knives and women who carry them

9

9mmbladechick

Joined
Oct 21, 2004
Messages
45
I am a regular person who happens to carry with me at all times at least two knives. One concealed and one not. My question is, why when I walk into a store or a public place am treated like a freak when people see my knife? The knife I carry visibly cliped to my pocket (like many men do) is either my Calipso Jr. Light weight or my Delica.

I use my knives on a daily basis, and find them to be very useful aside from self defense. There have been more times then I can count, that strangers have asked "if anyone had a knife" and of course I do. It has helped me out many times and others as well.

My employeer freaked out that I have a knife and has since written a "policy" forbidding anyone from carrying a weapon on them either concealed or not. Including in my purse. "No weapons of any kind on the property". They even went so far as to ask me if I was "in danger, or in fear of something" as a reason to why I carry a knife. (they went balistic when they found out I carry a gun as well, but I assured them that I have never taken my gun on my person or in my purse into the building. It has always remained in my car while I am working.) This too went over like a lead balloon!


The other day I actually had the opportunity to persuade about 10 people to change their opinion of women and knives! I was on a train ride w/ my son and a lady commented on my knife. At that point I'd had enough. I sat there and explained to her my theory of "self defense" and the need for women to be "self sufficient". Having the ability to survive is crucial to me and its wrong that we get labeled "freaks" because we can take care of ourselves, and we are out of the norm. I told her when I get dressed in the morning I wear regular clothes, dresses, panty hose and high heeled shoes just like many other women who work in offices. I just happen to carry a knife and open box's, envelopes and many other things as well with out running around looking for scissors. It was great to be able to open someones eyes to the "normalcy" of woman carrying knives!

I find it terribly unfair that men can carry around a knife or two and no one blinks twice, but if a woman carries one......Shes a freak and shes dangerous. Do we have no right to defend ourselves? Have we no right to open things with ease, cut things that need cutting? Should we have to find a man to take care of us all the time for simple basic needs?
 
Good post and I can really sympathize with you on this subject. From my experience people have a problem with anyone carrying a knife, not just women. I'm a college student and the majority of the students here are very liberal. Most of them have never had any experience using knives except to cut their food. I always have a Delica clipped to my front pocket and whenever one of my friends sees it they freak out. Even my closest friends who have known me for years give me very strange looks when they find out that I carry a knife every day. They always assume that I'm carrying it with the intent to kill someone with it. I try to explain to them the benefits of carrying a knife but they still just don't get it. I guess everyone likes having to look around for scissors or ask someone if they have a knife every time they need to cut something...

I would never, and do not think it's a great idea, mention that I carry a knife for self defense when trying to defend the carrying of a knife. One of the main reasons I do carry a knife is for SD but telling my friends, who already don't like knives, this would not help the situation. It seems better to try to warm them up to the idea that knives can be used for all sorts of useful tasks than to say, "I'm prepared to kill anyone who threatens my life," even if it's true. Saying anything to that effect won't improve their opinion of knives and will just spread the generalization that knives are only used to cause harm.
 
Trust me.....it's not only women that are looked upon as "Freaks". I work at a major retailer and virtually every other employee that I work with has made a comment when I take out my spydie to cut a box, or plastic....etc.. Now I am not pulling a civilian to cut boxes, most of the time I carry my lum chinese folder. I finally have started to carry my kiwi....so there is no clip showing on my pocket. I still get the "Why do you need that!" I politely explain to them, that in my eyes, it is no different than the box cutter razors they carry. I can't even imagine what the heck would happen if I went in with my lum ti folder, my ti atr, or my millie :eek: They would probably faint! I dare not tell them I am also a gun owner. (Probably have me commited to an insane asylum) I for one am very happy to hear of a woman that is not "afraid" to carry a knife and a gun for self protection.(Kudos to you 9mmbladechick). I have been trying to convince my wife to go get concealed weapons permit. She finally has started to carry a spydercard, and I have gotten her pretty proficient at the range with a cz pcr. She still is a little uncomfortable carrying it on her........but she does have it in the glove box of her car.


Mike
 
9mm' you are in good company. I've been here over two years and most here can be classified as freaks. You guys know who you are. :cool:
 
aXed had an issue that came up on the bus a few months ago. Some guy with his eyes as wide as footballs could not stop staring and commenting on her knives. I don't think it was in a complimentary way either.

