When the New York Times does a trend piece, it sometimes comes about 3 months too late. Remember their string of pieces about Brooklyn in 2010? Apparently it’s a cool place to live! Young people like it there! Or their February 2012 article about living alone? We do crazy things! Like singing in the shower! And eating peanut butter from the jar!
Yesterday though, the Times went for cool and hit it right on the head. In a piece about lady arm wrestlers in Brooklyn, the Times unearthed a secret society of bicep-bearing women across the country who engage in theatrical arm wrestling for charity, for feminism, and, quite simply, for fun. The Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers, CLAW for short, has seven founding leagues, four apprentice leagues, and three associate leagues. And in this case, the Times was a little more than three months late. We covered CLAW in the August 2011 issue of BUST. What can we say, we’re ahead of the curve!
From Austin to Brooklyn and nearly everywhere in between, women are getting together and throwing down. CLAW’s mission is “to empower women and strengthen local communities through theater, arm wrestling, and philanthropy.”
As someone with surprisingly little arm strength, I have never felt the desire to challenge someone to an arm wrestling duel, much less in public. On pretty much a daily basis, though, I do feel the desire to meet other feminists, engage in a hearty theatrical display, and do some good.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, too, check out a CLAW league in your city. Don’t have one? CLAW encourages you to start your own!
The Mother of All CLAWs, a “wild battle of arms, attitudes, and hair pieces” is coming up. June 16th in Charlottesville, Virginia is the day of all days, and we suggest some bicep curls to prepare.
Image source Billy Hunt for clawusa.org
