8 Pieces of Feminist Artwork for Your Home or Office
Feminism for everyone.
Art just has a way of inspiring us to be more creative. If you’re feeling like your space needs a bit more inspiration and beauty added to it, try throwing up a print in your office or adding an extra pillow to the couch in your living room. One of our favorite places to search for unique artwork is Society6. As a community for independent artists, Society6 features art from around the globe and every purchase pays an artist.
Bonus points if the art you’re spicing up your space with is even more motivation to fight the patriarchy.
Here are 8 pieces of feminist artwork we’re loving on Society6 at the moment.
8th of March Canvas Print
See something you like on Society6? Let us know how you’re spicing up your space this summer in the comments!
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Men's Streetwear Mammoth Bobby Hundreds Is About to Change the Game
The Hundreds Is Huge, but Bobby Kim's ideas are bigger.
photo credit: Josh Escueta
Bobby Kim, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Hundreds, is not the highest paid employee at the company he co-founded in 2003.
“Sometimes (partner) Ben and I don’t even pay ourselves,” he says. “It’s an approach to “doing business,” that puts the brand and its core values first. Mind over money, but not over matter.
“I like making work that I’m proud of,” he tells us from the red leather chair inside The Hundreds office in Vernon, CA. The shelves are full of trinkets and glittering The Hundreds signs. The mood board is covered in magazine clippings and tear outs ranging from photos of Angelina Jolie and Liv Tyler, to drawings from his kids, postcards of the ocean and surfers waiting on waves, and a MOMA VIP ticket. Bobby dressed in a black “Flag” The Hundreds t-shirt (check out the Wildfire video he just released featuring the shirt) and old black The Hundreds tennis shoes is unfussy AF. As noted by multiple publications, Bobby doesn’t put much stock in “things,” wearing items until they fall apart. “Money,” he tells us later in the conversation, “just gives people more reasons to be unhappy. When I’m out on my board,” he says, referring to his surfing habit, “those fish, they don’t care… everything else is ancillary.”
At this moment in our conversation we’re talking about work. “I think,” he says, referring to creating work he’s proud of, “that’s the most important issue I’ve tried to drill into my staff this year.”
“Money just gives people more reasons to be unhappy.”
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Currently that staff consists mainly of men with few women company-wide. Of approximately 60 Hundreds' employees, about ten are female. Bobby acknowledges, “definitely not enough,” but not many women apply because streetwear is not the most open community. “A lot of women feel like they’re not welcome in streetwear,” he says.
photo credit: Josh Escueta
“I don’t know what it’s like to be a woman and I can’t speak for women, but it’s hard enough for a dude on Fairfax,” he says of the infamous LA strip highly concentrated with streetwear brands. “Dudes get sweated. So for a woman? First of all, in most of those dude’s heads it’s ‘what’s a girl even doing here?' ”
He mentions the company's yearly summer open call for interns. “Hundreds of people showed up, the line was down the parking lot,” he says. “And the ratio was about the same. Out of a hundred people, probably ten were women.”
When The Hundreds launched there were (and still are) formidable women in the game: Leah McSweeney, founder and CEO of Married to the MOB, Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, founder and Creative Director of Hellz Bellz, Lauren Marie and Ashley Jones, co-founders of Dime Piece, and Melody Ehsani, founder of Melody Ehsani. “I assumed that in their wake there would be another wave of women streetwear designers,” he says, “but there wasn’t.”
In the early 2000s, the wholesale market for female streetwear wasn’t sustainable and many retailers didn’t know how to position the product. Now with the decline of retail, he explains, the wholesale model is being rethought. “As more brands start to decide on a direct-to-consumer approach,” Bobby says, “you don’t need to play by the rules. You can be a women’s streetwear brand and you can make it work now.”
The market isn’t the only issue. Feminism, female empowerment, and streetwear aren’t seen as roads that lead into each other. “I don’t think we’re generally warm to women,” he agrees. “It’s a boys club, and when boys get together their psychology and perspective on what they think is equal is so skewed. It’s crazy some of the conversations I’ve had with my own staff and within the industry.” And yet it’s a conversation he is committed to having.
Moreover Bobby is not one for playing by the rules.
photo credit: Josh Escueta
When Ben and Bobby started, it was imperative to have a blog element as a means of discourse. Listening and sharing is a through-line of Bobby’s professional and personal trajectory.
