TEA AND A CHAT “Think: have I represented people as best as I can?”
MAKER RUMANA LASKER DAWOOD ON DIVERSITY IN THE SEWING COMMUNITY
W
THIS MONTH I’M LOVING... Listening to: The audiobook of Michelle Obama’s Becoming. Eating: Vanilla custard doughnuts after having them at a draping course. Learning: How to use a knitting machine that’s recently been handed down to me.
hen Runner’s World featured a hijabwearing woman as their cover model in 2016 I thought “wow! It’s cool to see someone like me on a magazine!”. I looked at sewing magazines, expecting them to reflect the diversity of the community, but it was obvious there was a real issue. Out of 52 covers from four different magazines, there were zero nonwhite models. That’s when I realised this was a big problem and I needed to speak out. After reviewing sewing mag covers from 2017-2018, I launched the #sewincolour hashtag. I wanted to get people thinking about what we can do individually to improve representation for all. The response was so much bigger than I expected and the sewing community really got behind it! Sewing companies and influencers spoke about it, it was the topic of podcasts and blog posts, and it spawned a new hashtag – #POCwhosews. There have been similar conversations in the knitting community, and we’ve seen it move on to ageism and sizeism. For communities celebrating individuality through creativity regardless of size, shape and gender, it’s bizarre to front our crafts with only size 6-8, 20-something white women. Recently there’s been an emphasis on how privilege plays a part in the erasure of BIPOC, especially through inaction. I’d love to see more action. Let’s take a moment to think: “Have I represented people as best as I can?”, whether that’s a blog post sharing influencers, or sewing companies selecting brand ambassadors or models. To show support, you can share the #sewincolour badge, ask brands to improve their representation, share your stories or amplify those of others. The main thing is to keep the conversation going – it’s not an easy one to have, but the more we talk, the more we can change. Rumana shares #sewincolour updates on Instagram @thelittlepomegranate, and blogs about her sewing adventures at www.thelittlepomegranate.co.uk.
98 MOLLIEMAKES.COM
