Pocket-Sized Feminism

Blythe Baird’s poem “Pocket-Sized Feminism” was posted by Button Poetry on February 16, 2016. I related so much with her performance and I’m sure many others can as well.

The beginning of the poem sets the stage at a party where the men are gawking at the only other girl who is “ranting about feminism”. Baird admits to wanting to speak up with the girl, but satirically replies, “This house is for wallpaper women. What good is wallpaper that speaks? I want to stand up, but if I do, whose coffee table silence will these boys rest their feet on?”. She is playing on the idea that wallpaper and coffee tables are the things that women should care about: not the F word. She’s afraid of the men grouping her in with a feminist.

While she is afraid of not being accepted by the men for speaking about women’s issues, she’s also afraid that women won’t accept her because she acts as a bystander in situations where she might be ridiculed for being a feminist. She states, “I am ashamed of keeping my feminism in my pocket until it is convenient not to, like at poetry slams or women studies classes.” This speaks to the fact that you must not only stand for women’s issues in spaces you know are safe. You have to be true to yourself and what you value.

She also speaks of three separate instances where she was sexually assaulted. Each one of them went unreported. The first two instances, she was silenced because of the stereotype of dramatic women. She says she didn’t want to cause drama in her friend group and she didn’t want to cause a scene. She questions, “Is silence not an active violence too?”

Lastly, she talks about double standards. While women are taught from childhood to protect ourselves and behave a certain way in order to avoid sexual assault, boys aren’t concerned with any of it. However, this is wrong because they should be taught about consent and how to protect themselves from sexual assault.

This poem is very important, and I think touches upon a lot of relevant issues. Baird’s delivery makes it very powerful and emotional.