Why Michael’s Removed A Feminist Craft Book During Women’s History Month

Feminism doesn’t include a swear word. Or, at least, it doesn’t at Michael’s arts and crafts stores.

The New York Times reports that the company, which operates 1,250 stores in the United States and Canada, pulled a book promoting feminist arts and crafts from store shelves in February after employees noticed that it contained a curse word in some of the designs. The book, “Feminist Cross-Stitch,” by Stephanie Rohr, contained forty patterns, four of which used an obscenity.

The publication reports that two employees noticed the word as they stocked the book, and the incident was reported up the chain of command to the corporation’s headquarters, which ordered U.S. stores to then remove the books and throw them in the trash. The latter move sparked outrage in online craft forums, especially because the move came during Women’s History Month.

“It is our policy not to sell products with the ‘F’ word in or on it in our stores. It is not in line with our brand and that policy will not change,” the company said in a statement.

Since the backlash, however, the company has reiterated its stance on explicit language in the products they sell but apologized for throwing them in the trash. It also went on to order more copies to sell online, with a disclaimer warning those looking to purchase it that obscenities are included in it.

In addition to the Michaels website, the book is also sold online at Target, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Michael’s is not the only arts & crafts retailer to face backlash over the years, though their main competitor, Hobby Lobby, is often the one that faces criticism due to its owners’ Conservative Christian beliefs and values. A boycott there was called for after a display in a store urging people to vote for Donald Trump was exposed in September 2020, and the store had to be forcibly shut down during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic after stores remained open because the founder’s wife has “received a message from God.”

The retailer, which was deemed non-essential during the time when only essential businesses were allowed to remain open, eventually closed and furloughed employees.