A Woman Needs a Man...

For this round of the Etsyblogger's carnival, I chose to share a craft about Women's History Month. (Did you know that March is Women's History Month?)

As many of my readers are aware, I graduated with a double major in Women's Studies and English, so Women's History is very near and dear to me. It's fascinating to learn about once-forgotten "herstory" and gain new perspectives on historical times and events. I could go on at length about this, but instead I'll share one of my favorite items from my shop:

I call this pair of fraternal earrings, "A Woman Needs a Man" after the famous feminist quote: "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." Though the phrase was popularized by Gloria Steinem, and is thus often associated with her, the originator of the saying seems to be Irina Dunn. (If it's on Wikipedia, it must be true, right?)

In fact, Steinem acknowledged as much in a letter to Time magazine in 2000:

"In your note on my new and happy marital partnership with David Bale, you credit me with the witticism 'A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.' In fact, Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician, coined the phrase back in 1970 when she was a student at the University of Sydney. She paraphrased the philosopher who said, 'Man needs God like fish needs a bicycle.' Dunn deserves credit for creating such a popular and durable spoof of the old idea that women need men more than vice versa."

Irina Dunn later confirmed Steinem's version of events, in January 2002:

"Yes, indeed, I am the one Gloria referred to. I was paraphrasing from a phrase I read in a philosophical text I was reading for my Honours year in English Literature and Language in 1970. It was 'A man needs God like a fish needs a bicycle'. My inspiration arose from being involved in the renascent women's movement at the time, and from being a bit if a smart-arse. I scribbled the phrase on the backs of two toilet doors, would you believe, one at Sydney University where I was a student, and the other at Soren's Wine Bar at Woolloomooloo, a seedy suburb in south Sydney. The doors, I have to add, were already favoured graffiti sites."

(Thanks to phrases.org for the citations!)

So there's your bit of feminist history for the day, along with the neat pair of earrings it inspired. Happy Women's History Month!