Kim Denise
time’s up, boys
Do you remember the Women’s March? No, no, not the one held last Saturday. I’m talking about the Women’s March in Paris, October 5, 1789. Thousands of working class women from the markets of Paris, outraged over the scarcity and price of food, spontaneously marched on the royal residence at the Palace of Versailles. As a result, Louis XVI was forced to deal with the food situation. Their success earned them the nickname of Mothers of the Nation.
That nickname changed a few years later, when the infamous Reign of Terror began. Because these women were so unpredictable, the new government banned them from starting or joining any sort of political assembly. Since they were prohibited from acting, they began to gather informally in the Place de la Révolution, where the guillotine was located. There they sat, knitting and discussing the affairs of the day between executions. They ceased to be Mothers of the Nation; they became known as Tricoteuses — the knitting women.
Our Kim, of course, is a kinder, gentler tricoteuse. She’s not out for literal blood. Still, the patriarchy would be wise to keep in mind the fate of Louis XVI. It might not be a bad idea for the patriarchy to take a gentle hint and pack its bags.
Blog photograph copyrighted to the photographer and used with permission by utata.org. All photographs used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and are obtained via the flickr API. Text is copyrighted to the author, greg fallis and is used with permission by utata.org. Please see Show and Share Your Work
