Womanly arts

[Candice Mae]

Womanly arts = sewing and cooking? Its not 1950 anymore, this is kind of sexist...

[lingerieLiz]

I can do most of the things that women do. Sew, yes several things from dresses to nightgowns. Today it is cheaper to buy. As for cooking I'm addicted duplicating gourmet recipes. I do laundry, can iron and clean too. But, my wife does all of the above too. Been told I would have made a great wife for someone.

[julia marie]

I don't consider ironing my clothes or sewing on a button as "women's work". They are part of life, and they are my responsibility when it comes to my clothes. I've been ironing my own clothes since junior high (and doing my own laundry almost as long), which I guess was 50 years ago. Doing a hem? I'll go to the cleaners/tailor for that. It's not a gender thing, but what they are good at. Sewing, as in making clothes from scratch? My mother did that for a while for my sisters, but I think she reached a point where she realized the time involved, combined with the cost of patterns and materials, wasn't worth it.

[AndreaSC]

I cook and bake...7th grade Home Ec...Still love doing BOTH!!! I use to do needle point, I can sew on a button, just about anything with sewing. Learned how to iron from my dad.

[Robin777]

I learned to cook and bake when I moved out on my own. It was either that or starve. When I was younger, I was into crafts. Did macrame and hooked rugs when I was a kid. Something most boys would have never done. I still have the rugs.The macrame I sold. My mother tried to teach me to knit,but me being left handed I could never pick it up. I clean and do laundry,mainly to help the wife. My mother taught me to do laundry when I was a kid.Did a lot at home. I don't consider most of this to be womanly duties. I consider them to be sharing of responsibilities of maintaining a household.

[Violet-13]

I can't cook unless it's from a box. I do laundry when I can class keeps me busy

[Jackie7]

Very interesting range of views, thank you all!

And yes of course, laundry and cooking are essential skills for everyone. At the same time it's not sexist to note that they are traditionally considered to be in the female realm, alongside the traditional female crafts. Probably 90% or more of the customers at stores that sell sewing and craft supplies are female.

The question behind the post is whether one's interest in dressing spills over to other "traditionally female" activities or not. As the replies make clear, it varies a lot. I'm going to start a similar post on the other side of the coin.

[michelle60]

I guess I would have to say I do most of the housework washing cleaning making the beds and about half the cooking of meals I guess I was lucky been taught to cook and do all of this when I was still at school by my mother so it just became natural for me to do all of this and I do have to say I do not mind doing it

[LPark]

I'm the family cook. My SO is just for back-up cooking. But She's the family cleaner-upper. I can't meet her standards.

[NicoleScott]

Yes to cooking, cleaning, sewing, setting a proper table, washing and drying clothes with attention to proper care, and ironing. No to knitting, crocheting, and embroidery, which I don't see as essential skills. I have made a quilt (it's sewing). I don't see any of these as womanly arts. They sure came in handy when I lived alone and now am married to a woman with few of these skills (other than laundry and cleaning). Just as I don't see raking the yard as a manly art.

[cardigansissy]

I've done a little cross stitch, which I really enjoyed. I've been subscribing to several needlecraft magazines, and my wife's willing to teach me crochet(though she's not generally very happy with my girliness!). So it ends up not just being clothes, at least in my case.

[JenniferLynn0370]

I grew up doing cross-stitch and needle point with my Mother and I enjoyed crocheting, cooking, sewing, etc. I do dishes, fold laundry, sweep, vacuum, some cooking and baking, and share a lot of house work with my spouse, but I often am credited with being "very domestic". I often say I am just trying to earn my maid's uniform :-) Some day I hope to actually wear a maid's uniform whenever I clean our house! I learned a lot from Mom who was, and still is, my role model!

[Amanda M]

Not so sure about the womanly arts thing! I do sew, and I'm the cook in the house

[sometimes_miss]

Learned how to do basic sewing, cooking, laundry, cleaning because mom worked full time. Learned all the sexual girl things in a less reasonable way. So yeah, I would have made someone a good wife, I was just the wrong gender and sex for the part.