Let’s rewind about 20 years.
Before The Hundreds Bobby was a writer and an activist. “I was freelancing a lot, I was the editor at a magazine and when Blogspot launched in 1999, I had a blog and quickly realized the power of the Internet.” As a teenager in the punk community, he photographed police brutality at shows. He protested at Black Panther rallies, Food Not Bomb rallies, and was a member of the National Lawyers Guild, having focussed on human rights issues during law school.
So when he launched The Hundreds he wanted, “people to understand who I was as human."
"I love making money and running a business, supporting my family and friends," he says, "but I’ve always wanted to figure out how to engage. Open up communication and draw people together. I’m a sharer. I want people to talk.”
“I’ve always wanted to figure out how to engage. Open up communication and draw people together.”
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He explains however, that back then streetwear and its community had a complete opposite approach. “If you had a secret, you shut up. You didn’t put it on blast.”
“Streetwear is structured on rules,” he comments, then making clear, “I don’t believe in boundaries. So when Ben and I entered the fray, we never played by the rules.” His approach to both business and politics has made him “a lot of friends,” he says, “but even more enemies.” He doesn't mind.
“Because I came in and impacted the game in a way that I thought was beneficial...a lot of people took and take issue with that.” He remains focussed on doing “whatever I can to get the right information out to my audience.” That audience is the fan base and traffic drawn to The Hundreds blog as well as the clothing line. On Instagram the brand reach is about 350k people. Bobby’s own IG clocks in at a little over 160k. The Hundreds also recently started a highly produced Facebook Live “talk show,” shot from inside Bobby’s office.
“There’s a real education issue and a real compassion issue,” he says. So what can he do as a father, a businessman, and a community leader, we ask, specifically in regards to gender issues.
“What can I do? With my children, I can have really deep, meaningful conversations about being conscious and empathetic to other people.” He has two sons, turning four and seven, with whom he is committed to engaging in conversation. “When my sons ask me why I’m wearing pink because pink is for girls, that warrants a longer conversation.”
“We have an entire generation of boys right now whose favorite film is Frozen. Their favorite characters are Elsa and Anna. Those are their superheroes. Is it weird that my kids are into watching Frozen or they think princesses are cool? No. Why is that weird at all? They’re also going to grow up in a world where we will have a woman president.”
He’s emphatic about this. “My boys are going to grow up with a woman in charge of this country and they have never known a white president. That’s powerful and also incredibly normal for them.”
But what about the front-lines of streetwear? “With streetwear what can I do?” he asks. “With streetwear I have a platform that’s not just t-shirts. It’s content and it’s my presence as a personality and a voice in this world. Not a lot of people in streetwear and fashion are speaking out about a lot of injustices.”
photo credit: Josh Escueta
“I think the odds are against me because I work and exist in a primarily male-dominated space that’s not really open to listening to women right now, but that’s a huge opportunity. Let’s champion women and level the playing field, but that means men have to be a part of the conversation.”
It’s an opportunity he’s seizing-- not, we should note, for profit, but because the constant through-line of his career is again, opening the convo, getting people to talk.
“I’m starting a separate side project that’s going to be launching this fall/winter,” he reveals. "I’ve always been intrigued by the idea that girls and women are open and accepting of the idea of wearing men’s clothes. But why isn’t it OK for men to do the same with women’s clothes?”
“You’re starting to see a little of it,” he says, “but there’s a lot of resistance still.”
So he’s getting in front of it with “Jennifer,” the tentatively named brand, entirely separate from The Hundreds, that’s primed to change the game.
“It’s going to be a very subtle transition,” he explains. “I want to create the first brand that is for, targeted, and designed for women, but men will want it and wear it, and it won’t be weird. I want to break down the walls of ‘that’s for men,’ and ‘that’s for women.’”
"I want to break down the walls of ‘that’s for men,’ and ‘that’s for women.’”
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In regards to his fall launch, he hopes there isn’t backlash, but won’t be surprised. “I think people might say it’s a marketing gimmick-- that’ll probably be the convo first and foremost.”
