Theme Wrap-Up: Wrap for Dudes Part II

So, we're talking about gender socialization, and how gift wrap tends to promote stereotypes that reinforce the male/female dichotomy. From baby showers to birthdays, we wrap gifts in colors and prints that "agree" with the sexes, and sometimes this can be fun. But let's say we want to put on our progressive caps and ignore those categories. Great! Still, we still might not want to wrap our boyfriends' presents in hot pink satin. Although that might be awesome.

If you refer to part one of this wrap-up, you'll see that I picked out a few wraps that target the masculine realm. This time, I want to share a set of prints that could suit any gender identification while still being attractive. Kind of like Natalie Portman. You have to love her no matter what gender you identify with, it's the rule.

Print by Paper Source

Many "masculine" gift wraps maintain an icky, beige/gray color palate. OK, I get it. Neutral, earthy colors lend themselves to an association with stability, order and of course, nature. But that doesn't mean they have to be ugly. Chocolates and golds are rich, friendly colors with universal appeal. The above print is appealing to all the senses--it's delicious to look at, but I also seriously want to eat this.

Print by Paper Source

You can do floral prints in a unisex fashion. My gauge says that if it could look sophisticated on a tie or a dress, it's probably a good print. The wrap floral is royal purple and muted silver with paisley intertwined; paisley can work for everyone, so a few flowers here and there doesn't give the print a glaringly feminine slant. The lesson here is, try to choose prints with colors that are strong and attractive on their own, and neutral prints like argyle, damask, and of course paisley, can work for all ilks. It would certainly not emasculate your boyfriend to give him a gift in this print--though it doesn't matter since he's already a huge feminist, right??

Print by Paper Source

It's tough to find wrapping paper that could equally extol the innocence of a young boy's birthday party *and* accentuate the excitement of a friend's house-warming. By now you guys know I love bird prints, but any artfully-done animal print could work just as well to highlight all occasions. The reason why I love this print is because you could slap a big old bow on it to wrap a Tonka truck for your nephew, but you could just as easily tie a tulle ribbon around it for a lovely, more "mature" token.

(Side note--can you tell by now that I ADORE Paper Source?)

Print by Kate's Paperie

Prints with "things" on them are great, but we tend to pigeonhole ourselves, once again, into gender-stereotyped corners (i.e., cars for boys, lipsticks for girls, etc.). When looking for a "thing" print, try something visually attractive with no particular slant. I love cameras and they come in wildly interesting models. Thus, an attractive print is born. The only caveat to this paper is that your recipient might foster false hope for a camera inside the wrapping.

Join me next time for "Ageism and Giftwrap: A Good Print Knows No Age."

Just joking. Unless you're interested.

Gift Wrap Nihilism

I got an interesting comment from a reader today that I'd like to share and address. Patrick writes:

so it's monday, and i think you mentioned last week that you're trying to do a weekly theme. i'm wondering if you'd care to address a condition i'm going to dub, "Gift Wrap Nihilism." what is the meaning of doing a fantastic, beautiful gift wrap if it's just going to be torn open by the recipient and thrown away? i am a dude, and i am a horrible gift wrapper, but i don't know why i would want to spend the time learning to become a great gift wrapper.

This actually poses a good point. If you look at my first post on this blog, you'll see that I touched on the idea that despite this somewhat wasteful and pointless tradition of temporarily disguising our gifts, we tend to do it anyway. WHY? Well, in practical terms, wrap helps extend the element of surprise for as long as possible. I think that's a no brainer. There are more philosophical answers though, to why we gift wrap.

1) It is the difference between purchasing something (that has probably been mass produced and thus, millions of them exists), and making it a little bit personal between you and the recipient. I agree that simply going out and buying gift wrap doesn't necessarily fulfill this task , but that's why it's smart to spend a little money on a really nice looking wrapping paper that you didn't just pick up last minute at a drug store, OR to do something more creative like using textiles that aren't normally meant for wrapping.

2) We live in an aesthetic world, and gift wrap is purely a manifestation of that. It's not analogous, but very similar to the reasons we paint our houses and cars, or why we wear interesting clothes or makeup. All that stuff ultimately gets destroyed or taken off. But we like to marvel at pretty, shiny things, so we play along and make things appealing to look at. I especially think that if you're giving a gift that's super practical but sort of dull, like a toaster for instance, gift wrap helps lift utilitarian items to a more festive mood for the occasion.

3) If you're crafty or enjoy art, it's another form of expression.

4) But most importantly, when else are you encouraged to destroy something beautiful and tediously made? Tearing wrapping paper to bits is crazily satisfying and I am a huge advocate for it. It's like spraying caviar all over a Picasso. Besides, you can always take a picture.

To answer your question, Pat, I think the "meaning" of gift wrap is to be celebratory and sometimes artful, but that's about it. Not everything worth doing has to have a big, loud point. Part of being human is being able to appreciate small details for their own sakes, and recognize that they won't last forever. WOAH. Too deep. I must stop before I start thinking and reasoning.

By the way though, I suck at gift wrapping too--so I don't think being a dude is a very good excuse. If you don't want to become a great gift wrapper, that's fine. It doesn't really matter to me, but it's still nice to wrap a gift for your girlfriend or grandpa, to show that you care. That's why I encourage the non-artsies to do something ironic like wrap with tin foil. It doesn't take much skill and it prevents you from ever having to purchase a single role of paper, but you'll still make mom happy.

Thanks for the great question! If anyone enjoyed Pat's inquisitive and controversial questioning of gift wrap, you'll like his take on music. Go to his blog, please.

All That Glitters

In keeping with our metallic theme, I wanted to remind you that a hatbox is a lovely, simple way to wrap a gift. This one is from Etsy story Shea Chic Designs. If I were the designer I might ditch the rhinestone detail and go for a bolder ribbon, but to each her own. I would still giddily accept any gift that came to me in a gold hat box.

Wraphilosophy

Welcome to The Gift Wrap Blog! You may be wondering, "Why would one waste perfectly good and clean internet space on something so trivial as gift wrap?"

At the beginning of December, I got to thinking about the things we exchange with one another on these culturally specified points in time called "holidays." Personally, I'm a dreadful gift giver. I tend to over think the appropriateness of a gift to pain-staking extremes, and still put off buying gifts until the last minute. I'm not a particularly good gift receiver either; it's tricky to choose a reactionary interjection that isn't too enthusiastic (OOOH!!!), yet still not too subtle (oh...).

Despite this, I am obsessed with wrapping paper, greeting cards, ribbon and baubles; moreover, I love the ways in which we present our stuff to one another and the ritual involved. It's interesting to ponder WHY we wrap gifts at all. We are in a recession and don't (or shouldn't) spend our extra cash on a decorative luxury. We are a recycling conscious community who frowns upon using excess paper, especially if it is ultimately to be thrown away. We try to remind ourselves that it is what's on the inside that counts. Still, we continue to bundle our packages in pretty papers and bows, even if it means splurging or being a tad wasteful.

I suck at wrapping. Really, it's not always cute. However, by wrapping gifts, I think we show our receivers a sign of appreciation and love. I maintain that it doesn't matter how good a gift looks, but rather, how hard the wrapper tried. The wrapping, after all, is a testament to YOU being the giver. It's not particularly crafty to go online and order someone the coolest gadget, but wrapping it yourself personalizes the very thing and makes it artful.

This blog won't aim to great heights. We will marvel at beautiful things, we will discover cheap, green ways to wrap. Overall, we will try to learn to not suck so much at wrapping. Who's with me?