AIBU to be really irritated by women who give up good careers to sell tat on the internet?

[itsgoodtobehome]

Right, I know this one might be a bit controversial, but I am generally interested to see if other people are also irritated by this.

So, I have several friends/acquaintances who have had good careers (teachers, lawyers, accountants, music execs, investment bankers) who have had children and given up work. This is not by AIBU, as that's entirely up to them, and lucky them if that's what they choose to do.

They have then gone on to set up their own home-made businesses, mostly selling via the internet. Again, not my AIBU, as being entrepreneurial is great, and good that they are not solely relying on their partners for income.

However, (and here is the AIBU), what they are making and selling, seems to me like utter crap. Here are some examples:

1. One is making homemade lampshades and matching wallpaper for children's bedrooms. Nice idea in theory, but I saw one 'rugby/football' design which basically looked like some kid had stuck all of their panini football stickers on their bedroom wall!

1. Another is making stuffed toys, bags, bunting etc out of children's old clothes and blankets. Again, a nice idea (and the stuffed toys made out of old baby-grows are quite cute!!). However, she has recently been touting these PE/Sports/Beach bags, which quite frankly, look like the sort of drawstring bag I remember making in sewing lessons in primary school!

1. A third has started making this pearl jewelry. Unfortunately, the pearls look as though they came out of a Christmas cracker, and then they are (very badly) glued onto the back of an earring stud, or onto some manky bit of leather strap like the sort of thing A-Ha used to wear on their wrists in the '80s!!

1. Finally, another one is selling very expensive designer children's clothes that she buys at a ridiculous amount, and then charges an even more ridiculous amount on her website.

I'm probably sounding very mean spirited, but it just annoys me that these highly capable women are selling such tat on the internet (and it's not cheap either) to try and replace their previous careers, when they have so much talent, experience in other areas.

AIBU, or do others get this too?

I used the term pin money because that’s what it seems to be — I am presuming that most people selling sand in a jar or glittery Christmas cards are not in fact making significant profits to give them an income comparable to what they might get in employment. They’re just doing their hobby and making a bit of money out of it.

I would rather be supportive of artists and craftsmen who are really skilled and experienced than someone dunking a bottle of alcohol in glitter or wrapping packets of sweets in lots of plastic
Absolutely this ^^

Suggesting that tat sellers are on the same level as skilled craftspeople and artists is an insult to those people running small businesses where they've worked their backsides off.

I'll supoort women to learn new things out of interest or to take up a new hobby.
I'll support women to launch new business ventures where they have a skill or knowledge of a product/ service.

I can't get on board with women throwing their money at a business they've started some 7 days after deciding to take up a 'craft', one minute it's glitter stuff, next it's scrabble tiles superglued to ribbon, next it's stenciling 'live laugh love' onto a canvas. I'm sure it's fun to make and is a lovely hobby, but it's not an artistic product of reasonable quality.

For example... who fancies buying a baby in a wine glass (latest FB tat thread) www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3267925-Facebook-Tat-thread#prettyPhoto

Mine neither zibbiddie. So what are you on about then? If you knew?

I’m asking what you understand the term to mean. What do you think pin money means? How is this a difficult question?

Oh do fuck off zibbidie. I don't have to explain anything to you. Don't question my knowledge of equal rights and its history. Quite frankly, you don't warrant an answer. Do your own research and educate yourself.

Pin money seriously? Pin money!
Do the posters that have used this term actually know what it means? Probably not.

Right, so you can ask people if they know what the term means, but no-one can ask you?

Like I said, I know what it means, I’m not asking you to do any research for me. I was simply asking what you thought the term meant.

I know many people who are doing similar, and I wouldn’t dream of belittling their labour in this way. They are rightly enthusiastic and proud of what they do. In fact I am also doing something not remotely connected to my old profession, and you would probably think that was tat too...

@itsgoodtobehome

Wow lindalee you think I’m the bitter, angry and unhappy one?

Yes.

Only people who are unhappy and miserable with their life will bash and berate and try to belittle others.

What this woman is doing has got fuck-all to do with you. And yeah you DO sound jealous and bitter.

Just that. Arrogance is not a good trait. Self fulfilment and happiness is.

@gendercritter

By that measure we should be supporting friends doing Forever Living or Juice Plus. There's being supportive and there's patronising someone who is producing tat. We can't all be good at everything.

Supporting someone doesn't mean having to buy their products. You can support someone by being encouraging and proud of someone for giving it a go, despite what their background is. Even people signing up to MLM have guts for trying and while I wouldn't buy their products I would respect their decision to give it a go and feel proud of them for trying.

Still trying to shame other women and judge each other constantly. Life isn't an endless competition.

Aargh sorry meant to bold the first paragraph quoting your post

If you don't like stuff then move on- don't buy it.

