If there’s one thing us women are good at, it’s being extremely resourceful, even when the odds are stacked against us.
I may not have been socialized to learn proper car care, home repair, or construction growing up, but that’s never stopped me from trying anyway…even if my methods are unconventional. And as it turns out, I was delighted to learn I’m not alone.
Over on Threads, user @gracelaubenthal asked the @WomenInSTEM community: “‘girl math’ this, ‘girl dinner’ that what about girl tools???” She continued, “i once used a bottle of lotion to nail a tapestry to my ceiling wbu.”
The question immediately resonated with people in the replies — personally, I thought about the four-year stint I spent using my French textbook in lieu of an ice scraper after my actual one mysteriously disappeared.
And my coworker was like, “i once used my eyebrow tweezers as a screwdriver to put the legs on my TV lol.” GENIUS!
But there were THOUSANDS of other inventive, makeshift, and brilliantly improvised “tools” women shared, as Chappell Roan would say, to “get the job done.” Because if there’s one thing we know how to do, it’s figure it out one way or another.
So, here are a few of my fave examples from these modern-day MacGirlvers:
1.
“I was changing the doorknob on my bathroom door and one of the holes wasn’t big enough/didn’t align right so I used my electric nail drill to make it a little bigger.”
2.
“I use a muffin tin to keep small parts separated—and present and accounted for—while assembling things.”
3.
“If you haven’t used a butter knife as a screwdriver, I don’t trust you.”
4.
“microwave handle broke? pop socket😎”
5.
“Does using a jack to turn a ratchet because the lug nuts were on too tight count?”
6.
“Anything is a hammer if it’s solid enough.”
7.
“i watched my first adult-job boss hammer a nail for a new sign with the sole of her stiletto. every boss since her has been a massive disappointment.”
8.
“These mfs are a multi tool in my life. Need to take a key off a keyring? Unscrew something? Open a can tab? Hold my hair back?”
9.
“Can’t lie i’ve used my hair as floss before.”
10.
“i once used one of these hook screws to get the cork out of my wine in college.”
11.
“Girl I once lost my keys and broke into my house with a broken piece of frisbee that my dog had eaten and shit out in the front yard.”
12.
“I’m a beginning band director. One of the handles on a clarinet case being rented from my school inventory came off this week. I used some yarn from the art teacher’s stash and a ‘needle’ I made from a paper clip to make a new handle myself just in time for the kid to get picked up. Having a bunch of fifth graders say, ‘yo miss, that’s TOUGH’ when I ran it outside might be the highlight of my year.”
14.
“This is my tool of choice. ‘What do you use it for?’ Yes.”
15.
This person always keeps a hair tie on them — both for hair and as a handy tool when in need:
And lastly, and my personal favorite:
16.
“Used nail polish and my mini UV light to color match a scratch on my nephews new motorcycle after insurances quoted him $300. Can’t even see it anymore.”
Personally, after reading all these handy inventions, I’m down to see “Jack of all trades” converted to “Jill of all skills.”
Of course, yes, women know how to use tools — but sometimes we can improvise something more creative (or, lowkey, even better) in a pinch. But what about you? Do you have any improvised but highly effective tools to add? Let us know in the comments or at this anonymous form.
Want more funny, weird, wholesome, or just plain interesting internet content like what you just read? Subscribe to the Only Good Internet newsletter to get all of the scrolling with none of the doom. No politics, no celeb drama, just Good Content.