Gabrielle Sieben

Future teacher, lifelong learner

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Reclaiming “women’s work”

Knitting, sewing, mending, weaving, embroidery, crochet… Not so very long ago, and in fact for most of human history in most cultures, these tasks were considered essential skills for women. And while the modern woman has by and large rejected the necessity of these skills, they’re still considered thoroughly feminine. Don’t believe me? Well, how many male knitters do you know?

Old Fashioned Singer Sewing Machine

Here we are in 2019, and the average woman doesn’t knit or sew – instead she works full-time. The modern woman no longer has time for domestic arts. For better or for worse, this is largely due to the feminist movement, as well as mass industrialization which allows us to buy goods for a cheap price. But these skills are starting to become popular again, for good reason! As I’ve previously written about, consumers are beginning to reject fast fashion. There’s a shift towards more ethical, eco-friendly production, and what better than to make something yourself at home! Thus, history repeats itself.

In this 1990 article from the New York Times archive, author Deborah Hofmann attributes the decline of home sewing to the cancellation of high school sewing classes, as well as the growing feminist movement. However, some of the home seamstresses she interviewed clearly view sewing as a skill that is in no way opposed to feminism. One woman, simply referred to as Ms. Norville, said, “What has happened in the 90s is that professional women are fed up with being told what they can and can’t do.” In my opinion, this shows that feminism has settled into a comfortable balance. Let me explain. The feminist movement developed as a reaction to restrictive social norms and discriminatory laws. This necessitated a rejection of a quiet domestic life – therefore, domestic tasks such as sewing and knitting were looked upon with deep disdain. As time went on, women’s status was elevated, and the initial passionate rejection of traditional roles started to settle into a comfortable balance – respecting the decisions of the single, childless career woman, the stay-at-home mother of four, and everything else in between!

I think the idea of reclaiming women’s work should be discussed openly, and with nuance. Performing domestic tasks such as knitting or sewing does not automatically transform me into a 1950s housewife. Instead, these are simply hobbies that I enjoy – they shouldn’t be looked down upon, just like we don’t disdain men who enjoy fixing cars or woodworking. Moreover, some craftswomen take these ideas even further and incorporate activism and politics into the things they create. I’m not sure where my free inquiry will take me, but I do believe that developing these skills will make me a more well-rounded person overall!

(For further reading, here’s another article I found interesting while I was researching this subject.)

Exploring Youtube in French

 

Well, it’s Sunday morning, and I’m sick at home for like the third day in a row. My husband and I both caught the same awful cold and now we’re in the phase which involves hacking our lungs out, so it’s better to stay home rather than infecting the general population. With all this extra time, I’ve been looking into my tech inquiry. I’m really interested in using video, more specifically Youtube, in bringing authentic speech into the language classroom. As recently as ten years ago, we simply didn’t have the massive linguistic resources on the Internet that we have today. Youtube was in its infancy. But now, we can learn basically anything on Youtube.

First of all, here’s a video from Audrey D., a young Québécoise content creator.  I love how she takes expressions that would commonly be heard in high schools, on TV, and things that she would normally say in daily life. That’s exactly the kind of language I want my students to learn! Moreover, I think this is the kind of content that students would be interested in learning. They’ll be able to express their emotions, vent their frustrations, and use slang just like the average francophone teenager.

There are a few limitations to using this kind of video in class; namely, she doesn’t write her own French subtitles and the auto-generated ones are inaccurate, and also, she doesn’t provide English translations for these expressions. I don’t understand all of them, and it’s hard to find accurate translations for slang because most dictionaries and translators focus more on formal, “correct” language.

Here are some of the expressions that she says during the video (in both Quebec informal language and French informal language):

  • Guess what? I have a date tonight!
  • Hey guys, party at our place tonight.
  • Did you see my new outfit?
  • I love you so much!