She carries a CRMIPT, Ayoob and EKI La Griffe.
 
Hey 9mmbladechick. I replied to your thread in General.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=318673

I have had this happen to me on more than one occasion. I had used my Delica to open up a clamshell package so a customer could look at the product more closely when he asked me "Are you Italian?" I replied, "No, why do you ask?" He then said "Oh, I just thought only Italians carried switchblades." :rolleyes:

Sheeple, can't live with them...............

Flinx
 
Oh ya I posted in general too, I'm 15 and any time a family member finds out I carry, it gets strange.

One time I went to see Kalapana, my mom told my aunty about me carrying, and asked here what she thought about it, and said that my mother was stupid for taking me to a gun shop to get one, and later said that she has her lighter and she can burn stuff, instead of cutting. Later that night, my mother bought her, her first CD, (oh ya she's oooooooold!) then she tells me to use my knife. :rolleyes:
 
We think women with knives are very sexy! "STOP OR MY MOM WILL CUT" ! :D
Hang loose. Always remember that better safe then sorry. Remember that u have a responsability towards yourself and your family. Most people want to live with the dream that "it will never happen to me". Don't feel bad that they don't understand. I stopped worrying about that a long time ago. "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum"
 
I also responded in the general folder, and I know what you mean. Another problem is the "establishment" may use the policy selectivly against someone. Not only do people not like knives they don't like certain mindsets either, like believing you have the right to self defence. So if you come off as an "aggressive" person even a small knife can be used against you by a wacko coworker because you have the added burden of being something negative, like a militia member, or pschopath, wether it's true or not. I actually know of an instance where a fella joked about a bomb in his lunchbox and someone used that against him and the establishment actually treated him like he had an actual bomb. I know you're also thinking he must have been stupid to joke around like that but if you knew the whole context of the situation you would know how outragous this claim was and how something got blown out of proportion. I'm a chick that not only has a knife (a cricket - whoopeeee!) but guns also. It would be very easy for a gaggle of blissninnies to gang up and make me out to be a pschopath.

So although it seems worse for a women to have a knife, in reality it's that way for anybody anymore. At one time it was wierd for a woman to carry a knife, nowadays it seems to be frowned on for ANYONE to carry a knife.
 
9mmbladechick and gitarmac, congratulations on being independent enough to do what makes sense, rather than what the ignorant masses think you should do. Hang in there.

By the way gitarmac, I've seen your EDC list in a few previous threads. You are a seriously well-prepared woman...:cool: :)
 
I just want to thank everyone so far for the support and the feed back. For all you women who came out of the wood work and replied.... Wow, it pleases me to find kindred spirits. Thank you

For all you men who honor us woman with your support (and the occational purchase of a new knife now and then ). THANK YOU

I am not a new Knife chick. I've carried for years, but I didn't show growth and interst in furthering my collection, until I ran back into an old friend of mine from high school who shared with me his passion for knives. Now I'm not just carrying I'm resurching and beginning to make my collection grow.

I'd appreciate information. Knowledge is power, and I'm not supper familiar yet with a lot of different types of knives. I've found for myself that I like folders. I can conceal a six inch in my bra and wouldn't blink twice at doing that durring the times I can't carry my gun, or that I want to "dress" up and tuck my shirt in, so to speak. You know, the night on the town, party dress nights. Can't always carry a gun, but can always protect myself!
 
To those of you who are now questioning how a woman can conceal a 6 inch in her bra, and whether its comfortable or not. If you really must know its not un-comfortable. I've carried a Voyager X2 there all day and never noticed it. The curve is perfect and rests easily at the bottom of the bra just like it was a part of the bra. It doesn't bite or cut into me, and it conceals completely even with tight fitting shirts. I'm sure your now thinking I'm a large woman. On the top I'm larger than some but not huge, and the rest of me is avarage size 12 not large. So you see even "normal" people can amaze you with what they can conceal. It also makes you look twice at others and wonder what exactly they are packing around and where! A knife straped to my leg would be fine, and then I could carry a good fixed blade. I've thought of this, but depending on the length of your skirt and what your doing it isn't always practical.

