Abstract
The significance of Kamala Harris’ groundbreaking election to vice president of the United States is demonstrated by the calls for women, Black women in particular, to celebrate her and Biden’s victory by wearing pearl necklaces and Converse-brand tennis shoes, items that Harris herself wore frequently. Historically, many of these beliefs have been expressed in buttons or even on t-shirts. In 1974, a t-shirt with the slogan “The Future is Female” was designed by Labryis Books. Popular at the time, the phrase continued to appear since then, but saw a huge resurgence in 2015 when Rachel Berks remade the shirt for her shop Otherwild. What was to be a one-time limited print run giving back to Planned Parenthood turned in to a shirt (and sweatshirts) in various colors and sizes constantly in stock. Stores like Otherwild have popped up across the United States, including Phenomenal and The Outrage, which have worked to create a new outlet for those who want to be politically engaged, but for various reasons cannot participate in marches or other events. Financially, these stores give back, helping to provide various resources for feminist, non-profit organizations that support reproductive rights, healthcare, queer concerns, immigration, civil rights, voting rights, and general human rights. Visible accessories and t-shirts allow people all over the country to participate in the movement for a low cost but easy impact. Non-profits are counting on it, and as walk-outs and protests persist across the world, it appears that fashion and art will continue to be helpful tools that contribute to the political conversation. Whether it appears on the wall or a t-shirt, “The Future is Female” fits a multiplicity of needs: it is hopeful, positive, specific, defiant, open-ended, and more. Understanding the resurgence of this shirt in 2015 and how it parallels an important resurgence of feminist beliefs, feminists make very clear that there is still work to be done.
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Notes
- 1.
Alyson Krueger, “Kamala Harris Has Always Worn Pearls. Now, in Sisterhood, So Will They,” New York Times, January 19, 2021. https://nyti.ms/35RHWAL.
- 2.
Krueger, “Kamala Harris Has Always Worn Pearls.”
- 3.
Qtd. in Alisha Ebrahimji and Scottie Andrew, “Women and Girls are Wearing Pearls and Converse to Honor Vice President Harris,” CNN Style, January 21, 2021. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/pearls-converse-kamala-harris-inauguration-trnd/index.html.
- 4.
Qtd. in Christopher Rosa, “Why Kamala Harris’s Pearls and Chucks Are Being Worn by Supporters on Inauguration Day,” Glamour.com, January 2021. https://www.glamour.com/story/kamala-harris-pearls-chucks.
- 5.
Kamala Harris, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey (New York: Penguin, 2019), 9.
- 6.
Chanel Vargas, “Thousands of Kamala Harris Supporters Will Rock ‘Chucks and Pearls’ on Inauguration Day,” Popsugar, January 19, 2021. https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/kamala-harris-inauguration-chucks-pearls-trend-48116794.
- 7.
Fred Davis, Fashion, Culture, and Identity (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994), 17.
- 8.
Raphaëlle Orsini, 1000 T-Shirts That Make a Statement (New York: Rizzoli Universe Promotional Books, 2019), 12–13.
- 9.
Lou Lv and Zhang Huiguang, The T-Shirt: A Collection of 500 Designs (Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2006), 10.
- 10.
Orsini, 1000 T-Shirts, 18.
- 11.
Lydia Lunch, “Introduction,” in Cesar Padilla, Ripped: T-Shirts from the Underground (New York: Rizzoli Universe Promotional Books, 2012), 6.
- 12.
Lv and Huiguang, The T-Shirt, 27.
- 13.
The history of this t-shirt is discussed thoroughly in ““What The Well Dressed Dyke Will Wear” at The Museum Of Modern Art,” Dyke Quarterly, December 9, 2017. https://www.dykeaquarterly.com/people-liza-cowan/.
- 14.
“What The Well Dressed Dyke Will Wear.”
- 15.
Marisa Meltzer, “A Feminist T-Shirt Resurfaces From the ’70s,” New York Times, November 18, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/fashion/a-feminist-t-shirt-resurfaces-from-the-70s.html.
- 16.
Charlotte Gush, “Casting Spells for a Female Future with 70s Lesbian Separatist Liza Cowan,” Dyke Quarterly, December 8, 2015, https://www.dykeaquarterly.com/2015/12/in-recent-weeks-perhaps-thevery-first-truly-insta-famous-feminist-fashion-item-has-emerged-a-sweatshirt-worn-by-annie-c.html. Originally published in iD Magazine, December 8, 2015.
- 17.
“About Otherwild,” Otherwild, 2022. https://otherwild.com/pages/about-otherwild.
- 18.
“About Otherwild.”
- 19.
Rachel Lubitz, “Meet the Woman Who Started a Feminist Emporium with Those ‘The Future Is Female’ T-Shirts,” MIC, July 5, 2016. https://www.mic.com/articles/147087/meet-the-woman-who-started-a-feminist-emporium-with-those-the-future-is-female-t-shirts.
- 20.
Lubitz, “Meet the Woman …”
- 21.
Koa Beck, White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind (New York: Atria Books, 2021), 93.
