Clotheslines and feminism

Last Sunday’s New York Times magazine had an interview with Martha Stewart. For the record, I’m on Team Martha. The woman has accomplished a lot and has really elevated gardening, crafts and homemaking in general.

One question asked of her referred to a project in her latest book, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts . The project involves turning men’s old work shirts into decorative pillows, and the journalist asked, “Do you think that is a good use of a woman’s time in the 21st century?”

Martha’s response: “At Martha Stewart Living we are all about creativity. We are about recycling the vintage past, and an old shirt doesn’t have to end up in the rag bin. It really can make a beautiful pillow.”

She might have said more than what was printed, I don’t know, but I was wishing for a sharper response to the question. Women and men can make a big impact at home and in their communities by repurposing old stuff instead of buying new junk. If that takes the form of women doing traditionally female tasks (like sewing) and men doing traditionally male tasks (like buying tools at a secondhand store to build things), so be it. Vice versa is great, too. I know some  successful men here in Spokane (“successful” in the traditional sense) who also happen to enjoy sewing. Can’t we all be allowed to pursue whatever interests we have—whether it’s cleaning the house or climbing the corporate ladder—without being told we’re wasting our time?

The conversation seemed to turn a little testy (my interpretation as I read it, but who knows what the actual tone was) when Martha said she’s “not considered a feminist.” You can read the interview for yourself and let me know what you think.

Is Martha a feminist or not? Most of us are carrying out the ideas Martha promotes, not writing the books, selling the products and broadcasting the shows that tout them. Can someone be a feminist if their life is dedicated to homemaking rather than pursuits outside the home?

After I finish writing this blog post, I’m going outside to do something my nana (who was born in 1911) did every day. I’m going to hang wet clothes on my clothesline.

I have fond memories of running through my nana’s clothesline as a kid, and then walking over to her beautiful vegetable garden and picking a few eggplants for her as she made dinner.

My mom’s generation might have considered hanging clothes on the line a ridiculous task. Why waste your time when an electric dryer can do the work for you?

But when I think of the carbon that air drying my clothes saves and the simple joy I will get out of setting this good example for my kids, I feel pretty progressive.

And when my husband gets home, washes his load and hangs it on the line, too, I bet he’ll feel the same way.