The Sweet Taste of Feminism

Before becoming the iconic “sweet feminist,” Grinnellian Becca Rea-Tucker ’15 authored a fledgling food blog named Flours in Your Hair, where she shares recipes for mouth-watering coconut graham swirl cake, delightful oatmeal-banana bread, and other delectable desserts. Today, Tucker has over 240,000 followers as @thesweetfeminist on Instagram, one of whom is TV star Kate Walsh, who plays a passionate pro-choice neonatal surgeon on Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.

Visiting Grinnell

Wiralba Pichardo ’25 had never baked or decorated cakes, but she was hooked after scrolling through Tucker’s Instagram. Though she hadn’t “envisioned baking as a job,” Pichardo was inspired by Tucker’s political messaging, referring to Tucker as “very innovative” for “combining the two professions.”

So when the Baking by Feel author returned to Grinnell’s campus to offer a workshop, Pichardo and her fellow students were ready to dive in! Not only did the workshop focus on decorating sweet feminist-style cakes, but processing feelings through baking.

The event began with Tucker asking her fellow Grinnellians to brainstorm political messages to write on their individual miniature cakes. On her cake, Pichardo wrote “Just Say Gay” in response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bills that prohibit the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public school classrooms. This exercise led to other socially powered messages like “Trans Rights,” while others used their cake to support affirmations like “It is OK to Not Be OK.”

Jane Hoffman ’25 connected her message to her Comparative Electoral Systems class at Grinnell. In her class, Hoffman learned about the potential to reform political institutions to increase representation, compelling her to write “Abolish the Electoral College” as her cake message. 

Pichardo noted, “It was great to connect with students and see how differently they decorated their cakes. A lot of ideas were flowing.” Pichardo said. Her biggest takeaway was not only the skills to be more effective at decorating cakes but the power to challenge the political climate of today.

Whisking Up Change Beyond Grinnell

Tucker doesn’t just challenge anti-abortion bills and regulations. After reflecting on her experience as a progressive white woman, Tucker realized she was never forced to think about “real action to change anything.” In particular, the election of Donald J. Trump shone a light on her “luxury of ignorance” and the fact that many people of color have never felt safe within the United States. Throughout her Instagram, Tucker challenges the inherent classism and racism plaguing the American prison system, including using money bail to incarcerate those who cannot afford release from prison. Tucker also criticizes the practice of incarcerating people of color for minor offenses (like consuming cannabis) and advocates for the release of all incarcerated people. Though Trump has left the Oval Office, Tucker acknowledges that the structural inequities stemming from white supremacy, xenophobia, and poverty do not all “go away when the Trump presidency does.”

Beyond political and societal topics, Tucker advocates for self-care and mental well-being, inspired by her first experiences in therapy and falling into the trap of intellectualizing emotions. She writes in her blog, “After some experimentation, I started noticing that it was easier for me to process my emotions when I was also doing something to engage my body.”

Now, Tucker is inspiring a new generation of change-making Grinnellians to use their voices to challenge social injustices and “support the people who have been fighting these battles long before Trump.” For Hoffman, “Cooking and baking are my creative outlets. It was exciting to see how Becca has combined that creativity to further her activism goals and [to] meet an alumna who is as involved and accomplished in the food space as she is.” Most excitingly, Hoffman notes that this event attracted a wide variety of Grinnellians, all of whom have a “passion for baking and making change.” Grinnellians’ strong sense of justice, awareness of national events, and creative interdisciplinary work make it possible to pursue such creative and intellectually empowering lines of work while inspiring others along the way.

About Becca Rea-Tucker

Last October, Tucker published Baking by Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!), offering specific recipes for five specific emotional states, from happy to anxious and emotions in between. Her website states, “From pro-abortion pies to prison abolitionist sugar cookies, I’ve never shied away from adorning my baked goods with my opinions, including my belief that all feelings are valid and deserve to be fully experienced.” Baking by Feel is available in many bookstores, linked on Tucker’s website. 

Tucker also updates her blog, A Little Something Sweet, detailing current injustices connected to reproductive health care, sugary recipes, and behind-the-scenes details about the creation of Baking by Feel. Beyond baking, Tucker is a passionate Grinnellian who continues to share her opinionated commentary on today’s political climate as it relates to women’s rights, abortions, and racial injustice. Follow the “saying it with sugar” baker and activist on Instagram, @thesweetfeminist.