What Is Feminist Scrapbooking?

Scrapbooking has always been about more than photos and paper—it’s about documenting life, celebrating identity, and shaping how we see ourselves in the world. Feminist scrapbooking takes that one step further. It’s about telling your story your way, honoring your truth, and taking up space (with your pages, albums, and supplies) in a world that often tells women to shrink themselves. It’s creativity as empowerment, and it’s open to everyone.

1. What Is Feminist Scrapbooking?

Feminist scrapbooking is the practice of using your creative tools—paper, photos, words, and art—to tell the truth about your life. It’s grounded in the belief that women’s stories matter and that documenting them is a form of resistance. Every page you make, whether it’s a Daily Page, a photo layout, or an art journal spread, is a declaration that your experiences deserve to be seen and remembered.

2. Your Story Is Valuable

You are enough—exactly as you are, right now. Your story has value whether or not it includes partners, kids, pets, or anyone else. When you scrapbook, you’re saying, “My life is worth documenting.” That’s a radical act in a world that often centers everyone else’s stories first. Every time you pick up your scissors or glue stick, you’re claiming that your life deserves space on the page.

3. You Have Agency Over Your Story

Feminist scrapbooking means you get to decide what stories to tell, how to tell them, and who gets to see them. You choose your colors, your photos, your words, and your medium. Whether you’re layering patterned paper, typing digital journaling, or collaging with scraps, those creative decisions reflect your autonomy. This is your story—no one else gets to edit it.

4. It’s Intersectional

The word intersectionality was coined by Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in the 1980s to describe how overlapping identities—like gender, race, class, sexuality, and ability—shape our lived experiences. Feminist scrapbooking invites us to look at our stories through that lens. It’s about recognizing the many parts of who we are and how they show up in our creative work. When you tell your story, you’re adding one more important voice to the collective record of what it means to live in this world.

5. Claiming Space Through Creativity

In a patriarchal world, women are told to take up less space—physically, emotionally, creatively. Scrapbooking defies that. Your albums take up shelves. Your supplies fill drawers. Your finished pages hold your memories, your handwriting, and your truth. Every time you sit down to make something, you’re practicing self-worth and self-kindness. You’re saying: “I’m here, and my story matters.”

Your Turn ✍🏻

What does feminist scrapbooking look like for you? Think about how your creative practice reflects your values, your identity, and your everyday life. Create a page about something that feels true to you right now—big or small—and share it in the Activity Feed so we can celebrate your story together.

Join Feminist Scrapbook School
Come hang out with like-minded creatives who believe that storytelling is a feminist act. Inside Feminist Scrapbook School, you’ll find classes, community, and inspiration to help you tell your story your way. Learn more here →