Fighting Misogyny with Food: "Yeah The Pies"

While AI doesn't always get the number of fingers right, it's eerily accurate when asked to generate a picture of a gender equality event.

Not a man in sight.

Until now! Early in 2024, we launched 'Yeah The Pies' - the world's first women's rights movement attended solely by men. If you were to ask AI, it might look a little more like this.

We partnered with recent MasterChef winner Brent Draper to teach blokes how to make pies. However, we also wanted to teach the men how to make a change. This meant pairing up with Iain Schmidt, an expert on men's mental health and gender equality. We helped participants reflect on the uncomfortable feeling of not knowing their place in the gender equality conversation. Iain helped them transform this feeling into empowerment by encouraging them to uplift others and ensure their voices are heard.

You may wonder why it took so long for someone to create a gender equality event for men. Unfortunately, until now, men have often left it to women to fight for gender equality, as men have long benefited from its absence. This has led to gender equality events often being filled with pink cupcakes, leaving men feeling unsure whether they're welcome in this space. While this is not a criticism of the women who sadly end up carrying the mental load and planning responsibilities involved with these events, we just thought it was time for a shake-up of the traditional approach to these events.

Why did we think food was the solution to fight misogyny? Let's go back to where it all started.

A brief history of misogyny

Misogyny, the hatred or contempt for women, has deep roots in human history. Its origins can be traced back to ancient civilisations, where women were often viewed as inferior and subordinate to men. Throughout the centuries, this prejudice has manifested in various misogyny examples, from legal and social restrictions on women's rights to more subtle cultural biases. In many ancient societies, women were denied education, property rights, and political participation. 

The Middle Ages saw the continuation of these attitudes, often reinforced by religious doctrines. The Enlightenment period brought some challenges to misogynistic views, but progress was slow. The 19th and 20th centuries witnessed significant advancements in women's rights, including suffrage movements and increased access to education and employment. 

However, despite these gains, misogynistic attitudes persist in many forms today, from workplace discrimination to online harassment, highlighting the ongoing struggle for gender equality.

To this day, misogyny can manifest in very subtle forms. One example could be seen as not attending gender equality events, as this demonstrates a lack of concern for women's issues. In the absence of official data, we estimate that male attendance is generally no higher than 5-10% at gender equality events.

Why did we choose food as our way to fight misogyny?

Due to the subtle nature of misogyny, some men struggle to call it out. This requires education to encourage men to challenge their mates for being misogynistic. However, getting a group of men together to talk about their feelings regarding gender equality can be difficult due to how society views men who discuss topics in this space, such as men's mental health.

We also recognised that men tend to interact more effectively 'shoulder to shoulder'. So we replaced the traditional pink cupcakes with the act of making meat pies to make men feel invited to the conversation and to give them something to do with their hands while we talked.

After the success of the first 'Yeah The Pies', we've decided to run this session again in September. It's something you've got to see to believe. Get excited to meet with a bunch of like-minded blokes to see how you can make change and make a pie in the process.

Send an email to contact@fckthecupcakes.com to express your interest in tickets and we’ll make sure you’re first to know.

Unsure whether to send us an email? Have a listen to Iain below on the mental barriers you may be feeling about attending this kind of event and how Yeah The Pies has been designed to reduce those worries.