Next up, we have a video from a guy whose videos I used to watch all the time when I was preparing to visit France and while I was living there. He is from France, but lives in the USA, so his channel used to be called, “Ma vie aux États-Unis.” Now, it seems he’s started vlogging a lot more in English, so he changed his channel name to its English translation: “My life in the United States.” (It doesn’t rhyme anymore but oh well).

I like that he has added full English subtitles to this video. It’s about different types of people on an airplane and how they act. He’s made it humorous and relatable, and after each “type,” he shows a little skit to illustrate his point. I think this would really help with comprehension of the video. I also appreciate how this isn’t explicitly trying to teach language, but students can pick up some new vocabulary nonetheless. However, I do wish there were full French subtitles because I often think using English is a bit of a cop-out with high school students. It’s too easy for them at that level. I suppose what you could do as a teacher is talk about literal translation versus stylistic interpretation. For example, at one point he says “Laisse-moi tranquille!” which he translates below as “Leave me alone!” A literal translation would say “Leave me calm!” But of course, that makes no sense in English!

Another video he made is “Shopping in the USA.” I love this video because it shows a daily activity with key vocabulary words, yet it also demonstrates major cultural differences. Yoann, the Youtuber, is shocked to see that eggs are kept cold. (In France they’re held on a shelf). Moreover, they sell 16 in one container, and they’re white instead of brown! (In France you can buy a teeny tiny container of 6 eggs; it’s very cute). It’s an opportunity to have a conversation about differences between France and North America. We have totally different perspectives on food, and I think we have a lot to learn from French cuisine.

Finally, I just found this video and it made me so happy! I had never encountered this Youtuber before, but she’s a French expatriate living in Montreal. This video was filmed on a trip to Lille, France, where I actually lived during my study abroad. I’m actually jealous because she was there during the Braderie de Lille. It’s a massive flea market and festival which takes place every year during September (and I was never there in September, unfortunately!) This vlog is an open door into exploring a new culture – the north of France. In the video, they eat mussels (the traditional dish of Lille) and of course, drink beer. They explore the wonderful antiques that are on sale throughout the city. This is a great video to show students because of the cultural content and also the amazing visuals.

If I were to show this in a French class, I would incorporate it into some sort of project. I’d ask my students to vlog something, like maybe their makeup routine, or how to change a tire … maybe a cooking tutorial or a trip to a famous landmark nearby. Whatever they’re interested in. They could do a voiceover in French describing what they’re doing, seeing, experiencing, and it would be just like these francophone vloggers.

I realize that this post is getting pretty close to 1000 words, so I think it’s about time to wrap this up. I spent about an hour combing through Youtube and looking for content, and there is just so much available that teachers can use in the classroom and expand into creative, culturally relevant, authentic lessons. I feel inspired now!

Secondhand September

September is almost past us, but before we turn the calendar, I wanted to highlight a movement that has been going on this month on Instagram. The hashtag #secondhandseptember was started by Oxfam, a charity in the UK – currently, there are over 46,000 posts under this hashtag. Oxfam operates a chain of thrift stores, or charity shops as they’re called in the UK. The hashtag emphasizes the importance of purchasing secondhand clothes as opposed to new items. This month, Oxfam encouraged people to take a pledge not to buy any new clothing for the whole month of September.

Over the past few years, there has been a definite shift in the online perception of thrift stores and thrifting. Take a quick look at this information from Google Trends, for example:

From 2014-2017, the searches for “thrifting” on Youtube remained relatively constant. But since fall 2017 there has been a pronounced rise in searches, including a prominent spike in July. Correct me if I’m wrong, but in my experience, shopping secondhand used to carry quite a negative connotation – it was considered low-class; a sign of poverty. I remember that in the mid to late 2000s, brand names were all the rage. The way to be “cool” was to wear the biggest brand name from the most expensive store (at the time, the trendy brands included Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and slightly cheaper versions such as Aeropostale and American Eagle). When I was quite young, nearly all my clothes were hand-me-downs or thrift store finds, but as I went through middle school and high school, my mom and I would shop exclusively on the sale rack. Therefore, I was sufficiently “cool.”

