Speak Out in Style

What do Snoopy and gender equality in sports have in common? A whole lot as it turns out!

I will admit that I have always been a sucker for Snoopy. He was my favorite comic book character growing up. I enjoyed watching the Peanuts gang pal around, teasing poor ol Charlie Brown and Lucy bossing everyone around. So as I was thumbing through a catalog from the women’s athletic wear company Title Nine recently and came across a graphic tee with Lucy yelling “Speak Out!” on the front I was immediately in love.

The product description of the Lucy Speaks Out Tee reads, “The lucky gals of the Peanuts gang have always been equal participants in sports. Influenced by Schulz’ admiration of friend Billie Jean King [the women’s tennis great who famously defeated a celebrated men’s player in 1973], the comic helped highlight the issue of women in sports. Now girls are all over the fields and the boardrooms — but we’re sure that there’s plenty more to speak out about.”

Really? The creator of my favorite comic was supporting women’s sports and fighting sexism in an era where there were still not equal rights to play? Just then it all clicked. The Peanuts character Peppermint Patty was always playing sports with the guys and Lucy was famous for place holding a football for Charlie Brown and then pulling it back right as he was about to kick.

Good Grief!

As I had just had my own encounter with sexism in our local soccer league (the subject of an upcoming article) I just HAD to have this tee! This was a statement I could get behind.

I immediately purchased the shirt and wore it out with my best pair of standard issue mom yoga pants. I realized I looked 30-something going on 16 when the checker at the supermarket gave me “the eye” as I put a bottle of wine on the belt.

How does a mom make a statement with a graphic tee then? Solution is below! There are plenty of ways to still Speak Out in style: