Confessions of a Feminist Interior Designer

I find myself as a Feminist Interior Designer feeling the need to explain my choices to a populace that may not understand the interconnectedness of these options. How does design fit in with the feminist agenda or how does feminism fit in with design? What constitutes a feminist and can a woman be a designer and feminist or does that cross some weird bound?

I have felt this need since finding both as my passions in life to explain their importance and relation. It makes since to me, two things I am passionate about would have to have similar characteristics. Yet, my design half feels flawed in the feminist world and my feminist half feels flawed in the design world. Also, I would have to say that feminists are more accepting of my design half than the designers of my feminist one. It is not in what they say but their reactions to what I say. I will admit that I, myself, could see both sides of the situation and at first did not think that the two fields could really go together either.

I joined the ranks of those who felt they were “not feminist enough” (as if there was some magical amount of things I must do to be a feminist). I desired to be a “good feminist” to fit in with that community. However, what I failed to realize, at the time, was that to fit in I had “to be real” to myself and to do that I had to be me and stop trying to live up to some ideal I had created of what a Feminist or an Interior Designer was or wasn't as I am both and as both expand the definitions of what they mean. Just as “a narrow stereotype has always eliminated most of the people in the room” I was eliminating myself through my own stereotype. I was making myself not feel like I fit with any group. I truly believe that the biggest hurdle we must all jump over on our path of self discovery is our own thoughts, stereotypes and judgments about ourselves.

So I created this blog, The Design of Gender, where my two halves combine into a whole. Whether you want to admit it or not design has a huge impact on our everyday lives because we live in a designed world that reflects its injustices. People design things and whether consciously or not may stigmatize against another group in society. Societies “norms” can be seen in design, the privilege and oppression can also be seen and created by the design. Looking at race and U.S. history one can see that spaces were clearly designated for certain people. The spaces were designed as separate places. The space we take up as people is defined by our designed world. Looking at the difference between a work environment and a home environment clearly shows the influences of gender on the design concepts. And who exactly designs the stores and houses and buildings we use everyday? There are few women architects.

In this feminist design blog, I can write about a range of topics relating to the designed world, gender, sexism, classism, ableism, feminism, and how these intersect and create barriers for people in everyday life. It is important that new designs stop creating separation and stigmatization. The design world has a huge impact on people. It can reinforce societal standards or break free and create a new world. New Universal Design is crucial to help end oppressions.

*references to "To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism"