There are a lot of issues out there for anime fans to devote their awareness to. We’re trying to help post-tsunami Japan, get voice actor Greg Ayres the dental treatment he couldn’t afford and combat copyright infringement.
However, sometimes the problems we face have simple, inexpensive solutions. I’m talking about reducing gender inequality at conventions simply by diversifying t-shirt sizes. As I wrote more briefly on Tumblr, it’s an easy fix that will go a long way toward making otaku women feel welcome.
In my staff t-shirt at Anime Boston 2011.
A couple days ago, I was reading Geek Feminism’s wiki about tech conference t-shirts. Usually, these only come in men’s sizes. That was no surprise to me. Tech is still an overwhelmingly male field, and women who enter it face gender bias. In fact, I just spoke to a blind woman in tech support who said she once faced discrimination in the workplace, not for her disability but simply because her supervisor didn’t think a woman could handle the job. That’s terrible, and it shows equality in tech is still a ways away.
However, my point is about anime conventions. Unlike tech conferences, we’ve already reached equality. In fact, at Anime USA which I staff, we have more female than male attendees (54 percent to 46 percent)! Trust me, I graphed the statistics.
Yet even with the numbers to prove that men are not even half our audiences, we still cater to the male body. This causes problems for a woman, like:
- Her ill-fitting shirt makes her look sloppy and unprofessional. She is less likely to be asked for assistance by the attendees she’s there to help. As a result, she may be less likely to get promoted to a higher position.
- Since none of the shirts flatter her, she could get the idea that it’s a problem with her body, not with the shirt. This lowers her self esteem and she isn’t performing at her best. And who’s to say people around her won’t criticize her appearance?
- But if she wears another shirt, she isn’t showing solidarity with the convention. She won’t be seen as a team player.
You might say, “Well, t-shirts in women’s sizes are a great idea, Lauren, but who’s going to deal with the extra hassle and price?”
I’m glad you asked, Non Person, because I do have experience ordering convention t-shirts for Anime USA. We usually get ours through Reston Shirt in order to support local business. Not surprisingly, women’s shirts cost the same as men’s — there would be no extra cost. Plus, being that our convention already orders shirts from size S to size XXXXXL (yes, really), Reston Shirt is used to getting diverse size requests from us. I can’t imagine adding women’s S through XL would trip them up.
This doesn’t need to happen by tomorrow, but it’s something we should all be aware of. Until today it never even occurred to me that while I agonize over trying to look my best in an unflattering baggy t-shirt for the weekend, my fellow male staffers dress the same as they always do.
Women make up half of anime con attendance. It’s time we stop pretending the male body is the only body type convention t-shirts are meant to cover.
24 Comments.
I never would have thought about this on my own, aside from my own personal rantings and ramblings about never being able to get flattering shirts.
But all of this is so very true. I had a job once where they gave us unisex button-up shirts in the most immovable and unflattering fabric imaginable. I tried multiple times to explain that because the shirts were cheaply made and ill-fitting, not only did the staff look unprofessional but we FELT unprofessional. If we had to leave the office to run an errand, even to the next building over, we would change. Everybody work a different shirt under their work shirt to make this a faster process.
Eventually, they changed to something that at least was a bit more tolerable in a better fabric, but they still didn’t listen to the fact that women should have fitted shirts designed for their bodies. They still went unisex.
It drives me crazy, because as a larger person, there is no way I can ever wear women’s sizes from most t-shirt vendors. I typically feel most comfortable in a men’s size L or XL. I was so glad to read somebody point out that a women’s size XL doesn’t even cover a men’s size S most of the time. That’s just ridiculous, and it’s something that has been bothering me for years. I love t-shirt designs, but I’ve stopped wearing t-shirts in public because they are never flattering in any way. Because I’m wearing a men’s style, they always look like a sack.
@Mary, what I don’t get about “unisex” is that they’re not actually unisex, right? They’re styled to fit on a body without curves. That’s like having a unisex bathroom that only has urinals.
I’ve worn uniforms for a couple of jobs, and one actually did give me a flattering cut. I worked at a gym and I think since we were selling the idea of looking good, the company wanted us to look good, too. But when I worked at an ice cream store in high school, I wasn’t so lucky. Ugh.
I did notice the part in the wiki about how women’s XL is the same as a men’s S. I doubt conferences can do anything about that. Maybe t-shirt companies need to take note.
