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Diary of a Sticker Sister has moved. Check out the new & improved blog.

Win a Girls Rock Shirt for a Rockin' Mama

A lot of you have heard me talk about how how supportive and influential my mom and grandma have been in my feminism, activism and specifically in Sticker Sisters. Some of you have even had the chance to see them in action at our yearly family reunion at the NOW conference.

In honor of Mother's Day, I want to hear about an amazing mama you know (or two or three).

Post in the comments about them and then on Mother's Day I'll pick a winner at random. The winner will receive a Girls Rock t-shirt for themselves or the mother of their choice. Please make sure there's some way I can identify or contact you in your comment.

Check out this rockin' family who got so many smiles and comments when they wore their Girls Rock shirts out all together.

Mama Cait explained that her older daughter "is shy so it's really a statement for her, which is very cool. It's good to see girl power things especially for young girls."

If you know a girl who needs a little encouragement or a rockin' mama, pick up an empowering shirt for them. Or better yet--get shirts for your whole crew!

Let's share stories and celebrate all the great mamas we know!

Check out 275 Local, Indie Designers & Artists

Come visit Sticker Sisters at Unique Los Angeles! Awesome indie goodies. Great food. Free beer. Amazing views of downtown LA. It's a blast!

Here's a picture from the last Unique Los Angeles:

Unique Los Angeles
Saturday, May 2, 11 am – 7 pm
Sunday, May 3, 11 am – 5 pm

Held at the California Market Center penthouse (110 East Ninth Street, LA, CA)
$5 per ticket (children 10 and under are free), with 50% of ticket sales benefiting a local charity

Street Activism

I love to hear (and see!) how you're using your stickers.

Lauren in Seattle just sent some photos showing off how she used her This Insults Women stickers for some awesome street activism.

She's going to get free stickers and you can too! Send me your stories, pictures and ideas. I'll post them in my street activism gallery and give you 10 free stickers.



Here's what Lauren had to say:

"Bought some of your stickers and love them. Hope you don't mind I made some of my own via copymachine so I could make some larger ones of your version. Wanted to send you some pictures for your gallery though!"





"I live in Seattle Washington in a young "urban" club area and all the posters around here for shows and drunken theme nights at bars are covered with totally sexist images of women, not to mention there are plenty of American Apparel stores around here with all of their ridiculous ads."

"I just wanted to show what your stickers have spawned in terms of some feminist activism in Seattle. There is a big group of guys and gals who, after seeing all the stickers I was posting up, tracked me down and joined up in the stickering/postering fun. We've been trying to take pictures of what we do to encourage others to join in too."

Thanks so much to Lauren for all her street activism and for sharing the pictures. I hope you'll get out there with your stickers too! And remember to send your pictures and stories in to get free stickers.

Women's (Sporty) History Month

So ESPN jumped on the Women's History Month bandwagon. But I have to say I learned a few things.

Did you know that girls used to play six-on-six basketball, which had different rules than the game we know today? They played this version because a full court, five-on-five game was considered "too aggressive... inappropriate and too physically demanding" for girls. Unbelievable that some small towns played this unequal game until the 1990s!

Barbie Turns 50

I've been reading and hearing a ton about Barbie's 50th birthday today. It's got me thinking about the complicated relationship I've had with this silly doll.

When I was six years old I somehow come to have my aunt's 1960s Midge doll, but otherwise my parents were anti-Barbie. All Midge came with was a striped bathing suit. There were no elaborate outfits to put her in, no car, no dream house. A friend took pity on my situation and gave me some of her rejects. She had chopped off their hair and painted their faces with red nail polish, but I was delighted nonetheless!

As I got older I started to despise Barbie with all her gowns, unrealistic proportions and "Math class is tough" comments. I hung a Body Shop poster with an image of a more realistically proportioned Barbie-esque doll in my room.


And even though I won't be buying Barbies for my kids, I can appreciate that she's had quite a run. As Veronica on Awearness Blog says:

Barbie's done a lot in her life. She's held many careers, married Ken, left Ken, got back together and even struggled her way through math class. She even beat a popular rival into oblivion.

You absolutely must read Sarah Haskins' really funny piece Barbie's Little Secret. I won't give away all the funny stuff (c'mon what did you really do with your Barbies?!). But Sarah Haskins sums up the complicated relationship that a lot of feminists seem to have with Barbie:

After all, in her own strange way, she was a pioneer -- a trailblazing figure in branding, a woman whose every tiny wobbly step paved the way for the questionable role models that perplex and concern parents today, be they Bratz or Disney Princesses.

Finding Ethically Made Shirts Pt 2

When I first wrote about finding ethically made t-shirts in September 2006, I thought I'd find a good company or two and be done with it. Not exactly. This had turned into a constant quest as companies go out of business, quality declines and/or products are discontinued.

But I've continued my quest to only use ethically made shirts because as I said before:

"It was really important for me to find cool shirts that were made ethically. I hate really thick, boxy shirts. And I didn’t want to buy from a company in a distant country that barely pays its workers. Of course I couldn’t even consider American Apparel. How could I print “Girls Rock” on a t-shirt that was made by a sexist company?"