“‘Ohhh, Bobby supports women now? When he used to put naked girls on t-shirts and still kind of does…’” We chat about one specific shirt The Hundreds released in 2011, with a woman’s body divided into sections a la vintage Mexican posters from butcher shops. It received a fair amount of hate— understandably. Woman-as-meat, not the most progressive message, though Bobby says the point was that we shouldn’t treat women as such. “I would never make that shirt again,” he admits. “Luckily, I'm surrounded by some very generous, patient women who take the time to explain little things to me. But that’s part of the problem, there’s not enough awareness in our space.”
His is an axiomatic approach to learning. “I want to be engaged in life,” he says. “I always say that life isn’t short but the chapters are and I really read every paragraph.”
“Life isn’t short but the chapters are and I really read every paragraph.”
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The world of streetwear has to be willing to engage in that convo, and not use feminism or other such messaging as a marketing tool. “I don’t have anything to gain from the other brand, I make my money, I’m good. I’m not balling out of control. I don’t have a yacht. But when it comes to any type of injustice, I want to flatten it out because it doesn’t make sense to me. If you’re a logical person, you shouldn’t be able to live in a world that’s illogical.”
He believes artists and designers are looking at the world thinking, ‘It’s not pretty enough, I know how to make it better.” That’s the way he approaches injustice of any kind, from police brutality to racism, ageism, gender issues, and beyond.
At this juncture he says he doesn’t know enough to be able to claim “feminist.”
“That term is so nuanced now. I don’t know enough. I’m here to learn. That’s the way to grow and progress, be willing to learn and listen.”
“I learn so much from women, and I wish more men would listen, but they won’t because they think certain content ‘is for girls.’”
photo credit: Josh Escueta
As to whether or not the community is ready for "Jennifer," he’s split. Despite the boys club of it all, he says, “I think a guy who is drawn to streetwear is actually pretty advanced; there is a sense of snobbery sure, it’s a very high-fashion approach to casual, basic attire. But it also draws in the kind of person who wants to be better, know more, and wants to be ahead of what everyone else is doing.”
“What could be more advanced and more ahead than supporting human rights issues and women’s issues or listening to the black community?” he asks. “If you don’t get on the female empowerment train, you’re going to lose. You’re not just going to lose in life, you’re going to lose in business.”
"If you don’t get on the female empowerment train, you’re going to lose."
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We bring up a novel we just read, “All New People,” where the father tells his daughter to always be herself because in one hundred years, it’s "all new people." Bobby nods, agrees, and then switches it up. “I’d go so far to say, every day it’s all new people.”
“I can reinvent myself every single day. I can add something new to the conversation. I always say new conversations, new opinions. It frustrates my team because every quarter I come in and change my mind, but get with it. It’s 2016 and this is the way the world works. Every day is different.”
Arianna Schioldager is editorial director at Create & Cultivate. She never gets to profile men.
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This One Shirt Is Changing the Way We Buy Clothes
Say goodbye to fast fashion.
DRESSHIRT is a tightly edited collection of tailored sportswear with a mono product structure of luxurious, a-seasonal basics for the over marketed consumer. The custom embroidered DS1 was the first product category to be released and has become the globally recognized hero of the brand.
It occurs to me that I am a feminist. I didn’t set out to become one but I find myself a woman, an entrepreneur, and an activist providing women with a comfort that men have enjoyed for centuries. I wasn't compelled to launch my brand with such morals however, rather the opposite—I was being selfish.
DRESSHIRT erupted from two needs: A personal desire to put something new into the world and a hankering for an ease of dressing similar to what men feel when slipping on their favorite suit. I grew up in Milan, surrounded by fashion. My father, the owner of a fashion consultancy and ex-Saville Row tailor, was an enormous influence on me. You could credit him with being the impetus for both of the aforementioned desires. I watched him get dressed in his own kind of suit every day--a black turtleneck, black pants, a ponytail tightly harnessed with black elastic band. My father is one of the most well dressed men I know, and the ease he finds in just a few basic pieces, that he wears his way, is what aim to give women.
The easiest way of describing DRESSHIRT’s brand structure is as follows:
DRESSHIRT + JACKET + TROUSER + SCARF + HAT
Equals an outfit.
Traditional brands create loyalty by using marketing to appeal to the lifestyle of their customer, and by creating the illusion that there is a need to purchase out of fear that last seasons styles will become obsolete. At DRESSHIRT we believe in a smarter luxury, one that prioritizes values over status and a personal touch over pre-conceived, “perfect” package. We build our brand one product at a time, making pieces that can adapt to many lifestyles, places and seasons. By focusing on products our customers grow with us, and are part of the process of building their wardrobe. It is a truly collaborative, authentic and loyal partnership.
