Wouldn’t You Like To Be A Scrapper, Too?
March 2006 In and Around Town - Delta

As a woman, I’ve felt like something wasn’t quite right with me. Almost every woman I know does it, some even really enjoy it, and some are absolutely fanatical about it. I’ve tried it, mostly to see what all the fuss was about, and to be “one of the girls”. But I admit that I’m only kidding myself.

You see, I apparently lack the scrapbooking gene. I also seem to be missing the stamping, cooking, gardening, candle and other such genes that seem to be related to the double-X chromosome. Women throw house parties, my moms clubs have events, and sometimes there are full-blown conventions surrounding these products/hobbies. And I feel like if I don’t go to them, I'm violating some sort of unwritten female code.

I approach these activities more like a man. If I need a new kitchen implement or want a particular rubber stamp, I’ll go to the parties, order what I need, and be on my merry way. For scrapbooking, it’s simply getting the pictures logged and organized so when I’m old and demented (OK, older and more demented!), I can remember who the people in the pictures were. Like men, I approach scrapbooking like a problem/solution. In my case, problem = getting scrapbooking done while 3-year-old is not around and wants to “help”; solution = get it done quickly and efficiently. 

Scrapbooking, as well as the other aforementioned hobbies, is a multi-billion dollar industry that has reached cult status, especially in suburbs like ours, and primarily (but not exclusively) among stay-at-home mothers and retired women. Sue DiFranco, who wrote a research paper on the scrapbooking phenomenon, suggests one reason for the growing popularity of scrapbooking is that technology has made everyday chores easier, but it has also isolated us. For example, in the past, women used to socialize among the other neighborhood wives over the clotheslines. Now it’s over tables strewn with hole-punches, glitter glue, stickers, ribbons, custom stamps, embossers and die-cuts.

Di Franco also suggests that women often feel guilty for taking time away from their families to do something creative that they really enjoy (we shouldn’t feel guilty, but this is just how we’re wired). With activities like scrapbooking, stamping, cooking and such, women are creating something for their homes and families, so they don’t feel guilty doing it, and therefore kill two proverbial birds with one proverbial stone.

So I completely understand why women love these activities so much. However, to paraphrase a quote from “Sex and The City”, I’m just not that “into” them. When I socialize, I socialize. And my creative outlets, such as writing, jewelry-making, and tinkering on my computer, are things I enjoy doing after my husband and 3-year-old have gone to bed, the house is quiet and the world seems to finally be standing still. And that’s just what makes me different.