I believe the shift is largely a reaction against fast fashion. As a teen (this was maybe around 2012) I checked out a book from the library called “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion” by Elizabeth Cline. It was quite an eye-opener – I had already been aware of sweatshops and dangerous working conditions, but at the time, I really didn’t know what to do about it. Even today I’m not perfect, and most of the time I can’t afford clothes made in North America or Europe, but I’m trying to do better by thrifting. Anyways, with books like this, and documentaries such as The True Cost (2015), consumers are considering ethical issues more than ever before. To some extent, brands have responded to this by trying to produce clothing more ethically. However, many are rejecting these brands entirely, in favour of shopping secondhand.

Furthermore, consumers are also more conscious of the environmental impact of their shopping. The textile industry is second only to the oil industry in terms of how much pollution it produces. Therefore, a great way to reduce the pollution is to simply buy clothing that has already been made, rather than purchasing brand new clothing and driving the demand for fast fashion. Thrifting is a great way to be more eco-friendly without breaking your budget.

With all that being said, I’ve been actively shopping at thrift shops this whole month and have not bought any brand-new clothing (yay!) I found that you can get a lot of high quality items and well-known brands at thrift stores. Moreover, even though some stores have high prices, they have sales regularly and you can save even more money that way! Let’s check out some of the things I got!

First of all, I bought this sweater on Friday morning at Salvation Army. They were having an amazing sale: blazers, sweaters, shirts, blouses, and pants were all 50% off! Side note: Salvation Army is a non-profit organization, so there isn’t any tax on the clothes. It’s just a plain grey sweater, a bit oversized, soft, and cozy.

Brand: H&M

Price: $5

Next, I picked up this denim shirt, also at SA. It says “Hard Rock Café Barcelona” on it, which caught my eye because my dad just took a trip to Barcelona. I like that it looks vintage (I actually think it might be) and it’s 100% cotton. All-natural and comfortable!

Brand: Hard Rock Café

Price: $6

I think this is the item I’m most excited about. When I touched it, I had a good feeling about it – then I checked the tag. 100% silk! I’m pretty sure whoever tagged this item didn’t check what it was made of. Fair enough, most of the time tops like this are 100% polyester. Well, I scored big, and I feel like such a fancy lady when I put this on.

Brand: The Limited

Price: $3.50

I also got this camel-coloured blazer. I can’t tell if it looks too old for me or not, but I could tell that it was constructed really well. It’s tailored at the waist with vents on the back for mobility, and it’s 25% wool for some added warmth. Maybe this is the beginning of my journey to dress more like a teacher!

Brand: Plum Tree

Price: $6

The last thing I picked up at SA was this navy blazer. You can’t see in the picture, but it has navy elbow patches which caught my eye. It’s kind of preppy and I think it’ll be nice for fall.

Brand: The Gap

Price: $6

Earlier this month, there was a bag sale at Beacon Community thrift shop. It’s a tiny store on Pandora, but they said you could fill up a bag for $8.50, so of course I had to go! This isn’t a colour I’d usually wear, but it’s 100% cotton and I just thought it was cute. It reminds me a bit of what Sandy wore in Grease when she was still a goody two shoes.

Brand: Brandy Melville

Price: Approximately $1

In the bag sale, I also got this plaid flannel shirt. Of course these are a fall classic! It was exactly my size and from a decent brand so I picked it up.