- 22.
Beck, White Feminism, 93.
- 23.
Lubitz, “Meet the Woman …”.
- 24.
“Hirsuit Swim Simple,” Otherwild, 2022. https://otherwild.com/collections/swimwear/products/hirsuit-swim-simple.
- 25.
Rachel Berks, “Otherwild Owner Rachel Berks Explains Why We Need Better Clothing Options for Nonbinary and Gender Nonconforming People,” Teen Vogue, June 21, 2019.
- 26.
Berks, “Otherwild Owner Rachel Berks …”.
- 27.
“Anotherwild Fund,” Otherwild, 2022. https://otherwild.com/pages/anotherwild-fund.
- 28.
Author in Zoom Conversation with Rebecca Lee Funk, November 19, 2021.
- 29.
Natalie Delgadillo, “Activist Apparel Company The Outrage Experiences Third Burglary in Three Months,” WAMU 88.5, February 18, 2020. https://wamu.org/story/20/02/18/activist-apparel-company-the-outrage-experiences-third-burglary-in-three-months/.
- 30.
“About,” The Outrage, 2022. https://www.the-outrage.com/pages/who-we-are.
- 31.
As the article notes, he tweeted this in 2018. Joshua Bote, “‘Get in Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble’: Rep. John Lewis in His Own Words,” USA TODAY, July 18, 2020. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/07/18/rep-john-lewis-most-memorable-quotes-get-good-trouble/5464148002/.
- 32.
Author in Zoom Conversation with Rebecca Lee Funk, November 19, 2021.
- 33.
Daniella Byck, “The Outrage DC, the Trump-Era Resistance-Chic Boutique, Is Transforming Into a Memorial for Covid Victims,” Washingtonian, July 1, 2021. https://www.washingtonian.com/2021/07/01/the-outrage-dc-the-trump-era-resistance-chic-boutique-is-transforming-into-a-memorial-for-covid-victims/.
- 34.
Marissa J. Lang, “A D.C. Business is Paying Jobless Workers $15 an Hour to Write Coronavirus Postcards. In the First Day, 1,000 people Applied,” Washington Post, April 1, 2020.
- 35.
Lang, “A D.C. Business…”.
- 36.
Elise Fitzsimmons, “How The Outrage Became an Enclave of Activism,” Unearth Women, August 5, 2019. https://www.unearthwomen.com/2019/08/05/how-the-outrage-became-an-enclave-of-activism/.
- 37.
Author in Zoom Conversation with Rebecca Lee Funk, November 19, 2021.
- 38.
Fitzsimmons, “How the Outrage Became an Enclave of Activism.”
- 39.
Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Women,” And Still I Rise, 1978. Reprinted, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48985/phenomenal-woman, Poetry Foundation, 2022.
- 40.
Hanna Flanagan and Sam Gillette, “How Meena Harris Expanded Her Phenomenal Woman Line from a ‘Little T-Shirt’ to a Booming Brand,” People. https://people.com/style/meena-harris-on-turning-phenomenal-woman-into-a-booming-brand/.
- 41.
Jessica Testa, “Meena Harris, Building That Brand,” The New York Times, January 9, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/09/style/meena-harris-building-that-brand.html.
- 42.
Flanagan and Gillette, “How Meena Harris Expanded Her Phenomenal Woman Line.”
- 43.
Testa, “Meena Harris, Building that Brand.”
- 44.
Nikara Jones, “Why Celebrities, Athletes and Designers Are Wearing This T-Shirt for Breonna Taylor—And How You Can Get One, Too,” Footwear News, August 11, 2020. https://footwearnews.com/2020/fashion/philanthropy/breonna-taylor-t-shirt-phenomenal-campaign-1203039681/.
- 45.
“About,” Phenomenal, 2022. https://www.phenomenalmedia.com/pages/about.
- 46.
Testa, “Meena Harris, Building that Brand.”
- 47.
Alex Weprin, “Meena Harris’ Merch Company Phenomenal Expands Into Entertainment (Exclusive),” The Hollywood Reporter, November 9, 2021. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/meena-harris-phenomenal-entertainment-1235044213/.
- 48.
Meena Harris’ work with and for her aunt, Vice President Kamala Harris, particularly when she is working with the Phenomenal Woman Campaign, has been called into question as perhaps benefiting from Kamala Harris’ elected power. The White House did ask her to stop using Harris’ name and likeness after she was installed as vice president. For more information, see Noah Bierman, “Meena Harris Has a Personal Brand. Some Fear She’s Profiting from her Aunt Kamala’s Office,” Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2021, https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-02-11/meena-branding-business-kamala-harris-niece; and Katie Strick, “Meena Harris: Who is Kamala Harris’ Niece and Why is She Causing a Stir in the White House?,” Evening Standard, February 16, 2021.
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Newman, E.L. (2023). Epilogue: The Future is Female … and Intersectional, Gender-Fluid, and Unexpected. In: Fashioning Politics and Protests. Palgrave Studies in Fashion and the Body. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16227-5_6
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