History Main / TextileWorkIsFeminine

All of these are feminine tasks, undertaken by women and proving them womanly; among well-to-do characters, this is [[GoodOldWays a sign of old-fashioned virtue]], especially if other women devote the time to partying, and among poorer ones, a sign of their being thrifty housekeepers. This is the source of the ''distaff'' in DistaffCounterpart. The RebelliousPrincess and other {{tomboy}}ish female characters are likely to be bad at them, which is generally treated in more modern works less seriously than it was in RealLife.

All of these are feminine tasks, undertaken by women and proving them womanly. This is the source of the ''distaff'' in DistaffCounterpart. The RebelliousPrincess and other {{tomboy}}ish female characters are likely to be bad at them, which is generally treated in more modern works less seriously than it was in RealLife.

** The gay guy [[IntergenerationalFriendship sometimes joins her]].

* In DianaWynneJones's ''Literature/CastleInTheAir'', the final reason the soldier cites for wanting to marry Princess Beatrice is that she can probably darn socks. She assures him that she can.

Compare FeminineWomenCanCook, with added advantage that it's easy to lug about a distaff or some sewing or knitting and do it anywhere. The IndustrialRevolution was the TropeBreaker, slowly working down the tasks until nowadays only laundry is normal, and that with laundry machines, so that is a mostly ForgottenTrope nowadays. Though GrannyClassic still knits.

* In ''[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/babayaga/index.html Vasilissa the Beautiful]]'', the WickedStepmother assigned her daughter and stepdaughter textile work.

* ''TheCircleOfMagic'' has many kinds of magic worked through crafts. Two characters are "stitch witches" who work through, and enjoy working with, thread and cloth. All of the main four, including the boy Briar, learn to spin fibers into thread, but it's primarily shown around the two women whose magic is worked through it.

** Miss Cornelia shows her tender side by her relentless sewing -- even at Thanksgiving -- clothign for poor children.

Compare FeminineWomenCanCook, with added advantage that it's easy to lug about a distaff or some sewing or knitting and do it anywhere. The IndustrialRevolution was the TropeBreaker, slowly working down the tasks until nowadays only laundry is normal, and that with laundry machines, so that is a mostly ForgottenTrope nowadays.

-->-- '''[[TheBible Proverbs]]'''

* In ''EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon'', the heroine wins the hero from the troll bride by washing his shirt clean.

* In GeneStrattonPorter's ''{{Literature/Freckles}}'', Angel speaks at length about clothes mothers make for newborns.

* In [[LittleHouseOnThePrairie the Little House books]], both Ma and Laura hate sewing, but are still skilled, efficient seamstresses due to this trope. Worth noting that the only jobs open to Laura are teaching and sewing.

* In WenSpencer's ''[[{{Literature/Tinker}} Wolf Who Rules]]'', Tinker thinks about how wives do the laundry and even have discussions about how to get grass stains out.

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-->-- '''Proverbs'''

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* In the ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'', Polgara mends while sitting around even though she could magically repair the clothing much quicker.

* In ''Literature/ClanOfTheCaveBear'' making clothes - not textiles, but out of animal skins - cleaning, etc. is literally WomansWork. In the Clan males and females have different GeneticMemory such that women can't hunt and men can't cook/make clothes/etc.

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* In ABridesStory Tileke struggles with the embroidery she must do to become a proper wife and mother,but the other women of the family teach her that embroidery can be just as interesting as hawks.

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* In ''{{Rumpelstiltskin}}'' and its variants, the girl's father brags of her incredible spinning ability and so sets off the story.

* In ''SnowWhite'', the queen is sewing when she pricks her finger and makes the original wish about red as blood, white as snow, and black as ebony.

* In DemolitionMan, the hero is repeatedly embarrassed that he had been trained in the fine arts of knitting and sewing while in hibernation.

* In the ''Belgariad'', Polgara mends while sitting around even though she could magically repair the clothing much quicker.
* In Louisa May Alcott's ''LittleWomen'', when Professor Bhaer comes calling on her family, Jo sits down with her sewing.
* In ''ClanOfTheCaveBear'' making clothes - not textiles, but out of animal skins - cleaning, etc. is literally WomansWork. In the Clan males and females have different GeneticMemory such that women can't hunt and men can't cook/make clothes/etc.
* In the ''{{Iliad}}'', Andromache is working on clothing for Hector when she is told of his death.
* In ''TheOdyssey'', Penelope is putting off the suitors with her weaving -- not, for once, clothes, but a cloth to be used at her father-in-law's funeral.
* In ''ASongOfIceAndFire'', feminine Sansa can embroider beautifully, and tomboyish Ayra is always avoiding it.
* ''ATaleOfTwoCities'' features Madame Defarge and her fellow female revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror, who sit beside the guillotine and encode the names of the executed into their sewing patterns. This is based on the real life [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricoteuse tricoteuses]] who famously knitted beside the guillotine so casually.

* Subverted in ''FlightOfTheConchords'', in which the Conchords brainstorm "things that women like." Jemaine suggests weaving, but Bret responds that weaving is a man's game, noting that he, his father, and his grandfather all weave. (Slightly off topic: Later, Bret suggests women's rights, and Jemaine says that ''that'' is a man's thing, noting that his father is a women's rights activist [[HypocriticalHumor who would never allow his wife to become engaged in such activism]].)
* ''AllInTheFamily'': Mike takes up macramé and Archie mocks him for having yet another girly pasttime.

* Played with in Persona4. Kanji knows and enjoys to do textile work. However, because of this trope, he has trouble when dealing with girls, as well as lacking confidence in his manliness.

* There's an episode of TheSimpsons where Marge tells Lisa about a quilt that her female ancestors have contributed to for decades. Marge added a patch that said "Keep On Truckin'" but she didn't understand what it meant.
* In an episode of ''SouthPark'' the boys all take shop & the girls all take home ec.
-->Mr. Adler: Now, does anybody know ''why'' you're in shop class?
-->Stan: Because we had to choose between this and home ec, and we didn't wanna be sissies?
::Kenny manages to get himself placed in the home ec class, because there's a lower risk of [[TheyKilledKenny getting killed]] there.
* Rarity from WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic is considerably the most feminine of the mane 6. She designs and sews her own fashions.

->-- '''Proverbs'''

All of these are feminine tasks, undertaken by women and proving them womanly. This is the source of the ''distaff'' in DistaffCounterpart. The RebelliousPrincess and other tomboyish female characters are likely to be bad at them, which is generally treated in more modern works less seriously than it was in RealLife.

* Rarity from MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic is considerably the most feminine of the mane 6. She designs and sews her own fashions.

In ''{{Carousel}}'', Julie and her friends all work weaving at the mill. Not in ''Liliom'', the play on which the musical was based.

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* Subverted in FlightOfTheConchords, in which the Conchords brainstorm "things that women like." Jemaine suggests weaving, but Bret responds that weaving is a man's game, noting that he, his father, and his grandfather all weave. (Slightly off-topic: Later, Bret suggests women's rights, and Jemaine says that ''that'' is a man's thing, noting that his father is a women's rights activist [[HypocriticalHumor who would never allow his wife to become engaged in such activism.]])
* ''AllInTheFamily'': Mike takes up macrame and Archie mocks him for having yet another girly pasttime.
-->Mike: Don't say it.
-->Archie: There's nothing to say, "Florence." ... Will you stop doing that? Some friend of mine might come walking through the door and find out I got a fruitcake for a son-in-law.
* Actor/American football player Rosey Grier would poke fun at himself on television appearances in TheSeventies, as his reveal of his favorite hobby being needlepoint was in stark contrast to his macho/tough persona.