March Design

The winning theme for March was Women’s History Month!

Ok I realize that the art for this month does not immediately scream “Women’s History Month” so let me take you through my (weird, labyrinthine) thought process to explain how I got here.

I couldn’t think of anything I could possibly draw that would embody the spirit of Women’s History Month and my current rebellious feelings (and desire to burn the world down) as an enraged feminist, so I thought, what if I draw some cool words?

Anyway I thought it would be fun to lean into the terms that have historically been used to insult and demean women. Think slut, bitch, hussy, harpy, wench. And all the fun adjectives I could think of that communicate our feelings of resistance.

And I turned to my most favorite language tool, the good old Thesaurus, and had a little brainstorm sesh.

We’re all familiar with the 1999 cult classic adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, yes? 10 Things I Hate About You? Starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger (may he rest in peace), baby Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a bunch of other young hot 90s people? With me so far? Good.

So we know that “shrew” is old timey slang for “an ill-tempered scolding woman” (according to Merriam-Webster) and “a woman who is a bitch” (according to Urban Dictionary).

But a “shrew” is a real animal, sort of a cross between a mouse and a mole with a really long snoot. They’re not rodents though, they’re more closely related to hedgehogs.

Allow me to grace your eyeballs:

They look like little teensy elephants don’t they?

Some fun facts about shrews:

• They make a high-pitched squeaking sound
• Some species echolocate like bats
• They are extremely aggressive and bitey
• Their teeth are shaped like razor sharp daggers
• Some species are venomous!!!!

Now do we understand why “shrew” is slang for a mean, shrieking, quarrelsome, stabby, poisonous woman?

And that, friends, is how my brain brought us to this month’s very important warning:

BEWARE the Unruly Shrew (she bites)

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Subscribe (or buy once!) any time in March to get some Shrew Mail™!

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