Oh my dear femmes, and the femme-curious: What makes a femme? I’ve been writing this column trying to say a lot of things about class politics and eco-feminism through the lens of being a femme, but there are many other queer femmes out there who have been writing beautiful and challenging things and here is your chance to read them,   in the Femmethology Volumes!

According to Sassafras Lowrey in ‘œCan you See Me Now’:

‘œI have also been disappointed in the femme spaces I have been in where there exists an unspoken link among materialism, consumerism and femmeness. As a femme with few financial resources and anti’“capitalist politics, that link bothers me. Of course, I love cute dresses and heels as much as the next femme, but I don’t think that my femmeness can be proven by how many Prada bags I own or how much my outfit costs. The idea that femme identity can be bought alienates poor and working-class femmes and people who see capitalism as one of the main roots of oppression in the U.S. and around the world. When femmes buy into the idea that is sold to us in the mainstream media and U.S. consumer society that femininity is something that is quite expensive and must be bought, are we really subverting the sexist and heteronormative ideals of femininity?’

And according to Maria See in ‘œOutfit Separates’:

‘œFemme doesn’t come from within. It comes from my debit card. It’s what I can afford. If I could afford it, my eyebrows would be waxed, and my hair would be colored at a salon. I would buy NARS makeup instead of shopping at CVS. When funds are lower, I’ll trade my hair stylist for a cheaper one, and I’ll change my hair products.’

As a femme, and through this blog, I’m often trying to figure out a balance between ‘œperforming’ femme in an outward consumerist way and paying attention to class inequalities, not to mention saving the ecology of our planet. If you have similar questions, this Femmethology has answers. And then it also has more questions than you ever dreamed of.

Win a free copy by going to this website and order the books here. Both quotes were from Femmethology 2.