They sewed 18 oversized dresses for students to wear to trick the school into letting their friend graduate

Feminism is more than being financially independent and educated, never having to rely on a man. It is also largely associated with being able to support your girls, the sisterhood, so you all can rise together hand-in-hand. Gillian — who goes by the username @gone_gil on Instagram — shared a video narrating her encounter with a lady who shared her affinity for sewing. Years ago, when she was in high school, the administration implemented a strict 'no pregnancy' rule that ousted expecting mothers, barring them from graduating. When a similar fate befell her friend, this lady brainstormed a unique solution to circumvent the school's rule.

Gillian and the lady started bonding over their common interest — sewing — which led to the latter sharing an old story. When her friend came to her, pregnant, just a few months short of graduating, she put her mind to her passion and saved the day. Any minute, the school would kick her out. So, a group of women gathered and Gillian's new friend stitched them 'Muumuu's — oversized blanket dresses originating in Korea. The friends would exchange dresses with each other throughout the rest of the school year, thereby ensuring that their friend's baby bump remained hidden from plain sight, without her choice of clothes raising any suspicion. Her friends carrying out the 'trend' of wearing a Muumuu to school ultimately allowed her to graduate 6 months later. 

In a study by lecturer and researcher Lidia Rodak, she talks about sisterhood, the 4th wave of feminism, and Circle of Women (CW), which was introduced to empower ladies, help them attain self-acceptance, and develop mutual trust among fellow sisters. The idea of this wave was to promote “sisterhood” with tools like tenderness and empathy instead of harsh measures against male counterparts. "The 2nd wave started the discussion on what it means to be a sister," she wrote. In the first wave, "to be a sister meant 'to be a female,' which implies that a proper feminist has to be female. However, this approach to sisterhood highlights a racist aspect of sisterhood, as oppression and exploitation of women on other women can take place (Evans 2015)." The old lady and her friends participated in this “sisterhood” before it even became an official wave of feminism.

After watching the inspiring video @the_blacksmiths_apothecary expressed, “That’s beautiful and sad at the same time. Great that they had her corner but messed up that the system was created that way,” while @edwardchiphands shared an anecdote, “My school had the same rule and one of my friends got pregnant over Christmas break. She wore loose-fitting clothes and hoodies until graduation, and then revealed her pregnancy while walking across the stage. The school changed the rule afterwards. What a baddie.” @itsgeorgierae wrote, “Pretty sure you spoke with my Aunt Gigi or one of her high school friends!! I grew up hearing that story! What a small world — so cool." Gillian later confirmed that she had indeed spoken to one of Aunt Gigi's friends, bringing their narrative full circle.

You can follow Gillian (@gone_gil) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.