Spilling the Tea!

Tattle. Hearsay. Gossip. Whichever you prefer, the names assigned to female communication have been used as a form of invalidation for centuries. From social events of the 1700s to modern online spaces, these words create a bias used to encourage women to alter the ways they present themselves. Usually, for the comfort of men. But, in recent years, communities negatively impacted by these biases have begun reclaiming and reinventing this language. It’s important to create spaces in which to discuss these impacts and provide the chance for connection and growth. Spaces not too dissimilar from the humble tea party. These acted as one of the first spaces where women were free to talk more openly. A place where they could bring all kinds of ‘tea’ to the table. 

‘Spill the T’ (Truth) originated in black drag communities in the 1990s. Similar to the suffragettes, drag artists have faced exclusion, and even demonisation, in their fight for social justice and acceptance. This term was first recorded in John Berendt’s 1994 novel ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’. As drag culture became more mainstream in the 2010s, the variation ‘spill the tea’ was adopted online and the reclamation of tea and gossip spread into popular discourse. We now see the two words as synonymous, and they’re used beyond social media spaces, in marketing, publishing and IRL communicating.  

Whilst the idea of ‘tea’ as gossip is not rooted in the Georgian era, the parallels we can draw between the two allow us to reflect on the origin of stereotypes regarding femininity and communication. These biases have negative impacts beyond women’s experiences and continue to undermine minority voices. In many cases, gossip is still seen as unproductive rumour-spreading, but the recent popularity of ‘tea’ might help to change those perceptions.  Trending phrases won’t undo the damage of centuries of dismissal but may help open the conversation regarding personal biases about where, and who, ideas come from.  

“There’s a lot to do; we’ll pop the kettle on.” 

Curated by Megan Robson, Anna Duffield, Zichen Teng and Yifan Shi

All images included in the exhibition are under CC0 or CC4.0 license and available for non-commercial use. Full attribution and links for each image are listed here: