strive for equality with privileged white men the goal, she’s very clear on what has to be done: a turn towards companionship, solidarity & bonding between women (a bond that does not have it’s roots in an imagined shared role as “victim” or “oppressed”, but in shared strength & resources). She’s even written a book that is all about love. I’d really recommend reading bell hooks to anyone who’s interested in the ways that sexist, racist & class oppression works together & has to be challenged together.
Cross posted from cross yr stitches.
sometimes they come back
I haven’t been as active here as I should be during the last couple of months. But now I have two new projects to share with you!
This first one is a simple cross stitch that I made some week ago, just to get myself going after a long period of zero inspiration. It’s a quote from some graffiti in the bathroom of a pretty run down Indian restaurant where me and my friends used to go to drink cheap beer a couple of years ago. I think it’s funny and serious at the same time – as a Swedish writer once said; to be a woman and not be a feminist is like shitting yourself in the face. All women should be feminists by birth, then it’s up to you to decide how hardcore you wanna be about it…
This second one is inspired by a song from Swedish punks Sju Svåra År, and they got the quote from Joan Jett – I don’t give a damn about my bad reputation! I love both songs and I think that this cross stitch turned out really well. I wrote a little statement about it on my own blog:
But more important is the fact that a woman that’s not afraid of expressing herself in any way, especially sexually, is still seen as a “bad woman” in societies eyes – she’s a whore, a slut, a sinner & if something bad happens to her, well maybe she deserved it. It must be very confusing growing up in todays (western) world, where the girls are bombarded with images of the “perfect” female body, with the demand on being sexy, being available, to always dress & act according to the expectations of the male eye, but at the same time balance on that thin line that separates them from “loose women”. Not to recognize their own sexuality & say fuck it, i like sleeping around, i like being myself in any way, because if they do they might be marked for life. It is amazing that the notion that a woman who sleeps around is a whore & a man that does the same is a stud is still such a unchallenged part of society. So, to not give a damn about one’s reputation, whether it be sexually or in any other way, is one of the things that might be most important in the feminist struggle today.
Pro choice stitching
With a capital CHOICE!
This is the latest cross stitch from Rachel and it’s certainly created a wee stir. Which is good to see! I think my favourite comment from the long discussion on her post would be this one:
I’m anti-abortion…
but until all the more than half million or whatever kids in foster care are love, cherished and adopted…
and until BOYS (cause real men don’t force themselves on a woman) stop forcing themselves on women…
and until parents start treating all the children they already have as the precious beings they are…
and until the children with the raging hormones learn to manage their feelings…
I will remain PRO-CHOICE!
Amen sister!
And this is all very appropriate timing for us in Melbourne as the decriminalisation bill is almost at it’s third reading. Those of you who care about this might want to drop a line to your local representative and give them your view. Some people think this law change is going to increase the abortion rates, where the reality is that the law change is just going to make the law fit in with current reality. Which means better regulations to better protect women’s reproductive health. That can’t be a bad thing.
Hey and speaking of woman-inspired cross stitch, Cat’s got ANOTHER pattern out! Grab it here.
Anyone else out there got any prochoice crafts to share?
Birthday gift for the Scumbrigade
I know I promised to update often, a promise that I haven’t really kept… But I blame the fact that it’s summer in Sweden and there’s a tropical heat wave hitting us right now. Too hot to think or manage the blogging…
But I should at least give you my latest creation, aka “the Valerie Solanas project”.
It is of course the first paragraph/sentence from solana’s SCUM manifesto, the raging text about all that’s wrong in society. You could discuss solana’s writing & thoughts for days if you wanted to – was she a complete lunatic who committed a violent crime (she shot andy warhol!) & promoted a hateful feminist philosophy? Or was she a brilliant writer/artist that got abused & mistreated by everyone & everything in her life? I’m too tired do get into that right now (maybe i’ll edit this later) but i think that, if you’re swedish, you should pick up a copy of Sara Stridsberg’s book Drömfakulteten. iI’s a beautiful odyssey into the mind of valerie, from the authors own fantasies & conception of her. Just read it.
As we come marching, marching
I’m pleased to present the first Radical Cross Stitch official collaboration!
This pattern was designed by me and has been stitched by the lovely Cross Stitch Ninja. And you wouldn’t believe how quickly she did it, I am so in awe!
This pattern has been a labour of love and is a tribute to some of the roots of creative resistance. The Bread and Roses poem and song was penned in 1911 and is most commonly associated with the women of the Lawrence Massachusetts textile strike of 1912.
This strike was a defining moment in Union history as it saw a very large working population of mostly women and immigrant workers organising themselves for better pay and conditions.
The pattern contains more about the story of the Lawrence Strike.
So if you want to get your own copy of the pattern, skip over to the Radical Rags etsy store and pick one up today! By buying one of these patterns you are supporting grassroots creative resistance for social and environmental change!