You go to the heart of ANOTHER feminist issue, which is one of sizeism. Problem is, the mainstream fashion industry (who hates fat people) sets the sizes. I wonder if there’s a company that’s using a more progressive size scheme from whom you can order shirts. :T
If not, maybe there’s a market out there?
I guess that answers my question of “are women’s shirts just more intermediary sizes or a pure fit issue.”
It’s a pure fit issue.
@Asterisk, yeah! And by the way, I don’t think conventions are sexist for overlooking this. As I pointed out, I was on the marketing team and had a hand in ordering the shirts last year. We’re actually very concerned about making sure everyone can find a shirt in their size, and that’s why we order all the way up to XXXXXL. But the idea of men’s bodies being default and women’s being somehow deviant from that is so ingrained in our culture that I didn’t even think about ordering women’s shirt sizes as well.
I’m still pondering if this is more of a failure in project planning and execution and less specifically targeted to feminism. There’s so much to consider when putting projects like this together that maybe someone isn’t thinking of sex when ordering shirts? I’m a pretty open minded person, but I’m wavering on the direct connection here that someone has intentionally or unintentionally offended female rights in this specific instance.
Don’t get me wrong usually you and Pat open my eyes on some of these issues, but this one isn’t sticking to me. Has anyone brought these concerns up to con management? If so, what was their response? For this one to hit home with me, that’s be the part that I’m interested in. If they apologize and claim ignorance then that makes it forgivable. If they state they aren’t changing it … Then it really becomes a problem.
My stepmother owns her own marketing company. I need to ask her how people order clothing for different sex’s.
Also, I can’t proofread this since I’m on my phone. You need a mobile version for your site. I hope my comment isn’t complete crap ;p
@Crimm, thanks for the comment! Is it hard to set up a mobile version of a custom theme like mine?
It sounds like you want me to say there’s some big mean sexist bully in charge of anime convention t-shirts, but that’s not the case. As I said, for Anime USA, men and women are in charge of getting the shirts ready. And you’re right — people are NOT thinking of sex while they’re ordering the shirts.
The issue here is that everyone — including myself — has been trained to think of men as the norm, and ignore women. It’s not a problem with the convention, it’s a problem with geek culture.
The only “bad guy” is our own mindset.
@crimm
“The issue here is that everyone — including myself — has been trained to think of men as the norm, and ignore women. ”
THIS is what makes it a feminist issue. There is NO consideration of women as fans and that needs to be changed. The “ignorance” you talk about comes from the fact that when we think “convention” we don’t think women, even though my pictures from every convention is filled with them.
When we as fans assume that our population is homogenous, we do double damage of erasing people who are different, and also force them to interact with THEIR fandom on OUR terms.
@Patches, you know, I was starting to feel kind of embarrassed about what a big deal I’m making out of t-shirts, but then I saw this. This issue is the symptom of a larger problem. And you are better versed in women’s rights than this woman right here.
Don’t be, Lauren. You’ve made a good point. Don’t think that I think that your point shouldn’t be made. I just believe that you should direct it to con management so you’re voice can be heard.
I’m probably failing here due to my lack of knowledge of the industry.
You and Patches should continue with your plight for female rights. As a father raising two daughters I applaud your efforts and will continue to discuss and promote your thoughts/points.
Thanks for listening and creating the post.
Patches,
I don’t agree. I don’t believe that people planning cons fail to ‘completely’ consider women. I think you are generalizing a bit here. Everyone I talked to when going to Otakon had something to talk about when it came to females. A few topics I can think of, both on the “risque” side and not are:
1) Cosplay
2) Audience panel discussion
3) Mingling
I had the most wonderful conversation with a woman outside of the Trigun premiere. It was fantastic. I, as a fan and nerd, enjoy the company of women more than men. That’s due to the way I grew up. It upsets my wife that, that’s a fact but it’s true.
The same can be said for the two gentleman that I came with. I think you are making too large of a statement there.
“There is NO consideration of women as fans and that needs to be changed.”
Again, I’ve never planned an anime event, but you can’t lump everyone in that statement. Surely, not?
I wish I had been to more cons. Now that I reflect on your post (I’m not editing what I’ve already written, I’m too tired) you guys are far more experienced than I am.