I often say that I feel the internet is being misused in our industry. The emergence and growth of the internet has given the millennial and Y generations a considerable advantage in business. The virtual storefront means you can run a consumer oriented company with little to no overhead. It is our most valuable asset, and the direct-to-consumer brands leading the way in fashion are mostly price-based models with the familiar adage “we bring you the best for less by cutting out the middle man.” Today, there is a space for luxury fashion empires to be built online, and being more accessible does not mean we have to sacrifice quality. The rush of newness and fast fashion is coming to an end and an aging millennial generation wants luxury online.
"The rush of newness and fast fashion is coming to an end."
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The same can be said of the in-store customer experience. Traditionally, e-commerce has been treated as a back up, a second string to brick and mortar. As the brick and mortar experience has become increasingly passive and dissociative, online has become the opposite. I can sit in our studio and answer customer service emails and live chats myself. Via www.dresshirt.com, we directly reach customers from all over the world. Everyone on the DRESSHIRT team has contact with a customer daily! We learn names and carry out and produce custom orders. We create a relationship with our return shoppers—you don’t get a more personalized experience than that.
Technology has revolutionized the fashion industry. It is a divisive time and there is movement on behalf of some of the bigger houses away from fashion week and the seasonal collections traditionally aimed at buyers and stores. With all the money spent on these twice yearly fanfares it’s a small disaster when all of the media is not translating directly into sales for the business. Social media is, in part, responsible for this shift, which is the beginning of a new forward thinking, customer focused industry. It is equally responsible for the obsession around influencer culture—when lifestyle is king, brand message and intention can get lost, and achieving longevity in a culture of relentless newness is almost impossible.
One thing is for certain, the fashion world has changed. It is an exciting time where big brands and small are playing together, on a relatively level playing field, with nothing but a website to compete. Everyone is vying for a space in the emerging luxury, direct-to-consumer market. I stand by the prediction I made when I launched DRESSHIRT: This space will be filled by the uncomplicated. Don’t overwhelm, don't overproduce. My mission is to provide my customer with an effortless answer to too much choice. Acting as a compass of style and a canvas for creativity, we created an experience where she can do it her way.
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Feminism Keeps Losing Its Mind & Tops Over Boobs
12 questions we want answers to.
Two weeks ago Emily Ratajkowski and Kim Kardashian reminded the world of their totally bodacious bodies — lest anyone forget, by posting a topless selfie, middle-fingers to the world, up. It was a follow-up photo to a similar selfie Kim had posted a few weeks prior, which, after receiving negative backlash she posted the following on Twitter:
From being told to act like a mother, to stop pretending that these nude mirror moments are empowered acts of feminism, to message boards screaming, “What message are you sending to young women??” Kim has received as much negative attention for selfies like these as she has money for her app.
In the midst of the uproar Emily took to her Twitter, to say:
“I am not shamed or apologetic of what my body might represent to you.”
She continued,
"Aren't we passd this bs way of thinking? The whole goal here is to let wmn do what they want for their reasons. To have the power to choose."
To which she received equal measure backlash and support, speaking to the divide the feminist movement has long felt over the boob issue. The battleground of breasts as political movement continues to be one thick with controversy. Should we be prude or libertine? What's better for the cause?
While the argument can-- and has been-- made that these photos are intended for the male gaze and only contribute to a women’s position as object, for a movement that currently feels lost in the nebulous between “bad” and “good” feminism, women imprinting their views on other women is equally as dismissive and damaging.
So here are twelve questions I have. Feel free to chat with me in the comments below.
1. If we, as women, are fighting for agency of our bodies, why are we so up in arms when someone (most often a celeb) uses their million-follower platform to show agency over their own body? Filtered or not.
2. How can we as a society be closer than ever to accepting sex work, as real work, and yet, still treat this issue so preciously?
3. When can we stop discussing sex as a moral issue?
"When can we stop discussing sex as a moral issue?"
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4. When can we stop telling other women what it means to “be a mother?”
