He Asked Me What My Hobbies Are and I Said "Vibes."

He asked me what my hobbies are and I said "vibes."

Did this actually happen?

No. But maybe we should start saying it?

Women's hobbies and interests have long been dismissed. They are seen as silly, shallow, unimportant, cringy, or a complete waste of time. And unfortunately, many of these hobbies are related to art, emotion, and subculture (which, by the way, are extremely important and beneficial hobbies that do matter). When men have hobbies, it's considered "passion," "identity," or "craft." They use terms that indicate a level of respect, legitimacy, and productivity. Women never see these terms used to describe their hobbies. This coincides with the cultural and social tendency to essentially make fun of the interests of women. And in doing this, we not only dismiss the important role of art and creativity, but also contribute to patriarchal norms. Ew. 

The ridiculous thing is, these hobbies truly do matter. Women have such creative minds, and their hobbies involve a high level of emotional intelligence, creativity, intuition, and artistic abilities. To be clear: this isn't about saying there are certain hobbies for women and certain hobbies for men (not at all). It's about the fact that regardless of what women choose to enjoy, it's going to be taken less seriously simply because they're the ones doing it.

The double standard (there's that term again) is actually kinda ridiculous. A man can create a "man cave" or collect the same sneaker in 47 colours and it's "cool". But a woman who's into fashion or painting is considered "shallow". Makes sense, right?

The thing is, there's no such thing as "real" hobby versus an "unreal" one. A hobby is just that - a hobby. It can be anything you want. Maybe it's playing the guitar or coding. Maybe it's gardening or creating playlists. It could be creating different hairstyles, researching pop culture, or knitting sweaters for your dog. There shouldn't be limitations on what people genuinely enjoy doing. 

I think that using the word "vibes" perfectly encapsulates women's abilities to create beauty from the mundane. These hobbies that society loves to mock require a great deal of care and creation, and all too often this goes unrecognized and uncredited. Women's hobbies place an emphasis on feeling, which is exactly what a hobby should do - provide joyful, cinematic, therapy-replacing feelings.

So yeah, my hobby is "vibes."

Until next time,

Pisces Ponderings ♓