I actually am going to bow out, from here on. I don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers, or lead anyone to believe that I think any less than women, due to my ignorance/newbness of the anime world.
No, Lauren please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to put words in your mouth. I’m not trying to say there is a bad guy here; I’m just trying to say that I think this is more of a lack of forethought/planning than a lack of consideration of sexism/feelings. Does that make more sense?
You guys have a point, I’m just having trouble grasping it in this specific situation. Please don’t think that I think/feel any less of your point. Let’s think of a different scenario that would allow for more planning and in a more structured, less anxiety/stressful environment. (Note: I’ve never planned a con, so I may be off on this one. This is based on opinion of project management)
I used to work at a Go-Kart/Baseball/Lazer Tag/Put-put park. We were required to wear t-shirts that indicated that we were staff. This is an official place of business and these types of businesses are located all over the nation. If your specific discussion (in this post) were reflected for this type of environment I would agree. To me, cons are low-budget, temporary, high-stress, high-anxiety, fast-faced planning events (again, I’ve never planned one and have only been to one, so I may be WAY off base there) and in that instance these types of things (t-shirts) are low on the totem pole unless someone like yourself, Lauren addresses it with con Management.
As a trained project manager of some VERY large projects it’s not something I would consider, in this specific instance. Not because of a mindset problem, but just because I have enough to manage. With that said, please don’t spin my wording to mean that I think less of women. You are talking to the wrong southern male to say that. I take women’s needs into consideration on a daily basis. I just mean that percentage of project planning for staff t-shirts would be much lower % than trying to organize the tons of events, ensure security, and ensure everyone is happy.
Does my point make sense as well?
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Now I understand what you are also saying: That even yourself has just now realized this as an issue. You may be correct in thinking it’s due to society placing this mindset upon us, or is it because of this being, as I said, a special type of situation (With regards to timing, planning, and environment). If the Daily Dot told you to wear a male type outfit to go interview someone… You’d say something a lot faster wouldn’t you?
I just think that it takes agressive thinking like yourself to bring feminism into more types of specific environments like cons, as you’ve already stated. But, back to what I was saying originally though… People will continue to, what I believe, fail to plan and consider all feelings/sexism unless someone like yourself brings it up to con management.
That’s the road I was going down when I asked if this had previously ben discussed with con management and what their response was. If someone addresses this with them and they blow it off… Then it’s a MAJOR problem. If they apologize for the ignorance and fix it going forward… Then I think you’ve done the world a great deal of justice, Lauren.
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As for mobile, hit me up tomorrow on IM/Email. I can give you a 5 minute lesson on how to do it in WordPress. It is independent on what themes you are using. It uses it’s own theme for mobile clients. Will talk tomorrow.
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I’m not proofreading again, I’m tired ;p
It’s just a hunch, but I think that the reason that the issue just doesn’t come to mind for most people organizing conventions (especially tech conventions) is that they’re predominantly male and have never faced this issue.
Women who are on staff might feel like it’s just “one of those things” or as the article points out, may put the blame on themselves for not fitting a physical ideal rather than realizing that clothing sizes are bogus and dumb most of the time.
So in the end, I agree that it’s not an overt “we want to exclude women” it’s just a symptom of a larger issue where people just don’t think about the women attendees or consider them when making their decisions.
I’ve been going to a lot of gaming events lately. Everything about them is tailored to a male audience, because even as recently as a year ago that was all they got. But now the number of women attendees are rising every single month, so I’d love to see them becoming a bit more friendly towards us or at least not spending so much time and energy on booth babes.
@Mary, since you go to so many events, I bet you could do a fantastic post comparing what each one does (or doesn’t) do to make female attendees feel welcome.
I have yet to go to a convention with booth babes, but I am sure it would make me uncomfortable. Do I talk to her? Ignore her and let her do her job? Patches and I had a discussion on Tumblr about how booth babes actually train men to ignore women at conferences and speak instead to the man standing next to her. Because booth babes can give men the idea that women are at the conference are there for display and promotion purposes only.
I think a lot of the issue comes down to projection.