5. Why do we only feel like it’s progress when we see other women who are “like us,” posting nudes. That is, not "perfect,"-- a la Kim and Emily's tiny waists and huge boobs? When Refinery29 posted un-retouched photos of 25 women with real breasts the comments were encouraging. Readers said it was a beautiful series and asked for “more like this.” Facebook mom groups are always posting links to what “real” bodies look like after breastfeeding. These posts are celebrated. Confusing.
6. Is it less feminist when it’s a woman with a beautiful body? Is it the "perfection" that causes it to be less feminist?
7. Does baring nipples, with movements like #freethenipple, actually desexualize them? Maybe I don't think nipples are a big deal, but are we kidding ourselves pretending that they are not sexual?
8. In an industry where some of the most celebrated female characters have been written by old, white men, should we not celebrate when this isn't the case? Thinking about Lena Dunham's character on Girls, and her flashing vagina Basic Instinct style last week. Are women owed some kind of power play-- a middle-finger to the years spent under the male gaze?
9. If women want attention or validation, why are we so offended by this? Do we have to completely reject patriarchal beauty standards in order to be good feminists?
10. Why can’t we operate from within the structure that exists to take back our bodies? Can we be sexual creatures without operating under the regime of the male gaze?
11. Why is the feminist platform so divided over what it means to be liberated?
12. Can you use your body as a marketing tool and still have control over it?
The only answer I’ve come up with so far is this:
Flaunt your body if you love it. Don’t flaunt it if you love it. But just love it, OK? That’s the most liberated thing you can do.
"Flaunt your body if you love it. Don’t flaunt it if you love it. But just love it, OK? That’s the most liberated thing you can do."
Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her on this site she never updates www.ariannawrotethis.com
The Future Is Female: These Women Are Owning Male Dominated Professions
A startup tech exec, a tattoo artist, and a video game developer walk into male-dominated professions. Think it's a joke? It's not. Men may still be the predominate gender in many occupations, but women with the guts, brains, and vision to launch ideas and companies are proving that breaking down stereotypes is only a blip of what they're able to do.
Kellee Khalil is the CEO and Founder of Lover.ly, the first bridal search engine that set out to solve the inefficiencies of the wedding industry for a new generation of brides. Founded in 2012 the site is like a cross between Google and Pinterest, with opportunities for advertisers and integrated content. Though the focus may be beauty and bridal focussed, the backend is straight data, numbers, and hardcore tech-- but what else would you expect from a CEO that's been coding since high school?
How have you seen the industry change over the last five years?
The most unprecedented change is marriage equality. In the last year, we witnessed a monumental step forward for our country, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it. From the very beginning at Loverly, we’ve strived to be as inclusive as possible with our content, and the industry is finally catching up. Barbie and Ken-looking couples aren’t the only representation of love and marriage these days, and it’s about time we start embracing that.
How does it feel to be a woman in a male-dominated industry?
The tech space is predominantly run by men (with less than 5 percent of all venture-backed business run by women). The most successful companies in the wedding industry have been businesses run by men. And the community of people writing checks is mostly men. So, it’s challenging to drum up interest and capital from investors who don’t identify with the pain points of our industry’s primary consumer.
On the flip side, I believe being a woman building this product for other women is actually a competitive advantage. I have empathy for our users and understand their psychology as they are going through the ups and downs of planning their weddings. My mission is to alleviate the frustration and inefficiencies by simplifying the wedding planning process. :)
What do you think are the most common myths about women in tech?
Women in tech is a hot topic that media is covering. Because so few women are in the space, you often see only a few get a lot of media attention. This creates a perception that the world is glamorous and easily maneuverable. The reality is, being successful in the tech industry (as a woman) isn’t always smooth sailing. There are lots of challenges along the way.
How do you work to disprove those?
By continuing to make progress, grow our business, and innovate year over year to great reception from our audience, we prove that we are viable player in our space. Additionally, a big win was bringing on a President and COO, Peggy Fry, a digital media exec with 20+ years experience She too comes from a world traditionally run by men digital media and (advertising), and has held inspiring positions at some of the biggest names in digital media (AddThis, Netflix, AOL). The two of us have a crazy enthusiasm about our product and consumers which is reflected in the business.
Do you think it’s different being a women in tech in NY, as opposed to Silicon Valley?
There are some major differences between East and West Coast women-run technology businesses.. Women in tech in the Silicon Valley do statistically raise more capital. I believe this is due to the pure number of active angel and VC’s in the valley. Access is key. There’s also a preconception that businesses in the SV are more hardcore technology-focused, whereas in New York they tend to be more influenced by the surrounding industries (beauty, fashion, content, etc).
