...And Another Thing!

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Anne Taintor’s art — and hilarious one-liners — are reproduced on everything from magnets to shot glasses. (ANNE TAINTOR, INC.)

So you have a feminist on your holiday gift list. Congratulations! Feminists are awesome and I’m sure this person has enriched your life in many ways.
   
Admittedly, shopping for a feminist can be slightly tricky, as more than a few gifts are inextricably linked to patriarchal assumptions about gender roles — consider, for example, the message you’re sending when you buy a woman a kitchen gadget (hint: it has something to do with sandwich-making; not cool).
   
This is not to say that you should throw up your hands in despair or resign yourself to buying something generic and boring for fear of offending someone. No, even at this late stage of the game, plenty of feminist-friendly presents are out there. Here’s a few suggestions:


Anne Taintor merchandise
(annetaintor.com); available at Desart, McNally Robinson; $5 and up
   
Who says feminists don’t have a sense of humour? Anne Taintor is a Harvard-educated collage artist based in New Mexico whose work combines vintage imagery with wry social commentary expressed via snarky one-liners.
   
Reproduced on magnets, cocktail napkins, calendars and other products, Taintor’s subject matter includes drinking ("Martinis... they’re not just for breakfast anymore"), dating ("fortunately for him, she had just that minute lowered the bar") and motherhood ("now remember, sweetheart... if you lose another lunchbox Mommy will have to sell you to pirates"). However, her best work, in this feminist’s humble opinion, concerns the stifling drudgery of domestic life to which women are expected to aspire and embrace with a smile — something identified by pioneering feminist Betty Friedan in her 1963 book, The Feminine Mystique, as "the problem that has no name."
   
The juxtaposition of perfectly coiffed, apron-wearing housewives and the expressions which accompany them — "Hopes and dreams would only distract me from making these awesome casseroles;" "I’ll take mind-numbing chores over a fulfilling career any day!" — is truly hilarious.

Books
   
Knowledge is power! Help build a bookshelf others will drool over by giving the gift of kickass feminist reading material.
   
My top pick is the newest edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves (Boston Women’s Health Book Collective; www.ourbodiesourselves.org; $17.12 at amazon.com), published this past October. Written with contributions from more than 300 people, this is the ninth version of a book that first came out in 1970 — a grassroots resource that has since become nothing less than a feminist health bible. Easy to read, it’s full of practical information about everything from yeast infections to birth control to lesbianism to ovarian cancer to the politics of abortion.
   
I also recommend Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (published in 2007 by South End Press; $10.05 at amazon.com) by Robert Jensen. A journalist-turned-professor, Jensen is an anti-pornography activist who argues that porn reinforces toxic notions of what it means to be a man and contributes to the real-life harm of real-life women. A provocative read.
   
Finally, I’ll suggest Yes Means Yes: Visions Of Female Sexual Power and a World Without Rape (Seal Press; $11.53 at amazon.com). This 2008 anthology of essays — edited by two cool American feminists, Jaclyn Freidman and Jessica Valenti, with a forward by comedian Margaret Cho — explores rape culture, sex education and the concept of "enthusiastic consent." Though I have yet to read it, I imagine it offers plenty of feminist food for thought and will feel particularly relevant in light of the media attention devoted to victim-blaming this past year (see: the impetus for Slutwalk and the comments of Manitoba’s own Judge Dewar).

Washable menstrual pads
(lunapads.com; $14.99 U.S. and up) and/or a Diva Cup (www.divacup.com; available at Vita Health, $44.99)
   
The "feminine hygiene product" industry rakes in millions by encouraging women to be ashamed of the fact that we menstruate. Liberating a woman from having to support such an industry is, therefore, a feminist act.
   
Furthermore, washable fabric pads and Diva Cups (which are made of silicone and worn internally) are more environmentally friendly than disposable tampons and pads, and will end up saving their users hundreds of dollars.
   
Crafty types take note: if you possess basic sewing skills, fabric pads are pretty easy to make. An assortment of patterns is available here: tipnut.com/free-pattern-for-washable-feminine-menstrual-pads.

Support for independent feminist media
   
While their areas of expertise and interest vary, most feminists working in print or online share one common trait: they are woefully underfunded.
   
Donating to blogs such as Shakesville (shakespearessister.blogspot.com), Tiger Beatdown (tigerbeatdown.com) or Echide of the Snakes (www.echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com) is a way of recognizing the work these folks do, usually for no pay and often while dealing with constant threats of violence. (Internet feminists, in particular, put up with a lot of misogynist shit). As Shakesville’s Melissa McEwan points out: "I ask to be paid for my work because progressive feminist advocacy has value." Indeed.
   
Of course, it’s hard to wrap an online donation and those looking for a more tangible gift may want to consider a magazine subscription instead. I’d recommend the always entertaining Bitch: Feminist Responses to Pop Culture (bitchmagazine.org; $24.95 for one year), the locally produced Herizons (www.herizons.ca; $26.45 for one year) or the grandmother of feminist journalism, Ms. Magazine (www.msmagazine.com; currently on sale for $21 U.S. for one year).
   
Marlo Campbell wishes everyone a Merry Christmas.