Rebellious Magazine for Women has been publishing the Rebellious Gift Guide since 2016, assembling a few of our favorite feminist-y things for our readers to share with their favorite people, aka, the feminists on your list.
I’ll let Cultural Education Editor Michelle Duster explain why shopping small, local and aligned with your values is as important — if not more vital — now as it was eight years ago.
We hope you enjoy our picks — and the offerings from our awesome advertisers — as much as we enjoyed putting them together. — Founder Karen Hawkins
As an Act of Love and Resistance: Support Local, Small & Inclusive Businesses
Lately, the multi-national, billionaire-driven, stockholder-focused behemoth companies have gotten lots of attention with the incoming administration’s focus on giving tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations as well as the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and goals. It can feel that the country as a whole is hostile to racial minorities and the historically marginalized. As of three years ago, people of color owned businesses at a disproportionately lower rate than their percentage of the overall population. But, we all have the power to boost them. This holiday season and beyond it is possible to put your money where your values and beliefs are and uplift those who are invested in the local community.
Small businesses are a force — making up over 90 percent of all companies There are over 33 million small businesses in the United States and 6 million of those companies employ almost half of those in the private sector. One million of these businesses are in Illinois, with over 100,000 in Chicago. They are in our neighborhoods, in our communities, employ people who live nearby, and are huge assets to our society and economy. When possible, consider the local, small, minority-owned, LGTBQ+-friendly or -owned businesses that create and sell their products or services with love and commitment to social justice, fairness, equity and diversity.
You can make a difference and support businesses that are inclusive and embrace diversity and equity. Some lists and directories that identify various businesses in Chicago that might align with your values are listed below along with some specific picks of ours.
— Cultural Education Editor Michelle Duster
Play Your Cards Right
Celebrate remarkable female artists from the Renaissance to the present with Women Artists Playing Cards. Available for $10 at the Art Institute of Chicago, the pack features a different image on each of the 52 cards. To enhance your hand, add a $25 Rebellious Gift Card to the deck. Purchases help fund this publication for women. — Arts & Culture Editor Janet Arvia
Sponsored: Greeting Cards to Spark #BlackJoy
What happens when greeting card copy and designs are too Black for big box retailers? The find a home to spark #BlackJoy at oniciamuller.com/cards.
Multi-hyphenate creatives Rachel Osbourne and Onicia Muller teamed up to create a line of beautifully designed greeting cards for every occasion. Inspired by her home country of Jamaica, the land of wood and water, Rachel’s illustrations tie to moments of nostalgia for Black femmes who grew up in the Caribbean. Onicia Muller has been writing for American Greetings and Papyrus Recycled Greetings since 2018. Muller’s copy is funny and heartwarming. Cards featuring her prose have appeared in Target, Walmart, and other national retailers.
Mugs with a Message
Spill the tea while sipping Organic City Girl Blend Coffee ($14.99) with an eclectic set of mugs from Woman Made Gallery ($10), Rebellious Magazine ($14.95) and Chicago Women’s History Center ($10). Sourcing its coffee from women owned and managed farms, City Girl™ sends a portion of every sale to organizations that support its female business partners and their surrounding communities. — Arts & Culture Editor Janet Arvia
Sponsored: Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read, a national literacy nonprofit whose “network of pediatric teams provides families at routine check-ups with the knowledge and tools they need to make reading a part of their daily routine.” Free books at doctor’s visits + encouragement of daily reading from a medical professional = lifelong love of reading. You can support the Illinois organization, which distributes 180,000 books statewide each year, here. Make a donation of any amount in December, mention “Rebellious” in Your Note for the Donor Scroll and receive a ROR bookmark!
Tees 4 Togo is a Win-Win-Win
If you are interested in giving unique gifts, supporting an incredible cause, and getting a great deal, Tees 4 Togo is your go-to spot this holiday season. The company was founded by Rebellious Magazine favorite Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin) and proceeds from each shirt sold supports Peace Sisters, an organization that works to improve girls’ access to education in Togo, West Africa.
While she is still working with Peace Sisters in other ways, Hanna is closing down Tees 4 Togo to free up her time “to fight back in other ways and to make more art,” so everything on the site is 50 percent off through the end of December 2024. This includes tees featuring artists like Beastie Boys ($20), W. Kamau Bell
($24), Carrie Brownstein ($12), and, of course, Hanna herself ($12-$20).