Anyway I wanted to share what I've learned and want you to understand what's behind the t-shirts you order from Sticker Sisters. I'm also pleased to announce that all our t-shirt are now being printed at a local woman-owned print shop!



Highly Recommended

Royal Apparel
This is where we are getting most of our shirts now. Everything is sweatshop free and made in the USA. Plus they have many organic options. And of course the shirts look and fit great and are made of super high quality, sturdy materials.

A.S. Tees
We are not getting any new t-shirts from A.S. Tees right now because of a change they made in the stitching and sizing of a particular shirt we were getting from them. Located in South Carolina. 100% U.S. made even down to the yarn.

Other Companies You Can Look Into

These are companies I haven't personally used, but seem decent.

Bare Apparel
They say all of their garments are 100% made in the USA.

Econscious
Products aren't made in the USA, but they claim to follow very high standards in the workplace and with the environment.

For more information about suppliers and all things t-shirt, check out the T-shirt Forums.

Teen Sexual Harrassment at Work

I just finished watching a story on PBS' Now about young women being sexually harassed and even assaulted at their part time jobs. The story starts out a little sensational, but the topic is important so I kept watching.

Anyway I'm glad to hear that this issue is getting investigated more and that some young women are sharing their experiences. I can definitely understand feeling embarrassed, afraid and not having experience with what is and isn't acceptable in a work environment.

In one of my first jobs in college, I had an experience with a guy saying some inappropriate things to me and making me feel uncomfortable. Late one night he cornered me when no one was nearby and started saying some inappropriate things. It was fairly mild, but he had a more superior position than me and it felt intimidating because we were alone in this dark parking lot.

Thankfully I was working with a bunch of really awesome, strong women and I immediately rushed to them and told them how creepy he'd made me feel. Turns out he'd been creeping out a bunch of other women too.

Everyone encouraged me to come forward and talk to the bosses. I worked very closely with the people who hired him and felt confident that they'd believe my story and take it seriously.

It wasn't comfortable, but I came forward and reported his behavior. The bosses were pretty receptive, thanked me for coming forward, and as far as I know he wasn't hired again for any further projects. They did try to assure me that he "didn't mean any harm--he just doesn't have a good sense about what's appropriate behavior." Ummm and why would you hire someone with those qualities!?

I'm really glad I reported the incident, and so thankful that I was working with supportive, encouraging women who I could turn to. Hopefully with these new stories and studies about sexual harassment in the workplace other young women will feel comfortable coming forward.

Worst Toy of the Year

Will it be the Cadillac Escalade that three-year-olds can learn to gas guzzle with? Or the Barbie Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader doll that's oozing gender stereotypes?

Check out the other contestants and vote for Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood's award for worst toy of the year.

 

Reason #3051 to Boycott American Apparel

Not that you need another reason to steer clear of this sexist company.

If you're thinking, "What?! I thought American Apparel was this super cool sweatshop free company," please read my post on finding ethically made t-shirts.

A 2004 quote that American Apparel CEO Dov Charney made to The McGill Daily is getting a lot of attention on blogs today. He's quoted in the article saying:

"Women initiate most domestic violence, yet out of a thousand cases of domestic violence maybe one is involving a man. [And this] has made a victim culture out of women."

This is surfacing right now because there is an ad (which might be fake) floating around that incorporates the quote. I hope the ad is fake, but that doesn't make his very real quote any less appalling. As Womanist Musings writes:

"The list of facts debunking his bull*#@& is a mile long. There has been ample evidence of his hatred of women and the only question that remains is what we are going to do about it."

Well, I know what I'm doing about it. Sticker Sisters will remain committed to using blank shirts that are made by sweatshop free & sexism free companies (you won't find any American Apparel here!). I'll continue to steer clear of American Apparel shirts for my own wardrobe. And I'll keep writing and talking about my dislike for American Apparel and suggesting alternatives every chance I get.

**1/30/2009 Update**
American Apparel responds to Bitch Magazine's blog post. Doesn't change my feelings and I hope it won't change yours!

Encouraging Girls Without Dissing Boys

The topic of feminist messages for boys has been on my mind for some time, but it's been coming up a lot so far this year.

I got a comment in an order from Melissa in El Paso, TX saying:

"I love how the site and products encourage girls to be strong without engaging in boy-bashing (I have a son too!)."

This might seem hard to believe, but I'd never quite thought about it that way. I mean I've always hated that slogan, "Girls rule, boys drool." It just doesn't make sense to me to be encouraging one person while putting down another. I want all the Sticker Sisters goodies to have a celebratory, fun tone that doesn't come at the expense of anyone else.

I was thinking about this when Janet in San Francisco e-mailed me for advice:

"In a couple of months I have a chance to go to a family reunion and deliver stickers, shoelaces, bandaids...into the hands of at least eight grand-nieces whose parents may or may not get the reasoning. (Ages: 18 months to 15 years, with a cluster in the 5-10 range).

