Why Michael’s Removed A Feminist Craft Book During Women’s History Month
03/16/21 AT 5:35 PM
Feminism doesn’t include a swear word. Or, at least, it doesn’t at Michael’s arts and crafts stores.
The New York Times reports that the company, which operates 1,250 stores in the United States and Canada, pulled a book promoting feminist arts and crafts from store shelves in February after employees noticed that it contained a curse word in some of the designs. The book, “Feminist Cross-Stitch,” by Stephanie Rohr, contained forty patterns, four of which used an obscenity.
The publication reports that two employees noticed the word as they stocked the book, and the incident was reported up the chain of command to the corporation’s headquarters, which ordered U.S. stores to then remove the books and throw them in the trash. The latter move sparked outrage in online craft forums, especially because the move came during Women’s History Month.