If you’re still looking for more Hanna for the holidays, her book “Rebel Girl” features all the feminist punk stories behind her storied career, making it the perfect gift for all of your Rebellious loved ones. — Entertainment Editor Laurie Fanelli
Sponsored: Tired of Perfectionism Holding you Back?
In “Stop Waiting for Perfect,” author and award-winning journalist L’Oreal Thompson Payton empowers ambitious women to ditch self-doubt and take bold steps toward their goals. Through heartfelt stories and practical tips, this game-changing guide will inspire you to embrace your imperfections and go after the life you’ve always wanted—no apologies, no excuses.
This is more than a book; it’s your permission slip to stop waiting and start living.
Grab your copy today and step boldly into your greatness! ✨
Get Your Bag, Babe
Pick up a Rubyzaar Graphic-Printed Canvas Coin Purse for $12 at the Museum of Contemporary Art Store. Rubyzaar is a fair trade business founded, owned and operated by sisters Sarah and Molly Rubinu who collaborate with sweatshop-free artisan collectives in Southeast Asia and East Africa to help pay livable wages and subsidize sustainability. To ensure your recipient’s future prosperity, put a penny in the coin purse. For added wealth, present the coin purse in a Large Recycled Duffel Liberty Bag ( $26.99) with adjustable strap and Rebellious logo. — Arts & Culture Editor Janet Arvia
Sponsored: The Perfect Gift for Parents Doesn’t Ex—
Founded by the OG Super Sitter Tori Ulrich, Chicago Super Sitters provides experienced, trustworthy, and dependable babysitters for different needs and different schedules.
We vet every one of our sitters to ensure our roster is the best of the best. All of our sitters have been interviewed, checked, and checked again! We really do all the work!
Even if just for a one-time request, each sitter is personally matched to your family’s needs by a real person at Chicago Super Sitters and not just a machine or algorithm.
Time to Create: Priceless
The Feminist Writers Creatives Society is baaaack! We’ve got a new name and expanded mission to accommodate all creatives.
Give a loved one (or yourself!) the gift of time: Participants will meet like-minded writers and creatives, have quiet time to do their thing and get or give strengths-based feedback. The $13 entry fee benefits thishere magazine!
6 p.m. CT (most) Thursdays on Zoom from January 2, 2025 to March 27, 2025.
Space is limited to ensure an intimate experience. Click here to register today! — Founder & Feminist Creatives Society Hostess Karen Hawkins
Sponsored: Yes, Even You Can DIY, and Even Made Will Teach You How
Founded by friends Kelly Nichols and Emily Lonigro, Even Made offers hands-on, in-person home improvement classes for all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons.
Most of all, Even Made wants you to feel more confident in your home. They have many hands-on handyman-inspired classes, and add new ones all the time.
You can learn how to frame walls, tile floors, hang wallpaper, make a board-and-batten wall, change a sconce, and so much more!
Two of Our Feminist Faves
Women & Children First bookstore’s 2024 Gift Guide
Celebrate Chicago’s feminist bookstore’s 45th anniversary! Women & Children First believes in the transformative power of literature. As intersectional trans-inclusive feminists, we believe books are tools for liberation. Since 1979, we have celebrated and amplified underrepresented voices.
Early to Bed
We have been helping all kinds of folks find all kinds of pleasure devices since 2001. Located in on Chicago’s north side, we specialize in providing clients with personalized and friendly service. Through our website we ship high-quality toys all across the country quickly and yes, very very discreetly. We pride ourselves on curating a collection of body-safe toys that deliver on their promises, only stocking toys that we’d use ourselves.
Sponsored: So to Speak – What’s Holding Your Voice back
What if your story could change everything? The way they see you. The way you see yourself. The power to inspire, lead, and create change is already in you—but sometimes, fear whispers louder than courage.
At So to Speak, we help you find that voice, refine it, and make it unforgettable. Whether you’re writing, speaking, or leading, your story can be the bridge to connection and transformation.
For your next event book the speaker who moves hearts, silences doubt, and inspires action. Your voice holds the key. Ready to unlock it?
Start now at so-to-speak.com.
