Feminist Fair Goes Balls Out
It's that time of year again. Yes, the spring air has melted the winter snow, the Diag is filled with people, and Feminist Fair is just around the corner. Except there's something different about the Fair this year, something long, hard, and full of seamen.
"It's the Submarine of Feminism!" exclaimed event coordinator Sheila Goodman. "We needed something to really get people's attention, and everyone knows that women really love submarines."
The differences between this year's fair and those of years past don't end there. Goodman sees changes "left and right", but one stands out as the most important. "There's no question in my mind that we've become more vocal," she said. "In the past we had a tendency to be timid, but now the Fair is really balls out. It's great."
The fair has battled to achieve recognition on campus. "We know that our fair isn't the largest, but, really, it is a bit bigger than average," said Goodman. "Many schools across the country don't even have feminist fairs." Goodman also claims that larger fairs are often aimless and impersonal.
"The really big fairs have so many people that they can't really offer you any personal attention," she said. "And besides, with all those people you never know what disease you're going to catch. It's just not sanitary or safe."
Despite the risks of going larger, Feminist Fair 2000 does have more booths, food, and fun than any Fair before. "It's amazing how fast we're growing. It's like we just hit puberty or something," said Twyla Richards, president of the Undergraduate Women's Studies Association. "We've really whipped it out this year."
There is no denying that FF2K is bigger. And, since the end of the fair has been pushed back from 4:30 to 6:30, it is also longer. Said Richards, "we felt the Fair just wasn't enough to satisfy all the liberated women at the University. They needed more."
Richards, Goodman, and the rest of the FF2K organizers hope to put to rest complaints that the Fair lacks staying power. "We were very tired last year," said Goodman, "but this year will remain upright and perky for hours on end. We promise."
However, not everyone is so positive about the fair. Several of last year's participants have voiced complaints stemming from an alleged lack of personal attention. "I must have given my phone number and email address to a half-dozen feminist groups last year," said Sandra Jenkins, "and not one of them called back. It's disgusting."
Richards promises this year will be better. "Fear not, lovely feminist women. We love all of you in your own personal way and promise to call back this year. Really. There will even be flowers. Won't you please come? You would if you loved us."
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