4 Holiday Gifts that Feminists Will Actually Appreciate

Impact

Ahhh yes, it's that time of year again, the time when you spend money you don't have to prove to your family and closest friends that you love them! But what if one of your closest friends or family members is a pesky radical feminist? As Jezebel asks, “What would you buy for a budding feminist?”

If you're struggling with this question, here's the ultimate holiday gift guide to make picking out a present for that special equal rights advocate in your life easier than fighting discrimination. 

1) The ecofeminist

Since most women probably don't want to spend their extra hard-earned $40 on a menstruation product, the Diva Cup is a perfect holiday gift!

The DivaCup is a reusable, bell-shaped menstrual cup that is worn to collect, rather than absorb your menstrual flow. I mean, who really wants a dry wad of cotton stuffed up there anyway? As I mentioned, the DivaCup is reusable, so it saves you the money that you would be spending monthly on other non-reusable menstruation products, and since there is no waste, it is also extremely eco-friendly! And for my women who prefer pads, there are always the reusable cloth pads, which will also save you money and tons of waste from our landfills.

2) The young feminist

Books, books, books! Who wouldn't want to arm themselves with material to help them analyze the gender implications of everything? I know for me personally, when I first became interested in feminism as a young girl, I wanted to get my hands on every feminist theory book that I could.

Here are a few of my personal favorite feminist theory books for those just starting to learn about feminism as an ideology:

Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by Bell Hooks

Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti

Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism's Work Is Done by Susan J. Douglas

Or, you can learn your feminist-theory while staring at the majestic face of Ryan Gosling and check out Feminist Ryan Gosling: Feminist Theory (as Imagined) from Your Favorite Sensitive Movie Dude by Danielle Henderson.

3) The Marxist feminist

Corporate giants don't need their pockets lined! Help support small businesses and local artists and buy hand-made this holiday season. A simple search on Etsy.com will bring you to many awesome feminist crafters with both unique and empowering gifts. One of my personal favorites is Modern Girl Blitz, she makes a lot of quirky prints and accessories which would be great for the feminist on your list.

4) The radical feminist

Tickets to a local performance of The Vagina Monologues would cross a gift off your list while donating money to domestic violence shelters. Most towns have local volunteers or college students who produce an annual performance of The Vagina Monologues every year.

For those who don't know, The Vagina Monologues typically take place on Valentine's Day, February 14th, which has since been renamed as “V-Day” in spirit of the performance. The performance is a collection of monologues created to bring attention to the fight to stop violence against women and girls.

Since this year is actually the 15th anniversary of The Vagina Monologues, it's a great holiday gift idea!

Shopping for a feminist doesn't have to be hard. These are just a few ideas, but you can always get them whatever it is they already want. (If you have other ideas, feel free to drop them in the comment section. )

And if you're really out of time and money, you could just buy them a hammer. You know, to help smash the patriarchy.