- Gender and sexuality in pop culture, media, society, and politics
- A Depilatory Problem
- Dear Connecticut State Supreme Court, You Have Failed
- The GOP Had to Push Somebody Over a Cliff
Writing Elsewhere
Book Reviews - YA, Urban Fantasy, Horror, and Dystopian fiction
Pink Raygun - Pop culture and entertainment
Three If By Space - Pop culture and entertainment
Word of the Nerd - Pop culture, comic books, and entertainment
(via beck-liz)
(via thesoundofacolour)
“La Belle Dame sans Merci” by Frank Dicksee, 1902
This picture is fascinating to me because of its portrayal of a powerful female character who doesn’t fall into any of the typical modern ‘Strong Female Character’ cliches.
The woman is the powerful, sexually assertive and threatening figure here, while the man is the more passive figure, visibly vulnerable to her. However, this portrayal of a woman as assertive and powerful doesn’t rely either on sexualizing her or on presenting that power in masculine ways.
This Belle Dame is traditionally feminine, drawn in flowing lines and curves. She is sexually assertive but not sexualized. The man is armed, masculine, stiff and drawn in straight, square lines - all stereotypically masculine, but his body language and expression make it obvious that he is the submissive and less powerful party here. His vulnerability is not expressed by de-masculinizing him, just as her power is not shown by making her any less feminine.
Some modern artists could stand to take lessons from Mr Dicksee.
The way her small hands grip that warhorse’s reins with such perfect strength and control never ceases to amaze me.
(via cimness)
Tehmina Durrani | The Woman Behind The Revolution [x]
Tehmina Durrani is a Pakistani author and activist. For 13 years, she was married to Ghulam Mustafa Khar, the former Governor of Punjab and one of the most powerful men in the country during the 70s and 80s. She chronicled her marriage in the 1991 book, My Feudal Lord, where she describes the abuse, torture, rape and humiliation she suffered at the hands of Khar.
She faced criticism not only for speaking out against Khar, but also for staying in the marriage for 13 years and having children with him. Reviews of the book to this day disparage her for not leaving sooner or seeking help or doing more to protect her children, despite Khar commanding tremendous power and influence. On page 156, she writes: “What could the police do? They would admonish Mustafa, but sooner or later I would be alone with him, in a worse predicament than before. My silence was not to protect Mustafa; it was to protect myself.”
In 1997, Ghulam Mustafa Khar’s son, Bilal, married a woman named Fakhra Yunus. She too suffered physical abuse at the hands of her husband and escaped after three years to return to her mother’s home. However, in April 2000, Bilal Khar tracked her down and threw acid in her face while she slept. After being released from the hospital, she returned to Bilal and reached out to Tehmina Durrani for help. Tehmina intervened and took Fakhra into her own house despite facing death threats from the Khar family.
Tehmina Durrani is now the author of several books and an activist for Pakistani women and rights of the poor. Her efforts to help Fakhra were detailed in a 2001 Time Magazine article entitled “The Evil That Men Do” which also contained this iconic graphic photograph of the two of them. Fakhra Yunus committed suicide on March 17, 2012 at the age of 33. Bilal Khar was acquitted of all charges.
(via nightrevelations)
John Berger Ways of Seeing (via spartanbitch)
This is super fucking relevant.
And why self portraits (selfies) are often such an act of self preservation and resistance.
(via sexxxisbeautiful)
selfies as politics, hell yeah.
(via tankmonster)
#it’s okay to follow creepshots but when a celebrity’s nudes are leaked she’s a slut #it’s perfectly normal to watch objectifying porn but when a woman decides to film herself having sex she’s a whore #it’s alright for you to harass women on the street but when they approach you first it’s arrogance #it’s cool for you to fantasize about a woman who’s out of your league but when a woman you deem unattractive likes you you’re disgusted #no don’t worry you can make female bodies public property but when they discuss your masturbation habits you can be offended #society ^_^ i ^_^ hate ^_^ you
(via laralaralara)
(via stfuconservatives)
final for my 2D foundation class.
i wanted to approach the issue of society vilifying women for their sexual decisions.
things may or may not change before i print them on sunday, idk.this. is brilliant, i mean on a completely different level of brilliant. The idea is so blunt but so positive to what woman should think and i really really like this.
I am floored by your talent. This gives me chills - I thought it was a “real” campaign.
(via treebeardsfriend)
Damsel in Distress: Part 1 - Tropes vs Women in Video Games (by feministfrequency)
(via thehappysorceress)
“La Belle Dame sans Merci” by Frank Dicksee, 1902
This picture is fascinating to me because of its portrayal of a powerful female character who doesn’t fall into any of the typical modern ‘Strong Female Character’ cliches.
The woman is the powerful, sexually assertive and threatening figure here, while the man is the more passive figure, visibly vulnerable to her. However, this portrayal of a woman as assertive and powerful doesn’t rely either on sexualizing her or on presenting that power in masculine ways.
This Belle Dame is traditionally feminine, drawn in flowing lines and curves. She is sexually assertive but not sexualized. The man is armed, masculine, stiff and drawn in straight, square lines - all stereotypically masculine, but his body language and expression make it obvious that he is the submissive and less powerful party here. His vulnerability is not expressed by de-masculinizing him, just as her power is not shown by making her any less feminine.
Some modern artists could stand to take lessons from Mr Dicksee.
The way her small hands grip that warhorse’s reins with such perfect strength and control never ceases to amaze me.
there is no such thing as a slut
- there is no such thing as a slut
- there is
- no such thing
- as a slut
a slut is not a thing that exists unless you are a misogynist
it is an insult predicated entirely on the completely erroneous idea that there is any amount or manner or…
(via cimness)
