Taking 60s feminism to online social activism with Voicebox
When I first stumbled across Voicebox on Instagram, I was drawn to the brand’s bright and punchy style. Focused on female empowerment, Voicebox is a company all about using your voice to “make waves in society.” Founded by Taylor Weiss, Voicebox sells pins that feature feminist slogans and images designed by Taylor, with 5% of the proceeds from pin merchandise going toward ACLU/Planned Parenthood. Embedded within Voicebox’s reflective blog posts and feminist pins is a hippie-chick sense of countercultural community that gives Voicebox its distinct voice. I reached out to Taylor to speak with her about the inspiration and creative process behind Voicebox.
Your brand and style seems to have a 60s influence. Voicebox’s tagline even invites readers to “join the hippie circle.” Why is this era a source of inspiration for you? What lessons revolving around feminism, fashion, or protest do you think we can take from that period and apply to our own?
T: I fell in love with the “hippie” era when I was about 16. I read books like On the Road and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I watched Woodstock documentaries and started to listen to artists like Sweetwater and Richie Havens. I fell in love with the fashion, the music and more importantly I fell in love with the courageous and revolutionary women of the time. I read up on strong women like Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis and Betty Friedan. Through documentaries, books and articles I educated myself on topics like the gender wage gap and the right to choose. I realized that I had a strong and passionate feminist opinion that I did not want to keep silent. This era is a source of inspiration to me because I think we mirror a lot of what happened then, today. The ‘60s and ‘70s was a time of great revolution and change. We are fighting the same fight, just with different outfits and different famous faces. One major lesson I think we can take away from this period is to never give up. Keep fighting, keep protesting and continue to use your voice, because we will not be silenced.
Let’s talk about the pins! Walk me through the thought process in creating and designing the Janet pin.
T: Janet was created by accident one night during a mindless doodling session. As I shaded her in with my colored pencils I realized that she wasn’t just a doodle, she was a rad woman! I slowly started to create a backstory for her. Janet is a strong, independent, modern day feminist who can take care of herself. She is outspoken, confident and persistent. I envisioned her as someone who wears quirky outfits and speaks her mind. Janet doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her, because she loves herself and that’s all that matters. A couple months later I was holding a Janet pin in my hands and could not believe that I was actually clutching something that I created. Soon after that I came up with my company VoiceBox and about 9 months later, here we are! My hope is for Janet to be a pin that you can put on and instantly feel confident in yourself and your beliefs.
You mentioned in your blog that for a long time you stifled your creativity, saying that 2018 is the year where we all need to stand up, fight for what we believe in, and stop caring about what other people think. How does Voicebox help you to fight for what you believe in and express your creativity?
T: There are four different types of thinkers. A person can be a clarifier, ideator, developer or implementer. Personally, I’m a clarifier which means that I’m very cautious, I pay close attention to detail and I love to do my research. I can often get stuck in the research process and end up analyzing a problem for too long. There were so many different occasions where I thought about starting my own brand before I actually took the plunge.
VoiceBox has helped me express my creativity in so many ways. Through my brand, pins and blog I am able to explore the creative and inventive side of myself. I decided early on in my life that I did not want a career that kept me glued to a desk in a stale office. I wanted a career that would excite me, challenge me and help me grow. Creating VoiceBox has done just that. VoiceBox has given me a chance to be imaginative, inventive and even though I never thought I would say it-artistic. I never thought of myself as an artist only because I’m not very good at drawing or painting. With that being said, I love to sketch and doodle. After all, my pin “Janet” was created during a mindless sketching session!
As a blogger and social activist, what takeaways do you hope readers can get from the content and merchandise you create?
T: Writing has always been the main way I expressed myself and explored my imagination. Personally, I have found that writing my thoughts down on a piece of paper or typing them onto a screen is one of the most therapeutic ways to clear my head and make sense of my all too often jumbled thoughts. I started my blog as a way to express my creativity and connect with my followers and fellow feminists. I have posts with topics ranging from mansplaining to the ‘70s trend. My blog is a place where I can write about subjects that are important and significant to me. My goal for VoiceBox is for it to be a platform where everyone can click on and feel welcomed and inspired. I hope readers finish the last line of a blog post and instantly feel encouraged to take an active step towards equality, change and justice.
I want VoiceBox to inspire women to express their opinion and stand up for themselves whether that be in a boardroom meeting or in their own home. Something as small as a pin can have a big message. My hope is that women wear my pins on their blazers or jean jackets and automatically feel a sense of unity and confidence within themselves.
