Yesterday I had my sale for the Gender and Women Studies Department (http://womenstudies.wisc.edu/). For them I made man-shaped cookies to reference the addition of the term "Gender" to the department name (the department was formerly just the Women Studies Department). I also made them as a provocation against the general idea that the people in the Women Studies Department are all men hating militant feminists.
I wasn't entirely sure what their response would be to the fact that I only had men for sale. Would they catch the irony? Would they think it was funny? Would they be offended? There was only one way to find out...
As I packed up my cart that morning, I had a sinking suspicion that the day wasn't looking very promising. It was still cold and rainy and I was worried that my sale day would end as disappointing as my first sale a few days earlier at the business school. I was certain
my men would all break as I rode them over there. Ironically enough, these men are pretty fragile. They're little men legs snap off at the slightest jostling. I had to be very careful with them and pack them well with bubble wrap to make sure they made it in one piece. A few broke before I could even get them in the cart :(...
I had a mountain to climb on my way there. The department is on a steep hill and there was no way for me to get there other than to climb. But the cart and its underlying Burley frame is built well and i made it with surprisingly less
effort than I thought.
Before I cold even set up, people were asking about my cart and I had already attracted a small group of interested customers. Thankfully, my sale went better than I could ever have imagined. Of course, at this point, the sun had come out. It was warm enough for short sleeves and people were generally in a good mood. I am certain this helped my sales, but even more so the people convening around Ingraham Hall were a pleasure to work with. They were amused by the whole prospect of my sale. The men made them laugh. They asked questions about my the project, the men and the name of my cookies (One Smart Cooky). Most of all, they were generally excited that I was raising money for their department.
(Photo courtesy of my new friend Ralph, taken and sent to me from his iPhone.
Technology still amazes me)
-vs-
