The Met, much like the Louvre, is a huge, world-class museum that you could spend weeks in and never see everything. I have lost count of how many times I have visited the Met. I make sure to go every time I am in the city. And since they operate on a donate-what-you-can entry system, you won't break the bank.
This trip, however, Emily and I decided to try the "Badass Bitches Tour of the Met." The name alone sold me. It should come as no surprise that women are highly underrepresented in museums like the Met, Louvre, and Uffizi, and companies like Museum Hack and Jane Fortune's Invisible Women Project (in Florence) are trying to rectify this. Historically, it is true that patriarchal European and American societies did not exactly embrace and foster female artist. This does not, however, mean that women artists did not exist and contribute to the arts. As Museum Hack and Jane Fortune have proven, there are plenty of female artists to highlight, whether pre-modern or modern, but many of them remain in storage.
The point of the Badass Bitches Tour is simple -- highlight the contributions of overlooked female artists. Whether it is the woman sculpture behind Rodin, a French lesbian painter who defied gender norms, or forgotten myths of heroic women, you will leave feeling inspired and ready to burn the patriarchy to the ground! We began our tour with a group huddle, hands in. Our guide then instructed us to go down on "dismantle" and up on "the patriarchy." It was in that moment I knew this tour was for me.
The tour mixes just the right amount of feminist theory, intersectionality, and shade thrown in the direction of men with light-hearted jokes and even some improv. Frankly, it is a damn good time that promotes awareness and action. The sad reality is that while women make up 75% of nudes in the Met, only 6% of artists on display in the modern section are women. At the end of your tour everyone leaves a little piece of art to raise that sad 6%.
I will say that if you have never been to the Met, it's important to know that this tour highlights mostly unknown pieces or artwork that is not famous. So if you are interested in the Renaissance paintings or the impressionists, you will want to plan another trip. But that doesn't mean you should skip this tour. I cannot recommend it enough. It is well done, educational, and a ton of fun! And yes, men are totally welcome and encouraged to join the tour.