Meanwhile, the girls have three brothers/cousins in the impressionable age range of 5-7. They will get gifts too. To inoculate the boys against "girls-rule" teasing (which can lead to a backlash by parents and other folk, thus negating the valuable consciousness-raising), I'm looking for some good messages to incorporate on the boys' gifts. You've undoubtedly thought this question through: I notice that your messages are pro-girl but not anti-boy. What messages do you like for giving confidence to boys, without putting girls down?"

So that brings me to my biggest challenge. While Sticker Sisters will always be focused on girl-positive messages, I've had a lot of requests for items for boys as well. Of course boys can wear "Girls Rock," "Action Not Glamour," or "My Kind of Princess..." t-shirts. And I've had some very cool ones do just that! But let's be real--most boys aren't going to wear those shirts.

Anyone have ideas on messages that would be appealing to girls and boys?

 

Holiday Shipping & Gift Ideas

If you need your order by Xmas, please get it in by Saturday 12/20.

Need help choosing gifts for the girls on your list? Here our most popular gifts for every age group (and budget!).

Gifts for Babies
Girls Rock baby shirt

Very soft, pale yellow shirt with a girls rock design on the belly. $17

Also available in a onesie.





More suggestions:
"My Kind of Princess" shirt or onesie.
Brave Girl shirt or onesie.


Gifts for Kids
Brave Girl Adventure Pack

She gets a Brave Girl t-shirt, box of Brave Girl-Aids, pair of shoelaces, button and stickers in a festive gift box. You get the satisfaction of encouraging her to be strong, proud and adventurous. $35
More suggestions:
"Happy to be a Girl" fuzzy stickers
Rockin' Girl gift pack


Gift for Activists
Action Girl Pack

Give her the activist attire she needs--an "Action Not Glamour" t-shirt, a pair of spunky shoelaces, and stickers galore. $35




More suggestions:
"I Fight Like a Girl" poster
"This Insults Girls/Women/Everyone" stickers


Gifts for Readers
Up Words Girls Magnetic Poetry

"Featuring verbs like investigate and demand, adjectives like invincible and sassy, and nouns like goddess, activist and amazon, this fierce collection of women's words will bring out your inner Audre Lorde. "
--Bust Magazine
$14.95


More suggestions:
Girl Writer Gift Set
"My Kind of Princess" t-shirt


Stocking Stuffers (Under $10)
Brave Girl-Aid

Band-aids for the skinned kneees, scraped elbows,
and other boo boos that BRAVE girls
are bound to get. $7.95

More suggestions:
Girl Power and Action Not Glamour shoelaces
Stickers!


A Little Something for the Whole Troop/Team/Office/Family (Under $5)
Girls Rock Buttons

They're cute and fun with a celebratory message. At a dollar a piece you can get enough for everyone on your list (and even people who aren't!). $1



More suggestions:
Stickers
"I'm so Happy to Be a Girl" pencils

Understanding and Raising Girls -- Live Chat

I just found out PBS Engage is hosting a live chat with Rachel Simmons--author of the New York Times bestseller Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls.

Check out the chat:

Tuesday, December 9, 2008 4:00pm EST

They'll post a transcript for those who can't make it.

There are some great questions already posted:

"How do I teach my daughters (4 1/2 & 2) not to emulate the images they see on magazine covers and TV?"

"What are the Top 3 Tactics we can employ as parents to raise stronger, more self-sufficient and HAPPY girls."

Got any advice for these parents or questions of your own?

Barbie Beats Bratz

A judge today said that Bratz makers can no longer sell their dolls. It has nothing to do with their sexy outfits and excessively made up faces though.

Apparently Bratz infringed on a Mattel copyright. According to Salon:

"For several years, Mattel has promised to 'litigate to the death' over what it called (for realz, no joke) a 'Barbie genocide.' After winning a $100 million lawsuit against MGA, Mattel decided to wage its own 'genocide,' and called for all Bratz dolls to be impounded and destroyed. It's like a feud between rival prom queens, only in the language of, like, actual war."

Oh goodness--the jokes are gonna write themselves!

So now that Mattel owns the Bratz concept (they must be so proud!), who knows if they'll destroy all the dolls or start selling them. Barbie and Bratz all under one big Mattel umbrella of unrealistic body images for girls? Whoa that might be too much for me! Let's hope they opt to destroy the Bratz dolls.

From Election to Holidays

Now that the election is over, I can finally come up for air! The day job took me to the Democratic National Convention, the Republican National Convention, and all around Southern California doing election-related coverage.

Ariel and her friend Tamika at the Conventions

It was all very exciting, but after the number of sexist comments I heard I’m even more passionate about Sticker Sisters and the work that still needs to be done.

Please consider donating money, time, or even some “Girls Can Do Anything” stickers or school supplies to an organization that does important work with girls. If you want to give people suggestions of organizations please post them in the comments.

And with the upcoming holidays, I hope you’ll give gifts with a message. At Sticker Sisters, of course, you can choose from dozens of stickers, t-shirts and other goodies with celebratory, encouraging messages for girls of all ages.