Embroidering the (Controversial?) Feminist Icon However you feel about it, the Rosie the Riveter "We Can Do It" poster is undeniably iconic. The now-famous poster was created by John Howard Miller and hung in American Westinghouse factories for a very short time during World War 2, when Westinghouse had a US military defence contract. It was… Continue reading Embroidered Rosie the Riveter Poster
Fast Fashion and Feminism
Who Made Your Clothes? What you wear communicates something about you to the world—and for years my clothes were shouting, “Amanda doesn’t care if another woman is suffering, as long as she gets a bargain!” Of course, that’s not what I thought they were saying when I bought them. But as I learned more about… Continue reading Fast Fashion and Feminism
Dirty Dancing Inspired ‘I Carried a Watermelon’ Cross Stitch Pattern
Dirty Dancing Inspired Cross Stitch I first saw Dirty Dancing as a teenager and immediately fell in love with it. I loved the character of Baby, I loved the music, all of it. But the feminist aspects of the story sailed straight over my head. I watched the movie and played the soundtrack over and… Continue reading Dirty Dancing Inspired ‘I Carried a Watermelon’ Cross Stitch Pattern
Kate Sheppard’s Argument for Suffrage is Still Relevant
A 19th Century Point Worth Considering Today One hundred and twenty-two years ago today New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant all adult women full voting rights, regardless of age, ethnicity, or property ownership. Kate Sheppard was the face of the New Zealand women’s suffrage movement, and today she stares up… Continue reading Kate Sheppard’s Argument for Suffrage is Still Relevant
Crochet Doily Wall Hanging
It's been almost 18 months since we moved into our new apartment, but the walls are still pretty bare. This project is part of my effort to remedy that. Essentially it's three doilies, beaded and done in rainbow-coloured thread instead of white, that have been stiffened, strung together and hung on the wall. I used a larger thread… Continue reading Crochet Doily Wall Hanging
Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell talks female friendships on TV
I was lucky enough to attend Fan Expo in Toronto yesterday, where Agent Carter star Hayley Atwell impressed fans in her Q&A session with her thoughtful, often powerful answers. Early on the 33-year-old actress was asked about Carternelli — the fan fiction idea that Peggy Carter and her friend Angela Martinelli, played by Lyndsy Fonseca, are… Continue reading Agent Carter’s Hayley Atwell talks female friendships on TV
Lammily Doll Hat and Scarf Crochet Patterns
My Lammily doll arrived this week, and she's wonderful. I feel like the photos don't do her justice – you don't actually realize how different she is from other dolls until you're holding her in your hands. I'm ridiculously happy with her, but there is one small problem... What she's wearing isn't exactly weather appropriate… Continue reading Lammily Doll Hat and Scarf Crochet Patterns
The rules for being a woman out alone at night
At my last job I occasionally worked a shift finishing at 11pm. My car was parked around the corner from the exit, about 150m away. Before I stepped out into the downtown Auckland street I would fish my keys out of my bag and grasp them firmly in my right hand. Only then would I… Continue reading The rules for being a woman out alone at night
A Look at Feminism as a Marketing Strategy
Is It Always a Bad Thing? By now, you’ve likely seen the t-shirt ad doing the rounds at the moment, in which young girls dressed in princess costumes talk about inequality while using language considered by many to be wildly inappropriate. If you haven’t, here it is. Potentially NSFW, depending on where you work. But… Continue reading A Look at Feminism as a Marketing Strategy
The incredible pressure on feminist-friendly television
I think we can all agree women are not represented as well as they should be in mainstream television. Women (ie half the population) make up about 37% of characters on prime-time television. Women 45 and older make up just 15%. Compared to their male counterparts, those female characters are significantly more likely to talk… Continue reading The incredible pressure on feminist-friendly television
The Crafty Feminist 