*this post may contain affiliate links*
As many of you know, today is the day that I’ve released my second pattern, the Rosie the Riveter hat! I’m so excited to share the pattern with you guys. I know it took me longer than expected to finish it as I had a couple of complications with my pattern testers, but it’s here and I’m so incredibly proud of it and happy to give you guys the pattern as well! For me, this hat was definitely designed out of a place of passion that I have for feminism and how Rosie the Riveter has been a big symbol and idol in my life. Originally I was planning to just type out one post on this topic, but I felt like one story wouldn’t do her justice in the ways she’s impacted me. I designed this pattern to empower myself and other women, so I might as well share my story, and I’ve decided to put out a series of posts for the next few weeks every Saturday. Keep reading to hear about my story, or simply scroll to the end for the pattern link!
My first notable experience with sexism was in eighth grade in my tae Kwon doe class. And if I’m being honest, I never really thought of sexism as an issue until that point. I knew that in theory, it was a societal problem but I wasn’t versed in politics and I had hardly even hit puberty yet. I never even contemplated the thought that it was something women still struggle with every day.
I had been going to this martial arts class for nearly a year at this point, and needless to say, I loved it. Sparring let me get all my anger out somewhere. Learning to use weapons made me feel strong and powerful and badass. And for the first time, I felt like I actually enjoyed exercise, something I wasn’t sure I could do with my history of Netflix binges and twelve-minute mile runs. At this point, I was a blue belt. Not an expert by any means, but far from beginner level. Our typical teacher had to take the day off for some reason or another, so he passed off the responsibility of teaching the class to one of his most trusted students--a black belt who’d been in that exact class for years upon years. I honestly didn’t think a thing of it because why would I?
Over the course of the class, I noticed something strange. He would specifically check in with me to make sure I knew how to do each activity. He would single out my small mistakes over everyone else’s. He made sure to give me extra help with everything we were doing and didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the class. At first, I thought it was sweet. That he was being thoughtful to the only teen girl in class. But as things progressed, I realized that he wasn’t singling me out to be helpful or kind. I was the only girl in the class. Not the only teenager. Not the lowest ranking belt who was the most of a beginner. The only girl. He was checking in out of pity, simply assuming I would have the most trouble with everything we did.
It was a strange feeling to be looked down on as a woman and to see it in action. Because before that martial arts class, it felt more like a theory. It felt more like something that older generations were used to; just that it wasn’t going to be me. And for the first time, it wasn’t just a logical concept that I was aware of in the world, it was happening to me. I was actually treated differently because I had longer hair and boobs and less upper body strength.
From that day on, I lost a lot of trust in society. I’ve always been an optimist. I see the sunshine in every cloudy sky and give my heart out to anyone that’ll ask. But from that day, I suddenly became aware of the experiences with sexism I’d had without even realizing it. After I got boobs, people were nicer to me. They looked at me more. They were more social with me. And when I looked back on the guy at the gas station who told me I looked nice, I realized he wasn’t just being sweet because I had been wearing a low cut top. The person in the coffee shop wasn’t looking at my new jeans, he was looking at my ass. The man at the retail store who offered to grab my items for me wasn’t assuming I couldn’t reach, he was flirting with me even though he was at least fifty years old. Suddenly, my view of the world changed. I had to be more skeptical of every kind gesture men did for me or every compliment they gave or every conversation they started because you just never know.
I’m not saying all men suck because that’s not what feminism is, and that’s not what sexism is either. What I’m saying is that once you realize the shitty people that are out there, you have to be cautious of every genuinely sweet one that comes along, too. And maybe that is just a part of growing up as a woman, but it shouldn’t be and doesn’t have to be. I can only hope that one day when I’m raising beautiful daughters of my own, I don’t have to teach them to carry pepper spray in their purses or be wary of older men who do nice things for them. I hope that our world reaches a point where I can dress like “a slut” and not have that be a neon sign that my body is open for business. I hope that one day I can be the only woman in a room full of men and not worry about being the weakest person there. Maybe it’s only hoped, but as I said, I’ve always been an optimist and one day I believe we can reach that point.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post telling my first story with feminism, and I hope that if you’re a woman, it empowered you and if you’re a man, you got a little glimpse of what the world looks like in our eyes. Make sure to check out my new pattern that was released and feel free to contact me if you’d like to get your hands on a hat like this one! Also, stay tuned for my next blog posts in this Rosie the Riveter series, the dates for those are as follows:
November 2: My sexual assault story...
November 9: Speaking up for myself in a world that silences mental illness
November 16: How I was forced to become my own woman
Rosie the Riveter pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/733993580/crochet-hat-pattern-intermediate-crochet?ref=shop_home_active_1
Rosie the Riveter Hat Yarn: https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/p/debbie-bliss-cashmerino-aran?utm_medium=affiliate&a_aid=00476c6f
My Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HookOverHeels
Business email: hookoverheels@gmail.com
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