This is one of the meanest threads I have seen here.
Belittling other women is nasty.

You'd respect people giving mlm a go?
It's a giant scam, I certainly wouldn't respect them. I'd like to think women who came from professional backgrounds had better critical thinking skills.

speakout
It's not about belittling women.

If anyone (man or woman) wants a new hobby or to learn a new skill, great.
If anyone (man or woman) decides they want to start a business then they should be skilled, or at the very least competent, in the area they are choosing to start a business in.

Thinking someone's business is daft with tatty products is not belittling the person. It's thinking it's daft to try and set up a business in an area you know nothing about with a skill you can't do very well.

I could go to hobbycraft and buy £100 worth of canvases to start my art business. Sadly, I'm pretty crap at painting and drawing. There are actually talented artists out there with small businesses selling decent art. If i chose to do some canvases and sell them on facebook then they would come under the category of 'selling tat on facebook' and I'd hope ny DH would poibt out that this was a silly idea. But I'm actually reasonably good at paper craft, so if I wanted to get a stall at a craft fair selling cards, I'd expect him to be more enthusiastic because I'm actually good at that (so it's not tat).

MaisyPops

It's belittling because it's not up to you to piss on their parade.

I started a business selling craft items a few years ago. I had very little experience and spent £30 on materials to start with.
I now turnover £80K a year.

And let's face it this is woman bashing.

I would guess the overwhelming majority of these people selling home made items are woman- probably most with kids, mostly SAHM.

A nasty thread.

And for all these women producing "tat"- they will be on a learning curve, a way of finding out what sells, what doesn't, doing their research, perhaps a few classes, learning on you tube.

Give some of these women a year or two and they may be producing lovely items and making decent money.

Give them a break.

Everyone deserves an opportunity to try.

And at least they are doing that- they are trying, making an effort.

If they're making crappy products then people are more than free to comment on the products being tat.
Just like we could walk into a shop and think their stock is poor quality.

If someone learns something, gets good at one product. Sells the good quality product. Learns a bit more, brings out another decent product etc then they aren't selling tat.

If someone is supergluing scrabble letters onto pieces of ribbon and calling it jewellery then it's tat. They aren't learning how to make jewellery.

I could sell my cards now. I probably wouldn't have been able to sell my cards when I first started because I was learning.

It's not women bashing. It's saying people who sell poor quality products are selling tat (and that sometimes it's odd people who previously had common sense have spent a reasonable amount of money on something that's a black hole for money)

But because they're women we should give them a patronising pat on the head and tell them it's all wondeful & admirable?

And for all these women producing "tat"- they will be on a learning curve, a way of finding out what sells, what doesn't, doing their research, perhaps a few classes, learning on you tube.
Great. As I have said countless times, good on them for learning something new.

Give some of these women a year or two and they may be producing lovely items and making decent money
Again, great. If they have lovely items theb that's awesome... and then it won't be tat.

I still can't believe that make somethibg of reasomable quality before trying to flog it is so bloody controversial.
If they want to learn somethin, great.
If they've got lovely pieces because they've become quite good, great.

But don't sell tat and expect everyone to say well done when you're selling the first tatty piece you've made because you've been learning 7 days and haven't quite got it yet. Take the time to learn, get reasonably good and sell decent stuff.

I agree that this stuff will find its own level.

With our without bitchy comments.

AIBU to be really irritated by women who give up good careers to sell tat

But no- I can't get irritated or worked up about it.

Freedom of choice.

@speakout I completely agree with everything you have said.

I'm disgusted by some of these comments. I'll repeat what I said earlier that we should be supporting and empowering women, not finding the slightest little thing to bitch about, judge and criticise, that 99% of the time doesnt affect us or have anything to do with us. Shameful.

This thread is all about giving women a slapping down if they are getting ideas above their station.
They should know their place, stop aspiring, be more deprecating of themselves and others.
Pride is sinful don't ya know.

The arts and crafts movement would not exist at all if not for the stumblers, the triers, the learners, those who make mistakes.

It's not about honing our skills to the highest level before we are fit enough to be appreciated by others.
It's a journey, a learning process.

And to slap women down for taking baby steps like this is disgusting.

Don't buy it if you don't like it- leave bad feedback if you have bought it and are disappointed.

But don't wallow in this putrid pit of criticism..

I had friends who did this and then would put the rest of us under pressure to buy their over priced tat. It became really annoying. I remember collecting my DD from a play date and having a £30 child’s T-shirt thrust at me. I felt as though I was expected to buy it as a that kid you.

People trying to sell me tat on the internet via social media platforms is incredibly irritating, I don't care what career they've given up to do it. I don't use FB to be doorstepped by Susan I used to work with, touting her fabulous new pyramid scheme and posting inane memes about reaching for the stars. You're not Richard Branson Susan!