Lina Chen is the CEO of Nix Hydra, a VC-backed company that makes colorful and friendly mobile games popular among women. Chen and partner Naomi Ladizinsky established Nix Hydra in 2012, with the debut game Egg Baby. The game quickly became a massive phenomenon in the U.S. among teen girls and currently touts 14 million downloads with zero marketing spend and an impressive 4.5/5 average score from more than 430k reviews on the App Store. Both founders are Yale graduates and are showing no signs of letting the sexism of the gaming industry slow them down.
What is it like to work in a male-dominated industry?
We have been embracing it because it's a huge opportunity for us! If the industry wasn't so male- dominated, we probably would have had more trouble making a hit game on our first try (because there would be so much more competition in this space) and in fact, our company probably wouldn't even exist. Actually, right now we are mostly ignored by the gaming industry, presumably because what we are doing doesn't interest most people in it, and that is great because it gives us more time to figure things out and grow to an unstoppable size (haha).
More so, what is it like to work in a male-dominated industry where there is a ton of backlash against female gamers/developers. How do you deal with the pressure of both?
Like I said above, we have been mostly ignored because our games are nothing like the games that lots of more masculine developers are interested in playing or making. So we aren't competing with them and I think if someone is neither a threat to you nor doing anything that's of interest to you, your most natural response is to ignore them or be like 'that's nice, girls' and move on.
What made you decide to take on such a challenge in an industry known for its sexism?
Profit. Haha. No but actually when we started this company we were clueless. We had no idea what the industry was like or how to make a game and we didn't know anyone who was even a game maker. The first few game makers (male) we met were super kind, supportive and welcoming and no one warned us about anything negative. We started this whole thing because we couldn't find games we really wanted to play on our mobile phones and figured a lot of other young women probably felt the same.
Where do you hope to see the gaming industry go in the future?
To be a more magical, colorful and friendly place! We love diversity (obviously), but actually not so much for moral reasons as much as practical reasons - it just improves the ecosystem, speeds up progress and leads to more awesome products. So we'd love to see a more diverse industry in every way and we'd like to have had a huge impact on bringing about that change.
How do you see the gaming world changing?
The optimistic entrepreneur in me says it will change in the direction I've described in your previous question!
Mira Keras is a fashion school grad (FIT) and artist currently finishing a tattoo apprenticeship at a shop in Brooklyn called Tattoo Wonderland. According to Mira, the shop goes above and beyond in its commitment to serve everyone, and be inclusive-- which is more than in line with a boss blog post she wrote calling out fat-shaming and Instagram's ban of #curvy. Just last week she tattooed one of our favorite bloggers Christina Caradona of Trop Rogue, who spoke at the latest Create & Cultivate Dallas (check it out on Tattoo Wonderland's Instagram).
How do you feel as a woman in an industry that's heavily dominated by men?
I love being a woman tattooist. Female interest in tattoo culture is rapidly expanding, and I think that it is important to have tattoo artists that are women who understand and collaborate to reach their vision.
Have you had any days that really surprised you as a woman in the tattoo industry?
When I realized that I wanted to tattoo, it was so hard to find a tattooist to mentor, or even tattoo me. Some artists had this no girls allowed attitude, and some did not want to tattoo someone who didn't already have tattoos. Luckily, I found an awesome feminist mentor who has taken me under his wing.
How have you seen your industry change since you became a part of it?
My lifetime is seeing tattooing become way less taboo. It is finding its way to becoming a respected art. I love seeing more women become interested in tattoos, and tattooing. Femme-Only and pro feminist shops are popping up all the time, which is really exciting. There are so many amazing and inventive women changing the former rigid and exclusive rules, and inventing many new genres of tattoos.
What are your predictions for your industry's future?
The future will bring more women tattooing, and more developing in what is to come as far as technology and tattooing. I am always day dreaming of the day there are metallic and glitter inks, women's interest in tattooing is sure to bring in demand for these inventions.
The Future Is Female, But THIS IS NOT So Great
It's probably pretty clear that Create & Cultivate is all about empowering other women. Which is why the slogan, "The Future is Female," is something we can get behind (and wear proudly on a shirt). However the controversy that erupted this week between LA brand Otherwild and British model Cara Delevingne over the slogan is divisive, and took on more than a life of its own.
