As you may have noticed, I have been MIA for a few days because I was in Atlanta attending a feminist conference, my second feminist conference in three weeks (I’ve been on the road with the feminists a lot lately!). When I attend these conferences, one of my favorite parts about them (in addition to meeting cool feminists and learning about awesome ways to put my thoughts into action) is the opportunity to buy cool feminist swag from the conference vendors. But, this weekend while I was working the registration desk, I found myself critically reflecting on the vendors at feminist conferences and realizing that in many ways, the vendors are a reflection of the ways that feminists need to move beyond the way things have always been done. For those of you who have never attended one of these soirees, here’s what’s usually on sale:
- Feminist Clothing, often in the form of t-shirts. Usually with feminist slogans, for example the popular “This is what a feminist looks” t-shirt. You never really see clothes beyond t-shirts, sweatshirts, and the occasional baby outfit (like a onesie). Every now and then, the clothes will be designed for a man, but usually these clothes have women and girls in mind.
- Bags. Not only do these conferences ALWAYS give out a free tote bag, they also sell them like crazy.
- Jewelry. Typically, this is a feminist who makes her own jewelry and feminists tend to go buckwild over the idea of buying hand-crafted earrings from a self-employed woman instead of jewelry made by some kids in China or jewelry made from blood diamonds.
- Multicultural Clothes/Scarves/Jewelry/Etc. There is almost always a booth where feminists can buy any of the items listed above to support women in another country. I think the most common of these tend to be items supporting Afghan women, such as the ones seen here.
- The feminist bookstore. My personal favorite. This is always a table with feminist books which is excellent because many of these books can be difficult to find at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble and you don’t even have to dig through the chick lit to find them. These books are often social science or non-fiction books, but they sometimes include fiction written by women that is not chick-lit and in rare cases, you can even see feminist comic books or graphic novels!
And here’s what you never see at these conferences:
- Films/DVD’s. Why can’t the feminist bookstore expand to include those? Is it that difficult to find visual media that feminists will like or that feminists created?
- Sex Toys/Sex Shop Type Stuff. In a time when many young feminists are becoming more sex positive, why not sell some vibrators and stuff? It seems like many would welcome the opportunity to buy those from feminists in a feminist environment.
- Beauty Supplies. No make-up, creams, etc. Occasionally you will see homemade, organic hippy soap and stuff, but that feels different.
- “Masculine” Goods. You never really see sports gear, tools, etc. I find this surprising because I know there are many athletic outfitters that cater to women and that women love to be active. For example, women account for more than 50 percent of runners. Also, I know many women love to build things or fix their own stuff. I love to build my own Ikea furniture. I have a friend who loves to build things or use a giant drill to make things like rings from pieces of a wood.
Just brainstorming that quick list got me thinking that it seems feminist conferences are actually replicating an essentialist notion of women as consumers. If you look at the first list, you can see that many of the items sold at these conferences assume in some ways that their buyers want goods that are stereotypically feminine, jewelry, bags, pink t-shirts, etc. While these items often have a feminist meaning attached to them, they largely encourage to “perform” femininity as we typically understand it. In some ways, it even shows how capitalism can co-opt movements to end oppression. For example, I find it a bit troubling that it is easier to support Afghan women by buying a scarf than by working with Afghan women to understand their problems and to develop solutions.
Now, I’m not saying that feminists shouldn’t sell any of the goods listed above, I just wish that they would provide a more diverse selection of options. Why shouldn’t feminists hire vendors that will provide women with the goods and tools they need to transcend traditional gender binaries? I provided the list of goods that aren’t sold at these conferences partially to show the opportunities that feminists are missing by not seeking out different kinds of vendors. For example, selling feminist films and DVD’s could help provide some of the financial support that women filmmakers need to get their careers going. While Diablo Cody has been wildly successful with Juno, she is the exception. There are very few women who are able to write, direct, and produce movies (and TV shows for that matter), why not use feminist conferences to help them out? It might help women break into a traditionally male field. The same goes for selling sports goods and tools (which, by the way, should absolutely NOT be pink; see my other posts about that). Shouldn’t the feminist movement be selling women the tools (pun definitely intended. Such the wit I am!), they need to try out non-traditional fields? In terms of the sex stuff, why not allow a venue for women to feel supported when they seek out ways to express their sexual desires? Why keep that quiet? Shouldn’t women be encouraged to move past traditional notions of sexuality?
Ultimately, why are feminists not concerned with the way that they are literally selling gender binaries to feminists. It is a bit amazing to me that the feminist organizations that put these conferences together are so behind the academic curve when they put together their vendors for these conferences. I’m sure not everyone who is reading this is familiar with Judith Butler but she argues that the trouble with gender constructs is that they only reinforce traditional gender binaries. She believes gender is performative, that is the choices people make about how they act, dress, shop, etc create the way we understand gender. So, why is it that at a feminist conference in a time where feminism is supposed to be more accepting of different kinds of feminists, is it so difficult to shop for something that does not assume that I will buy jewelry, clothes, or bags just because I am a woman? Shouldn’t we be selling women a wide array of options they can choose from when they buy items that allow them to express themselves?