In a micro sense, it seems that a lot of conventions have logistical issues across the board. It’s certainly a very complicated task to arrange and coordinate as many moving pieces as modern conventions require. Every convention I’ve attended has had an artist’s section, a seller’s floor, movie and episode viewings, specialized panels, cosplay events… It’s really a monstrous undertaking, even before taking into account the ad hoc planning for when things don’t go exactly as planned. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think staff uniforms become an expense on the budget rather than an expression of professionalism at most conventions. And when that is the attitude, it gets handled in a utilitarian fashion. Males benefit from this, but I completely agree with you – it’s not an active effort to demean or depreciate.
(If it’s of any consolation, I’m pretty sure the uniforms at my work look bad on men and women.)
In the macro, it’s certainly an issue worth discussing. I recently found an essay by Anat Rafaeli and Monica Worline (http://iew3.technion.ac.il/Home/Users/anatr/symbol.html) that discusses workplace symbolism, and it echoes a lot of the sentiments you bring up. The workplace is a place of expression, and every image and choice by both parties affects that expression.
In the end, the issue is displacement; if a place of business does not place value in the individual presentation of its workers, that lack of value reflects on the worker, not the business. I too think there’s a need for change in the culture, and though it may seem small, cleaning up the image of conventions is a vital part of that change.
..it never even occurred to me that while I agonize over trying to look my best in an unflattering baggy t-shirt for the weekend, my fellow male staffers dress the same as they always do.
Err, right. Because a size XXL t-shirt looks smashing on a 6’5″, long waisted, skinny SOB like myself. A lot of men agonize of how they look in these sack shirts, too, y’know. :P
Seriously, though, I can’t decide if you’re blowing this issue a bit out of proportion or if it needs to be blown out even further. After wracking my addled memory for the better part of lunch, I cannot remember a single event (fundraisers, charity events, 5ks, renaissance festivals, academic conventions, IT conventions, cons, etc.) where the t-shirts provided have come in women’s sizes. In fact, it’s rare that they even come in a wide range of sizes, since it’s usually cheaper to just order sizes in bulk. I think most coordinators grab a large quantity of the size most likely to cover the broadest range of people and run with that. It would be nice if they offered considerations to women- or skinny men.
You mentioned that Reston shirts offer the same pricing for women’s cut shirts as they do for regulars, and if this is the case I agree that not having them is an oversight. I occasionally shop for women’s t-shirts since the fit is closer to my body type, and I’ve noticed that women’s tees tend to be a bit more expensive (most likely because they can afford to charge a bit more) but then so, too, do athletic fit or regular “fitted” t-shirts.
Reading back over your post, I’m really not sure that I consider this to be a gendered issues, honestly, or at least one that’s endemic to cons. If other volunteer events were handing out women’s cut t-shirts and cons alone were still forcing everyone to wear size XL bag-fit shirts, I’d agree with you more emphatically but this simply isn’t the case (from what I’ve seen).
…I’m sorry. But it feels so wrong to see you as a volunteer at a con–
A-anyways, I didn’t know that. Have you asked a con official about why that’s the case?
@Justin, sorry I didn’t respond to this sooner. Why does it feel wrong that I’m on staff at a con? I love anime and I like to give back to the community.
As I wrote, I’m on the team of officials that would be in charge of t-shirts. We’ve already discussed making it happen at our con next year. =)
As mentioned above, guys often don’t ‘look good’ in these things either , but I can understand if women are more sensitive about appearances … and the only easy answer is to stop with the teeshirts , there are other ways
@4AKS one of the things another volunteer and I discussed on Twitter was neon vests for staff. Given that we’re supposed to wear the shirt consistently, that’d at least be way more hygenic.
That’d be better, shouldn’t be hard to customize for the event
Thanks for writing this.
Can we also ask men and women to abandon gender norms like t-shirt sizes and wear t-shirts that aren’t made for their gender?
Destroy gender boundaries!
I am pleased to say that I DO offer womens’ shirts at Shuto Con, though they are tanks rather than tees. I had more women say they wanted something “feminine” this year, and I would say a fitted tank top is pretty fem. :D In our first year we also carried womens’ raglan fitted shirts, but they ran super small and we weren’t able to accommodation the ladies of a larger size as well as I would have liked.
@Stefanie, I’m glad to hear it! I’m going to try to make women’s shirts a priority at AUSA in 2012, too. Maybe I’ll write a post about the cons that DO accomodate various sizes. I also just learned Reddit does this: http://www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes/comments/njwjq/halp_would_like_to_know_what_you_ladies_like_when/