Bruised Snowflake
With the rash of shit-storms currently going on, I hate to sound like a white, cis-male, bruised snowflake. So ignore this if you can’t stand reading one more whiny jerk complaining about how he got butt-hurt for being dismissed.
Ads For The Bruised Snowflake
An e-mail came through that made me take notice. Interweave Knits is putting out a new “Menswear Collection”. I loved the first design (photo above). Until I read the caption.
It was really disappointing to be excited by something targeted at me and then to find out it’s targeted to spouses of men. This one too.
In some ways, I’m grateful for the irritating intrusion into my morning. These ads are a reminder of all the times that women are discounted in clueless ways. All the times that people of color wished there was at least one model in the advertisement that looked like them. Or the dismissal of older models, or different body-shaped people.
Maybe I just needed a less important annoyance to take my mind off all the massive shit that’s going on in the World. But it would seem that it’s all the more important for advertisers to take into consideration how their ads might exclude or alienate someone. So they don’t ad to the craziness?
Okay, dream-mode off…whiny-mode off.
I’m grateful Interweave Knits is publishing beautiful designs for men. Go download them now.
Current Knitting
I Made some minor progress on my Hallgrim Scarf.
Are you wondering what the back of the scarf looks like? I had something funny happened yesterday. I had laid out the scarf flat showing the reverse side and Thaddeus walked by and commented, “that design looks really nice!”
The sweater looks beautiful. Great design. And your Hallgrim Scarf is progressing so quickly. I love Thaddeus’ remark!
Best wishes!
Agree with Mike Graham on both points:)! I confess I couldn’t find anything in the description (at first) that made the ad seem geared toward womyn – until I saw the word “menfolk.” Oh dear!
I agree with Thaddeus (and Mike)! The scarf looks nice no matter what side it’s on. Fantastic indeed.
I’m curious as to what a “makeover” of the interweaves ad should look like?
Thanks Karen…Jamie’s pattern is truly great and I’m enjoying knitting it.
The “makeover” of the ad would need only one small phrase added…”or for yourself”
5 patterns to make for your significant other or for yourself
The second one that reads “Knitting for Menfolk” could easily just be changed to “Knitting Designs Men Would Love”
The scarf is gorgeous. Although I don’t like knitting scarves, I am tempted with this one. Your choice of yarn is spot on. I especially like the colour in the last picture. I know the colour is #403, but did it have a name as well.
Your fix for the above ads was so right. I thought it was just me becoming an old curmudgeon who reacted to ads like that.
Thanks Ron…it’s a nice challenging stitch pattern.
I just found out on Ravelry that colour 403 is “Forest”
Thank you.
As a woman who sometimes knits for men, I also find this verbiage obnoxious. But a couple of the descriptions of the individual patterns do assume that the reader will be knitting them for himself. (“This winter, replace your standard blazer or sport coat with a handsome shawl-collar sweater.” “Stand out in this classic and casual cardigan . . . “) So someone at Interweave seems to grasp that men do knit.