When My Feminist Bracelets Became a Pick-Up Line

I make and sell bracelets from recycled swimwear, each adorned with words meant to empower - "FEMINIST," "UNTAMABLE," "RESIST." For me, they are small acts of solidarity, wearable pieces of conviction. Lately, however, things have started to feel unsettling.

On a few occasions, young men have come to my table, picked up the "FEMINIST" bracelet, and bought it without hesitation. Happy to see this sign of solidarity, I asked them what inspired the purchase. I expected answers about justice, support, or change. But more than once - especially when they came in a group - the answer I got was something like: "Honestly? Girls love it. It makes you seem like a good guy. It's a great conversation starter."

These were not isolated incidents. A pattern was beginning to emerge: a certain type of man was specifically shopping for feminist slogans, not as a belief but as a verified strategy. They told me plainly that wearing it made them more attractive to women. My craft, born from a movement about dismantling patriarchal manipulation, was being weaponized as its very tool. The bracelet wasn't a statement of allyship; it was a calculated part of a dating profile made flesh.

This is the performative male, stripped bare. This isn't about the broad trend of "The Future is Female" t-shirts. This is about the individual, private purchase where feminism is literally commodified into a dating accessory. To use the language of liberation as a deliberate tactic to exploit women's desire for safety and equality is not just hollow, it is profoundly anti-feminist. It is deception packaged as allyship.

This commentary comes from my own repeated experience. It's not about skepticism toward men who are trying; it's about identifying those who are performing a trick. Let's talk about how to spot when the slogan on the wrist is a red flag, not a badge of honor.

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