What’s the password? What, Female Club? Don’t you know that the first rule of Female Club is you don’t talk about Female Club? Oh, did I get it confused with Fight Club, my bad… Wait, how do you know about that one?
Regardless of this silly intro, we’re talking about “Female Club,” a Facebook group which houses discussions, memes, and the relatable hilarity of being a woman. One may say that it’s the day and age that causes the issue, but we shouldn’t live with the mindset of nostalgia—”it was so much better back in 1201!”—as things weren’t all Guns and Roses.
Many of you may have heard of gentlemen’s clubs. They’d been around since the 18th century, or so CNN states. A safe haven for men to relax with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a newspaper in the other, whilst ignoring the perplexities of daily life. The original clubs are said to have started up in the West End of London, but exist all over the world with varying levels of exclusivity.
So what about women’s clubs? Should they not have a space to meet up with their fellow ladies, enjoy a glass of wine and discuss the newest inventions of the world? Well, they didn’t until the late 19th century and they began as something a little more complex than a private social club for people looking to enjoy the finer things in life.
The women’s club movement unfolded alongside the suffrage movement, or in simpler terms, the right to vote. They were revolutionary destinations where women could work, gather and learn alongside one another—and, in some cases, plot their next moves in the fight for equality.
The voluntary clubs were originally formed by women who had been denied access to the major institutions of America's democratic civil society. Women were either completely excluded or severely restricted in roles of political parties, labor unions, professional organizations, universities, and even charitable and benevolent organizations up until the 20th century.
Sorosis, formed in 1868 by journalist Jane “Jennie June” Croly and anti-slavery advocate Julia Ward Howe in Boston, was recognized as the first women’s club—launched with the intention of having a place for women to “dwell together in unity.” They valued education and called for women’s admittance to institutions of higher learning, but they also addressed the abysmal conditions of working girls in factories and appealed for the betterment of workplace abuses.
Ava Graham noted that in 1869, alongside the women’s club emergence, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony established the National Woman’s Suffrage Association (NWSA). As explained by Maureen A.Flanagan on Encyclopedia.com, millions of women who joined the clubs were determined to insert women's voices and ideas into public affairs. At times they used the metaphor of "municipal housekeeping" to describe and justify their efforts, as well as deflect resistance from men.
Although those times seem to have come and gone, the ingrained notions of what being a woman is about continue to this day. In the 19th century, American women were expected to be mothers and homemakers—nothing more. Now, as described by Aurée de Carbon, women have become “slaves to society’s impossible expectations,” wanting women to be independent, strong, sexually driven, perfect mothers, excellent wives, and outstanding professionals.
The Wonder Woman mentality is one that is impossible to forge into reality, as one cannot be omnipresent in a perfect manner for each task that awaits them each and every day. The balance between work and home has yet to be established, noted, or approved of for women, as the gift of “equality” has been set upon unequal ground. Or so it seems at the very least.
Nowadays, the clubs have shifted into something more modern, becoming exclusive hubs for networking, business development, and, most importantly, rest and relaxation away from the male gaze—a way of portraying and looking at women that empowers men while sexualizing and diminishing women. This is not to say that women’s clubs of today are simply defined by their fiscal prosperity—as their founding values are reminiscent of the original women’s clubs.
In a world which often seems ruled by turmoil and chaos, spaces where women can pursue positive change and revel in their collective, diverse power are reassuring and comforting. So, as you continue to scroll through this hilarious list, ponder, dear reader, whether you’d like to be part of such a club yourself. Leave your thoughts in the comments and I shall see you in the next one!
