Steven sent me a link to this article headlined “More men bucking stereotypes, picking up knitting”. I am all for men knitting. I’m all for ANYONE knitting… children, adults, grandparents, teenagers… if you’ve got hands and a brain, I vote that you use them to knit.
This article focuses on the social stigma that male knitters face, and touches on the far from female-centric history of knitting. But this is what gets me (emphasis mine):
“This is part of the popularity that knitting gained beginning in the early 2000s with people ages 18 to 34,” said Mary Colucci, executive director of the yarn council. “Now men and boys of the skateboard generation are driven to knit to create their own hats, individualize their looks.”
But the stereotype of knitting as feminine is being challenged by the fact that many male knitters are athletes, mostly snowboarders and skateboarders, who want to create their own, individualized gear. Boise State running back Ian Johnson made headlines when it was discovered that he spent three to four hours a night knitting beanies and scarves with logos after practice.
Despite the fact that the knitters INTERVIEWED in this piece NEVER ONCE say that they’re knitting their own individualized gear (and in fact, give plenty of other reasons such as relaxation, physical therapy for a shoulder injury, and the sense of creating something from nothing), the article uses an athlete making his own gear as a crutch to bolster the masculinity of the hobby. Why is it not just acceptable that a man LIKES to knit? Why do we have to justify it as an otherwise macho man who just wants some unique gear? The whole justification seems plastered onto the article the article to lend the hobby some credibility.
The men interviewed in this article speak clearly about why they love knitting. Why not focus on that? Clearly masculine stereotypes are just as pervasive as feminine stereotypes in the mainstream media.
Go read the article, then come back here and discuss!
M
