Kayla Nelson was sitting on a ladder in her bedroom installing picture frame molding for her latest Instagram reel. The rhythmic clunk of the nail gun she was using was overwritten by the soundtrack of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Where Them Girls At.”
One of her followers said she was afraid of messing up such a job and wondered if she should do it alone or pay someone to do it for her.
“Get those tools out,” Nelson replied.
Nelson, a trained interior designer who goes by @homediyary on Instagram, has built a loyal following with fun and approachable do-it-yourself projects, such as a cased living room opening and a revamped linen closet. I’m getting it.
“Once I graduated from college, I was able to do everything I wanted to do at home,” said Wilson, who grew up in the Bronx and now lives in New Jersey. “But graduates don’t have the money to hire contractors, so I learned skills by watching YouTube videos and built a tool bank for each project.”
Nelson started posting home improvement projects on social media in March 2020 with encouragement from her mother. It was around the time the world was on lockdown due to the pandemic. And she wasn’t alone.
Concrete data on power tool use disaggregated by gender is hard to come by, and while women have been using power tools for decades (hello, Rosie the Riveter), social media provides a platform for , there is no doubt that it has a long reach among power tool users. Outside of the typical heterosexual male demographic.
Online tutorials make it easy for curious beginners who find DIY home repairs, renovations, art projects, and other projects intimidating. And many are finding welcoming online communities in the process.
“If you do it online, you don’t have to worry about being seen as someone who doesn’t know what you’re doing,” says Mercury, a content creator whose DIY video “Trans Handy Ma’am” is available to renters. Stardust says. project. “Especially the way I teach in 90-second clips, students can always go back and repeat the exact words 10 times.”
Stardust has written a book that provides step-by-step instructions on how to make common home repairs, and the majority of participants in her 54-stop book tour in 2023 are mothers in their 40s and 50s. Many of them were single parents or widows, he said.
There are plenty of resources for beginners. Engineer Anika Gandhi has written an easy-to-follow guide on how to properly store essential power tools and wood. Private Facebook groups allow people to ask questions and get honest, thoughtful answers. Businesses like Matriarchy Build also help connect professionals with people who need advice and services.
Tim “The Toolman” Taylor and his caveman bark were a staple of 1990s TV, but many of today’s DIY-themed creators focus more on skill than grunts. I am receiving guidance from a male instructor.
Joanie Sprague, a carpenter and contractor in Huntington Beach, California, had several male mentors throughout her childhood and adolescence.
“I grew up in Pittsburgh, and it was pretty common,” she said. “Everyone had a little machine shop in their garage.”
Sprague, who was a runner-up on Cycle 6 of “America’s Next Top Model,” has always loved DIY projects. In 2018, while still working as a model, she secured a role in the reboot of the home remodeling reality show Trading Spaces.
“I got my contractor’s license to be on that show and I just fell in love with it,” she said. “I wanted to learn everything.”
She added that she continued to learn to master her craft by being mentored by male cabinetmakers, electricians, and other craftsmen.
Sprague now gives back by teaching woodworking directly to women and sharing her skills as part of the maker community. “The maker community sprung up during the pandemic and quickly became a resource for anyone looking to create,” she said.
You can start learning in online communities, but in-person experiences in a safe space are essential for developing your skills. Among those trying to create that opportunity is Emily Piroton Lamb, founder and executive director of Girls Garage in Berkeley, California. Girls Garage offers programs for girls, gender non-conforming youth, and adults to learn skills such as woodworking and welding. .
“I used to teach a shop class for all genders, and the girls were very talented and creative,” Ms. Pirothong Lam said. “The moment I said I was going to cut a 96-inch piece into quarters with a chop saw, I could see their eyes flicker a little. This is a social calculation that girls have to make. Should I raise my hand? Do I belong? Am I good enough?
“I don’t have to prove that I belong here,” Pirothong Lam added. “This was created for you, but it’s a really unusual experience for women in a male-dominated space. You’ll be welcomed and treated like a competent person.”
