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.