Be Jane? Not!
Fitzpatrick--The do-it-yourself movement has spawned a new species—the “empowered” woman do-it-yourselfer. She dumps her husband, she dumps her job, she remodels her house and resells it for double. Then with no training, skills or proper tools, she launches herself upon the world as a self-professed remodeling guru. Because as Heidi Baker, of the media conglomerate known as Be Jane says, “It’s not rocket science.”
Well honey, maybe not the way you’re doing it.
A few disclaimers; I am a woman, I attended Wellesley college, I am a feminist. I have been professionally involved in design, remodeling and construction for twenty years.
What these women are doing is not empowering: www.bejane.com. It is a scam. Be Jane recently signed with msn to become a media partner. The Janes’ job, like all home improvement media host/hostesses, is to convince women that DIY projects are easy, so they will purchase the products and tools advertised on their site.
It sure beats trying to make a living as a legitimate remodeling contractor.
Note the stiletto boots, the tight white t-shirts, the tight jeans, the tool belts—hanging too high because they’re not fully loaded with all the implements you need to actually do a project. Compare this to Peg’s photo on our blog. She has sheetrock dust on her clothes and on her face. Because she’s actually working.
I would never in my life step foot on a jobsite—not even for a photo shoot--in a getup like the Janes’. It’s a male idea of what's sexy, not a woman’s. I have never felt more powerful than in steel-toed boots and a tool belt. I was only hanging 200 pieces of artwork to complete the interior design installation at a bank, but hey, I felt invincible. And sexy as hell.
And to have a male voice on the Be Jane tutorials? This implies that only men know what they’re doing and we’re still to listen to them. Sheesh. Dear Janes: not a very smart move for budding media moguls.
I used to perform the few odd DIY projects (towel bars, door hardware, painting), when I was tired of waiting on my husband, a professional flooring installer, or my brother, a union carpenter and now general contractor. But as a designer used to working with skilled craftspeople, I was supremely dissatisfied with the quality of my work and unable to justify the cost of the proper tools and materials to adequately complete it.
And what about the legality of these “projects” on Be Jane? Where was this house Heidi completely gutted? Did she pull the proper permits? Was the work done to current building codes? Was it inspected? Did she break the law?
Perhaps this is the fallout of feminism. Remember the old Jean Naté perfume commercial (yes, I’m that old) from the 70’s? The slim, flat-chested woman grinding her hips through the day as she “brings home the bacon, fries it up in a pan, and never, never, never, never lets you forget you’re a man?” Now we’re expected to bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, never let you forget you’re a man, while we remodel the kitchen by hand. Honestly, is anyone besides me more exhausted by these expectations than emancipated by them?
I’m all about women feeling competent and in control of their lives. But I’d much rather see them entering professional apprenticeship programs to actually learn a trade (and to raise the appalling figure of women construction workers—5%) in the years this takes, and receiving the good pay, benefits and respect this entails. It’s pathetic to see women cheering themselves in the name of empowerment because they tiled their laundry room floor (abysmally) after spending twenty minutes on Be Jane.
Be Jane? Not this chick.
Well honey, maybe not the way you’re doing it.
A few disclaimers; I am a woman, I attended Wellesley college, I am a feminist. I have been professionally involved in design, remodeling and construction for twenty years.
What these women are doing is not empowering: www.bejane.com. It is a scam. Be Jane recently signed with msn to become a media partner. The Janes’ job, like all home improvement media host/hostesses, is to convince women that DIY projects are easy, so they will purchase the products and tools advertised on their site.
It sure beats trying to make a living as a legitimate remodeling contractor.
Note the stiletto boots, the tight white t-shirts, the tight jeans, the tool belts—hanging too high because they’re not fully loaded with all the implements you need to actually do a project. Compare this to Peg’s photo on our blog. She has sheetrock dust on her clothes and on her face. Because she’s actually working.
I would never in my life step foot on a jobsite—not even for a photo shoot--in a getup like the Janes’. It’s a male idea of what's sexy, not a woman’s. I have never felt more powerful than in steel-toed boots and a tool belt. I was only hanging 200 pieces of artwork to complete the interior design installation at a bank, but hey, I felt invincible. And sexy as hell.
And to have a male voice on the Be Jane tutorials? This implies that only men know what they’re doing and we’re still to listen to them. Sheesh. Dear Janes: not a very smart move for budding media moguls.
I used to perform the few odd DIY projects (towel bars, door hardware, painting), when I was tired of waiting on my husband, a professional flooring installer, or my brother, a union carpenter and now general contractor. But as a designer used to working with skilled craftspeople, I was supremely dissatisfied with the quality of my work and unable to justify the cost of the proper tools and materials to adequately complete it.
And what about the legality of these “projects” on Be Jane? Where was this house Heidi completely gutted? Did she pull the proper permits? Was the work done to current building codes? Was it inspected? Did she break the law?
Perhaps this is the fallout of feminism. Remember the old Jean Naté perfume commercial (yes, I’m that old) from the 70’s? The slim, flat-chested woman grinding her hips through the day as she “brings home the bacon, fries it up in a pan, and never, never, never, never lets you forget you’re a man?” Now we’re expected to bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, never let you forget you’re a man, while we remodel the kitchen by hand. Honestly, is anyone besides me more exhausted by these expectations than emancipated by them?
I’m all about women feeling competent and in control of their lives. But I’d much rather see them entering professional apprenticeship programs to actually learn a trade (and to raise the appalling figure of women construction workers—5%) in the years this takes, and receiving the good pay, benefits and respect this entails. It’s pathetic to see women cheering themselves in the name of empowerment because they tiled their laundry room floor (abysmally) after spending twenty minutes on Be Jane.
Be Jane? Not this chick.
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