All I Want For Christmas
I’ve been gently hassling Zoe, who you may remember from the last episode of the Craft Cartel Podcast to send me some pictures of her cross stitch so I can share with you all. Zoe does such ace work and it deserves a big showing!
I understand this piece was done as a commission for a friend. And I reckon it’s gorgeous! All I want for christmas is a pillow case that says ‘all I want for christmas is an anarcho-feminist revolution’!
So I’ve persuaded Zoe to come aboard the RCS team so she can share some more of her work with us all. So keep an eye out for her first post 
People like you just fuel my fire
Okay, so I know I shouldn’t let jerks like Steven Wells (that Kakariki mentioned in her latest post) piss me off as much as they do, but I just couldn’t help myself. It is probably stupid to give him the attention he so obviously craves, by letting his sexist punk scene rambles annoy me. But since I am one of those humorless feminist crafters that he’s so intimidated by, and I had some time to spend stitching yesterday, I decided to make him a little present. Think I’m gonna send it to him together with a copy of the SCUM manifesto.
Girls Are Awesome
Julie at The Hand Mirror shared this awesome poster, which I think I’ve seen before, but always deserves a showing
And the link took my on this little adventure to the girls not chicks website where I found the girls are not chicks colouring book.
I am so, so happy to find this. Being a mother of a young girl, I am absolutely terrified of how to help my wee girl negotiate her way through all the bullshit messages about what being a girl and then a woman is all about. There are so few toys and books out there designed to give girls positive messages about themselves which aren’t based on their bodies or how to get a boyfriend.
You can buy it on their website or on their etsy store.
I have!
The dirty end of town
If you looked at the front page of etsy you’d probably think it was all pretty cute and fashionable. Trendy no less.
But if you look hard enough there is some seriously cool stuff on there. Here’s some things I’d buy if I had a million dollars.
Firstly (and I can’t believe I’m saying this..) I just love this bag!
There’s other bags made out of this fabric too, but this is definitely my favourite. It’s from the wonderfully whimsical Baba Studio Prague.
Staying on the theme of bags, I’d love to go to the supermarket with this one
It’s from the communitea store and they also do it in a tshirt, although there was none in there last time I looked. And they’re really cheap. I reckon I’ll get one at some point. When the aforementioned million dollars turns up!
Next up staying on the tshirt theme is this hilarious tshirt from the Citalin store
Why change horseman in the middle of an apocalypse? Ha! Classic! Had me in stitches for ages. My partner thought I’d gone crazy.
Speaking of elections… it’s scary the amount of Obama craft out there. I’m not gonna put any on here but if you care about these things, do a tag search on Obama on etsy. It’s freaky.
I’m more impressed with this clutch
It’s made by the awesome genius at the jellyshoe rebellion store. There is so much cool stuff there, mostly thrifted and upcycled stuff too so super good for the planet as well as our souls. If I had the aforementioned million dollars I would buy EVERYTHING in this store.
Finally I adore this shirt
Emma Goldman is one of my favourite people ever (you’ve all seen the xstitch eh) and I love the piratey-ness of this one.
Its from the super cool KMStitchery Store which is your home for all your feminist hand cut stencilled recycled clothing needs! Of all the people selling on etsy this is the one person I would love to meet in real life. I reckon we’d get on like a riot!
So all of you people sitting at home thinking you wanna do something to save the planet. Next time you need to buy some new clothes or bags or whatever. Use a big of imagination and have a look and see what radical, recycling crafter you can support and buy something of them instead of from some crappy big box hell hole.
xox
Home Sweet Radical Home
Greetings Huffington Post visitors. How lovely of you to drop by. Do make yourselves at home and have a look around. If you’re looking for the pattern of this cross stitch, you can find it here.
I promised a finished cross stitch and now I’m finally delivering! I’ve been slowly working on this one for a couple of months now and I’m so happy to see it finished!
It’s is an antique (c. 1860′s) inspired floral border surrounding the text ‘Don’t Bleed on the Carpet’. I’ve subtitled it ‘if you’re going to die, do it quietly’. It’s meant as an ironic tribute to all those revolting home sweet homes out there. But it’s also my little tribute to al the amazing women in the world running households. It’s such hard work and as you know, thanklessly unpaid. But it goes on no matter what. Because it’s such important work. We all need somewhere where we can stop and be safe.
I think this piece is mostly dedicated to women living in war, who despite all obstacles still strive for a clean, tidy, safe space for their loved ones to rest before facing another day. The women who sew together rags for their wee ones ’cause they know how important it is for a two year old to have a cuddly friend. The women who dress in black and march for peace amid gun fire and tear gas. All the while carrying giant handbags with keys and snacks and hankies for small runny noses.
So to all the mothers of revolutionaries out there, I thank you. “Cause we all know they couldn’t do it without you.
———-
This design is also available as a kit and an e-pattern. The e-pattern is available now in my etsy store. I’m getting around to finishing the kits. Hassle me if you really want one and I’ll get more organised!
xox