Shopping for International Women’s Day

by Carolyn Boyd

This International Women’s Day, I plan to celebrate with one of my favorite activities: shopping. I don’t mean at the mall; I mean on the internet, buying magnificent works of art created by women all over the world as a means to their economic, social, and political independence. By doing so, I will not only be enabling women to support themselves, but also bringing back a very ancient kind of women’s art and empowerment.

Women have always created great art. Of course, the spectacular embroidery, quilting, weaving, painting on functional objects, and other arts that have been women’s specialties in the home are called “crafts,” while work done for pay outside the home, more frequently by men, is known as “art.”

One way to bring honor back to traditional women’s art while improving women’s lives is by purchasing our clothes, home goods, foods, and other items through “fair trade” or other similar organizations. These groups providing opportunities for the women who make the art they sell to support themselves and their families, sometimes leave abusive homes; educate themselves and their children; gain self respect; and form bonds with the other women with whom they work.

We who buy what they make are lucky enough to surround ourselves with hand-created beauty and symbols of sisterhood, hope, and empowerment. As I write, a red basket made by women from Rwanda graces my file cabinet; beaded necklaces from Uganda swirl in my jewelry bowl; vests, pants and dresses from India hang in my closet; wooden bracelets from Nepal click on my wrist; soup mixes from Chicago sit in my sister’s kitchen; and a purse made by a teen in a residential program in my town lies in my closet.

Each day we are given more choices of where we can purchase such art. Organizations that are designated “fair trade” have committed to a variety of business practices, including providing a reasonable wage, safe working conditions, and opportunities for advancement; equal treatment of women; and environmental sustainability, among others. Many of these organizations have both men and women artists. Ten Thousand Villages at http://www/tenthousandvillages.com and A Greater Gift at http://www.agreatergift.org both offer a variety of items from around the world.

Some organizations provide goods made exclusively by women. Http://globalsistergoods.com offers jewelry, accessories, and home decorating items made by women from many nations. Http://beadforlife.org sells beaded jewelry made by women from Uganda. Http://www.marketplaceindia.org has a variety of clothing and home decor made by women from India. The Women’s Bean Project at http://womensbeanproject.com sells food products made by U.S. women. Finally, feminist organizations like the Feminist Majority Foundation, at http://store.feminist.org, sometimes offer products by women as part of their mission.

So often the economic system works to exclude and impoverish women. By buying women’s art through these organizations, we can form a very global special circle of women that has economic, political, and spiritual impacts. This International Women’s Day, it’s time to shop!