Brand: TNA

Price: Approximately $1

I hope it was fun and interesting to take a look at some gems that I was able to thrift. Thrifting isn’t easy; you have to search through racks of old-lady clothing, as well as old, faded, stretched out, stained, pilled items that are priced at like $10 (why???). You need a fair bit of spare time in order to properly look through all the sections: I recommend at least 30 minutes. More importantly, you need to pay attention to sales and go early in the morning (it really motivates me to get out of bed!). However, there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t dress like a queen when you shop secondhand. You can find popular brands, luxurious fabrics, vintage pieces, and one-of-a-kind items. For anyone concerned about the environment and the ethics of fast fashion, I recommend thrifting – it’s an adventure you won’t regret!

6 balls of yarn (a kitten’s dream)

I used up a whole ball of yarn on this!

For my free inquiry project, I’ve decided to focus on DIY fashion, with an emphasis on developing more ethical and sustainable habits. In my head it’s still kind of a nebulous concept, but I really didn’t want to limit myself because the whole area is so interesting to me. So this is my first task – knitting a scarf. I bought two balls of yarn on Monday (while they were on sale), and promptly realized I would need a whole lot more yarn. I went back to Michaels today and bought four more (and of course they’re no longer on sale). Now, I’m not a total beginner at knitting – my grandma patiently taught me when I was around ten or twelve. There were many dropped stitches and tangles on my first, hideously orange scarf. After her lessons, I could never seem to remember how to cast on, so I was pretty dependent on her. After a couple of ugly projects with cheap yarn, I kind of gave up on it as I grew older. However, I got back into it last year with the power of Youtube tutorials, motivated to surprise my then-fiancé with a hand-knit scarf for Christmas. This time, I chose a warm grey which was both classy and masculine (that is, until he spilled mustard on it!)

Now, I decided to make something for myself. I wanted to try a new stitch that had been too difficult for me to figure out last year – the rib stitch. Basically, the rib stitch alternates between the two most common stitches – knit and purl. A Youtube tutorial finally opened my eyes to the fact that I had to keep moving my working thread from front to back in order to successfully make this stitch. So, since Monday, I’ve been eagerly working on this scarf and watching it grow longer and longer. Right now, it feels really warm and cozy, and I can’t wait to wear it this winter!

By the way, I chose a yarn that’s 80% acrylic and 20% wool. Now, acrylic is a synthetic material which is made of a polymer based on fossil fuels. So it’s definitely important to be careful about how much acrylic we are using and consuming. However, when I was looking at yarn, almost all the options were 100% acrylic! On the other hand, I wouldn’t be happy with 100% pure wool because it can be very scratchy and it doesn’t do very well if it gets wet. I need this scarf to be practical for winter weather. Also, pure wool can be extremely expensive! I already spent close to $40 on all this yarn. Overall, I like the extra warmth that wool provides, combined with the durability of acrylic fibres. As I continue this free inquiry, I want to keep exploring the pros and cons of natural fibres versus synthetic fibres. Right now, it seems that blended materials can often be a happy medium.

Another idea that I want to explore during this inquiry is the concept of reviving old-fashioned crafts. As a child, I was captivated by the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder that my dad read to me. Her family lived in a forest in Wisconsin in the 1870s, a day’s ride away from the nearest town. Nowadays, I can knit and sew as a hobby, but back in those times, it was one of many life skills that people needed to know in order to survive. It amazes me that Laura’s mother was so capable and independent compared to me. When I need clothes I buy them at a clothing store; when I need food I go to the grocery store. But this woman knew how to to knit, sew, churn butter, chop wood, smoke meat, can fruit, and cook/bake almost anything you could think of. I really admire the resourcefulness of women who had to live off the land in the past. Although I enjoy living a modern life, there’s something that feels really special when you create something useful.

Anyways, that’s my progress so far! I have a few more ideas in the works and I hope to find the time to post about them soon.

Introduction Video

Last weekend I went out and filmed this video with my iPhone in my neighbourhood. I made it for my multiliteracies class, but wanted to share it here because I’m proud of how my vision came to life. It was fun to use my creativity and get outdoors. I do have a higher-quality version, but unfortunately it exceeded the maximum file size, so please excuse the poor quality in this video.

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