Great Ideas!

A Elliot — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:05:21 -0600

Thanks for the great ideas! It's always nice to be able to combine a good cause and a gift. Perhaps one of the items you mentioned will show up in your mailbox for your birthday.
Alex Elliot, Formula Fed and Flexible Parenting

I love those Geena Davis movies!

super des — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 01:33:01 -0600

And for the record, if anyone wants cool non-custom (pre-made) jewelry, I also have an etsy shop:

http://desjewelry.etsy.com

Holiday Gifts for Your Favorite Feminist

Suzanne Reisman — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 00:54:48 -0600

Whether the feminists in your life celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza, or you just want to give them a little token to show them how much you appreciate their friendship/love, there are tons of great gifts out there. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Archie McPhee always has fun gifts for everyone, and I think the “How to Keep Your Husband” Apron is a hilarious wardrobe item for any feminist who likes to cook. As the catalog says, “This decidedly politically incorrect apron is a reproduction of a classic novelty produced in the '50s… covered with delightfully outdated rules that a wife should follow if she wants to keep her husband. Includes such gems as, 'Watch Your Weight,' and 'Don't Gossip Over the Phone.' Perfect gift for a staunch feminist!” If that doesn’t do the trick, try the Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure. These are certain to bring ironic and knowing smiles to the face of your favorite feminist!

2. Give a double gift by supporting independent feminist media. Give a subscription to Bitch Magazine. Always interesting and thought-provoking, I always look forward to spending quality time with my Bitch. For feminists who like magazines that include make-up and fashion with their feminist reading, Bust is also great.

3. Display feminist pride. Say it loud and proud with a This is what a feminist looks like shirt from the Feminist Majority Fund. (I like to wear mine to gym.)

4. For the feminist caffeine addict (or someone who just likes drinking hot beverages), check out the “It’s a girl!” mug from Extremely Smart on cafepress.

5. Help your feminist friends cart around their stuff in style with a rocking messenger bag from the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism. It’s smart in more than one way!

6. Who doesn’t love feminist actress Geena Davis? Entertain and educate everyone with A League of Their Own, the story of the All-American Girls’ [harrumph!] Professional Baseball League. Not only is Geena awesome in it, but Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty, and Madonna play some mean ball in it, too. Lots of laughs are found along the way, and the end always chokes me up. For a darker film, there’s my other favorite Geena Davis flick, Thelma & Louise. A great tale about female friendship, it also stars the amazing Susan Sarandon and a very hot and half-naked Brad Pitt. The end always chokes me up.

7. Burgeoning feminists might enjoy the book Full Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti or Fight Like a Girl by Megan Seely.

8. Support feminist artisans by buying handmade jewelry as gifts. My friend Des has some pretty nifty designs at Jewelry by Des and can do custom orders quickly. Other awesome women sell a variety of work at etsy.

9. Although feminists are frequently surrounded by tools (of the human sort), sometimes we need to make some home repairs and lack the proper equipment. There’s nothing like a basic tool kit to keep every woman prepared.

10. Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is a gift that benefits those most in need. Why not consider making a donation to a worthy cause in a feminist’s honor? Beth Kanter recently posted a list of worthy charities on BlogHer, but I’ll throw a few more ideas out there that specifically support women in poverty:

International:
Women for Women International supports women in war-torn regions with financial and emotional aid, job-skills training, rights education and small business assistance so they can rebuild their lives. Madre works with women who are affected by human rights violations to help them win justice and, ultimately, change the conditions that give rise to human rights abuses.

United States:
Pretty Bird Woman House, a women's shelter and education program on the Standing Rock Reservation, is raising money to purchase a new building. My personal favorite nonprofit is the National Network of Abortion Funds, which helps low income women pay for abortions through a network of local funds.

On a less serious note, I considered buying my husband one of these pouches, but nearly bust a gut laughing and didn’t make it to my wallet. (Plus, the exchange rate is killer for us Americans.) Ho ho ho, indeed!

Hope these suggestions are useful. What are you buying or hoping to receive for the holidays this year?

Suzanne also blogs at Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants and sells CUSS logo merchandise that she makes no money off of at cafepress. If you are doing early shopping for a great 4th of July gift for a New Yorker or someone who likes reading about crazy museums and/or New York City, her forthcoming book, Off the Beaten (Subway) Track: New York City’s Best Unusual Attractions could be perfect! Just a biased suggestion…

BlogHer - Holiday Gifts for Your Favorite Feminist - Comments

Great Ideas!

I love those Geena Davis movies!

Holiday Gifts for Your Favorite Feminist