Apparently, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. By another woman.
It's probably pretty clear that Create & Cultivate is all about empowering other women. Which is why the slogan, "The Future is Female," is something we can get behind (and wear proudly on a shirt).
According to a recent New York Times article, "The original 'The Future Is Female' T-shirt design was made for Labyris Books, the first women’s bookstore in New York City. The photographer Liza Cowan took a picture of Alix Dobkin, her girlfriend at the time, wearing it in 1975."
Of the shirt, Cowan told the paper, “It’s taken on a life of its own. I don’t know what to make of it. But I think the slogan is great, I love that women are wearing it. It’s kind of a call to arms, and it’s a statement of fact.”
However the controversy that erupted this week between LA brand Otherwild and British model Cara Delevingne over the slogan is divisive, and took on more than a life of its own.
Apparently, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. By another woman. (Insert unhappy emoji here.)
OTHERWILD vs. DELEVINGNE
Rachel Berks, who heads up LA-based design label, Otherwild, has made the following claim: "Otherwild used @lizacowan's image of Alix Dobkin in the shirt (1975) with permission, as originally seen on Kelly Rakowski's @h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y. Otherwild's redesign and reissue of the FIF tees and buttons is protected under copyright law, which mandates that any reproduction of an existing known public work must be altered at least 20% from the original."
Here's where it gets tricky.
Delevingne took to her Instagram account to share the following with her 23.4 million followers: “THE FUTURE IS FEMALE. A lot of you have been asking for one of these – so I decided to put them up for sale, with proceeds going to Girl Up!” The shot is of Delevingne, plus her model friend in sweatshirts that look identical to what's being sold on Otherwild.
The result was a very public, very catty fight. It wasn't pretty or forward-looking. Berks reposted Delevingne’s photo, calling her a “celezbian,” which has since been deleted.
In fact, posts and comments from both parties have been wiped.
In regards to Delevingne, Berks took to Instagram again, writing: "Delevingne's choice to lift and manufacture Otherwild's design, claiming it as her own to sell with an undisclosed charitable offering, is indefensible. Her actions ironically counter the very message of the slogan 'The Future Is Female', and it's confounding that she would do this to a small queer feminist-owned business after purchasing the product from us just a few weeks ago."
On their site Otherwild states that they believe, "in an inclusive, expanded and fluid notion of gender expression, identities and feminisms." This apparently doesn't include celezbians.
Let's call this opportunity miffed, missed, and mishandled.
It's hypocritical to espouse inclusion but go for blood the moment you feel wronged.
Tweet this.
WINNERS vs. LOSERS
Let's look at who loses here. One, women. It's not great when such a positive message gets undermined and overshadowed by controversy. There are ways to handle what you feel to be professional screw-ups, and then, there are public temper tantrums. (Insert second unhappy emoji.)
Moreover it is yet to be seen what consequences the negative press will have-- on both the proliferation of the message as well as the giving component. Otherwild donates 25% of profits to Planned Parenthood. Delevingne promised, "proceeds from every shirt sold support Girl Up's campaign to promote the health, safety, and education of girls in developing countries."
Who wins? Hopefully what the argument has caused is the desire for more young women to learn about the history of the slogan.
LET'S GET RID OF THE vs. & EXAMINE OUR CHOICES, TOGETHER
The bummer is what was missed. Sure, stand up for yourself personally and professionally. On her side, Delevingne should have contacted Berks first. She should have credited Berks in her original Instragram post (which has been edited to thank Otherwild). Berks, however angry, should not have posted such a hot-headed response. Don't text angry. Don't Instagram angry. Don't go to bed angry. Tips for life, ladies.
This was a perfect opportunity for women to come together. Neither of these women own the slogan.
Instead of unity we got a schism. Instead of a "call to arms" we called names. It's hypocritical to espouse inclusion but go for blood the moment you feel wronged.
To her credit, Berks has admitted that her initial post was "reactionary." Delevingne has yet to comment beyond Instagram. In conversation with Think Progress, Berks said: "I hope that she does the right thing. I don’t have high hopes that she will." Which sounds like she's still pretty angry, and more interested in being "right," than being unified.
In the future, that is perhaps, female, let's work with each other-- because one thing is for sure: The Future Is Not vs.