The handmade pink knit caps some women wore during the Women’s March on Washington were meant to send a message to President Donald Trump, but according to crafty feminists who made up part of the March, “pussy hats” are just the start of a homespun round of activism.
The women’s rights activists dubbed their protest knitwear an example of “craftivism.” They say this new front in political protest subverts traditional folk arts and domestic pastimes, like knitting, crocheting and cross-stitching, and will demonstrate to misogynistic society that women are in control of their lives and destinies.
The “DIY revolution” involves politically minded crafters who create patterns that are supposed to shock and awe in the name of feminism.
“The mainstreaming of craft as celebration, feminism and activism has been bubbling up since the ’90s,” one founder of the “craftivism” movement told the New Yorker. Another marked the so-called “Pussyhat Project” as a turning point in thread-centered activism: “It may signify that we are ready to take action in a way we haven’t seen before.”
The project, in which hundreds, if not thousands of women, knit their own headwear using free patterns passed around the Internet, was the first example of widespread craft-activism. But the feminists in charge of craftivism warn that their idea doesn’t need a march for focus; you can use “subversive crafting” to stick it to the Patriarchy every day.
For subversive crafters, it’s about making a statement using a medium traditionally associated with docile mid-century housewives and subservient 18th-century women. They say men, particularly Donald Trump, believe those women are the feminine ideal.
There are “10 key knitting patterns for feminists,” which can cover hats, scarves and mittens emblazoned with feminist iconography, as well as feminist slogans and cats.
One famous craftivist can even knit ladyparts with her ladyparts.
But if that’s not your style, it’s also considered crafty activism to crochet a uterus or other, more famous parts of the female anatomy. Or, if you’re not sophisticated with the needles, you might consider “yarn bombing,” or wrapping structures in string, yarn and pre-knitted or pre-crocheted squares as a form of visual dissent.
“Subversive cross stitch” is, by far, the largest craftivist community. Activist patterns are available across the Internet for free, and original designs are plentiful on sites like Etsy. But be aware: some subversive patterns might not be appropriate for display while parents are visiting.
The craftivist leaders insist that the Pussyhats are just the beginning, too. It seems that President Trump can look forward to a lot of non-traditional handmade gifts throughout his tenure.