Also in response to the comment made about returning the favor and buying the men a gift or two.....Trust me.....I give gifts much more often than I receive them. (you don't have to believe me, but alas its true) I'm a sucker for seeing a smile on someone elses face.

GITARMAC: Trust me you are not crazy! :) If my 9mm, 12 gage shot gun, 20 , 22 & knives don't make me crazy, then yours don't make you crazy! :) I like to think of it as kindred spirits. (and to me it warrants a bit of respect...a woman who is independent and proud of it, that is great in my book) I enjoy trap shooting, target shooting and brushing up on my skills, there is nothing crazy or freakish about it, female or not. Carrying and collecting knives is a pleasure too. It surely doens't make us psycho it only makes us competition. A little heathly competition never hurt anyone! :)
 
Just something I thought of while reading this thread...
I notice that women who are independent, either because of their upbringing, or necessity don't seem to have as much aversion to knives or even guns, and I think there are a lot more women like you out there than you realize. You probably won't find many of them messing around on a knife forum, and the ones I'm talking about wouldn't have time if they wanted to.
I'm 33, and probably half the women I've dated over the last ten years were single moms. Most of them have really impressed me with how practical they are, and how competently they do a tough job. I'm sure there are plenty of women(and men) who fail miserably at this, but any who would interest me don't fall into that category, and the majority either have a dedicated knife that they use around the house, or one that they carry in their purse. Some have owned handguns, and several have more hand tools than most of my guy friends do. They need this stuff, because they either don't have anyone to do things for them, feel responsible for protecting themselves and their kids, don't have time to wait on someone else to get stuff done, or simply refuse to depend on a stupid "man" to do anything for them-that's in quotes because of the way you man-haters spit it out:p
My last girlfriend (two kids) carried a multitool in her purse, and wouldn't leave home without it. I imagine that now she's never without a Spyderco Dragonfly and Arc LSH, either-dang it:grumpy:
I can't tell you how many times I've heard "that's what I need..a good knife", after they used one of mine. I've given knives and flashlights to several women I've dated, and a couple of my friends' wives after they asked for them, and have another of each set aside to give to my cousin (two kids, and fortunately still married) because she asked me to get her "something like that" after seeing what I gave the last girlfriend. Hope she likes the Calypso Jr.!
You ladies here aren't the majority, or the mediocre to much worse "average", but you're not alone out there, either:)
 
Great to hear this exchange!

I think it depends largely on where a person lives and what type of places they frequent. In Alaska no one bats an eye at the superior half of the species carrying knives or guns, its normal.

In the lower 48 I have seen incredible reactions (mostly from men) when a girl does a typically guy thing. You should see what happens when a girl shows up at the local cycling group ride. The reaction is shock, disbelief and awe. My GF and sister have no end of stories about that, or walking into a gun shop to check out a new gun.

I now feel compelled to buy anomad's GF a shiny new blade...........
 
Until the wife’s arthritis got too bad she shoot as well if not better then me. She also carried a Spyderco pink cricket and this (see attachment) for various and sundry tasks.
 

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Well, unfortnunately (...or fortunately if you want to view it from the perspective of equality) it is more and more common that men get the same reaction when they carry a knife. I am a "freak" at work too, and get teased about it it. I find that you have to "train" your environment and have it get used to the fact that you are carrying a knife. After a couple of years, my friends and close collegues are shocked if they bust me WITHOUT a knife....yes I admit it....it has happened.... :o
 
I carry my knife in my pocket so I don't get many reactions. When I pull out the pretty purple thing I imagine people think it is as cool as I do. I can't say that I have seen the "You are a freak" eyes. I have one problem though - I have always enjoyed surprising people especially men. If those stereotypes were to go away I don't know what I'd do with myself. I do like the fact that I will be able to defend myself by blade, bullet or pepper. It is a satisfying feeling.

anomad - whatcha gonna get me? :eek:
 
what's wrong with a woman slipping a folding knife into her pocket?

Don't ladies' clothing come with pockets.....at least sometimes?



My wife won't carry a pocket knife at all...but sees no problem with toting a leatherman in her bag.


:confused:
 
I thought this was going to be a thread with pictures of hot women and knives. ;) ;)

I have tried to get my wife to carry a knife. She wont do it. The closest I have gotten her to carrying a knife is a leatherman micra. We definitely have a ways to go.
 
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