Feminism, Abortion, Stickers

Those topics have all just collided in my mailbox. I got an order and on the front of the envelope is a sticker that says, “Women Do Regret Abortion.” Then on the back there’s another sticker that says, “As a Former Fetus I Oppose Abortion.”

I’d be angry seeing these stickers anywhere. But I’m extra troubled because they’re on an order for “This Insults Women” and “A feminist was here” stickers. There are countless uses for “This Insults Women” stickers, but anti-choice messages like those are something I’d use mine on.

This has all gotten me thinking about who calls themselves feminists, who doesn’t, what feminism means, and how reproductive rights fit in.

At the NOW conference last year I went to a workshop called “I’m Not a Feminist but…” There was a great discussion on why young people with feminist ideals are hesitant or resistant to identify as "feminist." Some see feminism as a movement made up of white women with class privilege. Others prefer Alice Walker’s term “womanist.”

W O M A N I S T
“A black feminist or feminist of color. From the black folk expression of mothers to female children, 'You acting womanish,' i.e., like a woman. Usually referring to outrageous, audacious, courageous or willful behavior. Wanting to know more and in greater depth than is considered 'good' for one. Interested in grown-up doings. Acting grown up. Being grown up."

“Womanist is to feminist as purple to lavender."

-Alice Walker
In Search of our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist ProseAnd then there are still those images of feminists (man-hating, bra-burning, hairy, militant, lesbian, the list goes on and on) that some people don’t want to be associated with. It’s funny, but I’ve identified as a feminist for as long as I can remember and for a little while I secretly hoped I wouldn’t be queer because I didn’t want to satisfy people’s assumptions about feminists. I thought it would be so revolutionary to be a straight feminist. Um yeah, glad I didn’t spend too much time working on that campaign. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of straight feminists that I admire. But I don’t find anything revolutionary about it. And the bigger lesson for me was that I was letting these stereotypes control me by trying so hard to be the opposite of them. Better to be a happy queer feminist and try to destroy the whole system of stereotypes.

Okay, but back to the whole anti-abortion feminist thing. I’m not one for wanting to exclude people or say someone isn’t really a feminist. But I don’t get people who call themselves feminists and are anti-choice, or anti-gay, or conservative. I don’t get it-- wow that was eloquent. Well bell hooks explains the conflict between feminism and anti-choice better than I can: “If feminism is a movement to end sexist oppression, and depriving females of reproductive rights is a form of sexist oppression, then one cannot be anti-choice and a feminist. A woman can insist she would never choose to have an abortion while affirming her support of the right of women to choose and still be an advocate of feminist politics. She cannot be anti-abortion and an advocate of feminism.”

What do you think?

Q&A

These are some questions I answered for a “Sociology of the Women’s Movement” class. They were doing presentations on alternative cultural productions that have risen out of the women’s movement.

1) What age group are your products geared towards?

I always say I've got stuff for girls of all ages. A lot of my stuff is geared towards young girls (elementary school age), but some things like the "This Insults" stickers are geared towards teenage girls and adults. Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint the exact age groups though. I made the "Brave girl-aids" for little girls, but I use them and so do many of my friends (I'm 24). And I have a customer in her 50s who's a quilter and constantly nicking her fingers. She buys the "Brave girl-aids" in bulk and is practically always wearing one. So this question is tough!

2) Do you think that youth today are more aware and supportive of feminist
goals? If yes, do you think this is an important step for feminism?

It's hard to generalize young people as a whole. I think people are more aware of the term feminism these days, but don't necessarily know about the goals/movements behind the word. I'd like to think that most people are supportive of the idea that men and women should be equal. But equality is a vague, safe idea. And I see it as only one small part of feminism. I like bell hooks' definition that "feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." But I don't think that notion is all that popular with youth (or people in general) today.

3) Your products both advocate feminism and are sources for creating feminist activism. Do you see your products more as a tool for advocacy or for activism, or perhaps both?

I definitely see my products as advocating feminism as well as being tools for feminist activism. I think these excerpts from a piece I wrote for the book "We Don't Need Another Wave" give examples of both:

A lot of the time it’s hard to speak up. But you can still say "action not glamour" or "my body is mine" with a well-placed sticker until you work up the courage to yell it in the streets.

Magnets and stickers give big sisters, aunts, and mentors tools to help girls speak up and be strong. One young woman used one of my "A Feminist Was Here" stickers to bring up feminism with her teenage sister. The stickers broke the ice, and led to a long discussion about body image and being a feminist.

There’s a long tradition in political movements of using stickers and buttons to make opinions known and start discussions. Stickers aren’t going to change the world on their own, but when girls feel strong and connected with each other, they’ll make improvements and demand respect.