It is clear feminism has had a great influence on women’s lives, aspirations and the objects they use. Gender has to be accepted. It is the bedrock of a continuing society, but as the feminist movement took form and power, it left a wake of changes in female enfranchisement, work, fertility, ambition, rights, and many of the issues that made them subordinate to men. Men have always designed for women, but who knows maybe there are some woman behind those man-designer and whole idea is her(?) They dominate the history of design and many feel there should be more feminist analysis and input into the prevailing process. The intention would be to enhance the quality and usefulness of male design and encourage a position that says designs are not gender-orientated but made for people.
For many years, male design has been the leading design process and those influenced by a feminine outlook, both men and women, would like the situation to become more balanced. They believe the Hunter method of design is an expression of the archaic theory that the male is automatically superior. They feel design methodology should move away from this assumption and allow design to be a suitable mixture of the two processes. In John Walker’s book, Design History and the History of Design, Judy Attfield, British designer and historian, discusses how design may be critiqued from a feminine perspective. She says: ‘If men were to take the lessons of feminism seriously, then the predominantly masculine discourse of design history would be transformed.’ Judy Attfield divides feminism into a broad spectrum, containing innate ‘female perspective’ and change seeking feminism. She says design to improve the lives of women will not necessarily improve their status. The designer may intend to make their routine easier, such as advances in kitchen equipment, and female designers may create particularly good designs, but the user will still remain in a ‘subordinate group.’
In assessing the place of a feminist methodology in the study of design history, Attfield separates the feminist attitude to design from the body of female designers who wish to achieve recognition. These designers are not seeking to restructure society or ban degrading advertising like the Bisou jeans advert. They are part of Cheryl Buckley’s ‘patriarchy’ theory. They are trying to establish themselves in a field, which is predominantly male. They follow existing design methodology, which directs men towards the primary concept of ‘function’ (science, technology, production) and women towards ‘form’ (domestic and decorative).
Design methodology often reinforces perceived gender differences. It is mainly evolved and taught in design schools, which tend to be led by men, encouraging designers to focus on the male need for action and statement. Sometimes even modern designers will not realise that women users may be too small to use their designs. The Dyson vacuum cleaner, for example, is popular but slightly built women might find it too heavy. Its appearance is technical and appeals to men. It has moved from the domestic field into the scientific. The garage, too, contains few tools designed to serve both sexes. The average woman does not weigh enough to use a car jack easily, although we have moved past the times when male and female roles were clearly defined.
Generally, female design is seen as ‘soft’, using pastel colours, curved lines, and is clean and decorative. Examples of soft design may be seen in the design of small cars, building interiors and fabrics. Male design is more power driven with strong lines, sharp corners, dark colours and often uses technological imagery. In many industries and professions such as architecture, sports car manufacturing, engineering and landscaping, feminine design is fighting to have an influence. Male design, ‘Hunter’ design, as some designers call it, is single-minded and seeks an iconic representation of abstract thought and individualism. Female design, the ‘Nester’ approach, features multiple decisions based on experience and skills. This design intends an object to be pleasing, of good quality and functional. The innovative Ikea catalogue contains examples of both Hunter and Nester design and combinations of the two.
High heels are easily accessible and can be a statement of female inferiority. They conform to what the philosopher, Althusser, calls the practice of ‘interpellation’ or ‘hailing’. They send messages to men, hailing them as the ones with the right to judge appearance, putting the female in a submissive position.
