fewer posts about “why do straight women date men who hate them” and more posts about “why do so many men hate women that it’s genuinely difficult for straight women to find romantic & sexual intimacy with a man who doesn’t hate them”

i love small joys so much!!!! yes i love my coffee in my favorite mug!!! i love the sun spilling in the window!!! i love the wind on my face!!! i love my blanket over my lap!!! i love the clouds in the sky!!!! i am seeking joy in every moment!!!!

A female character being widely hated is a huge green flag.If my experiences with fandoms and critics have taught me anything,it's that if that's how they react to her,that i'm about to meet the most based fictional girl to ever exist

Legend has it she still flops around ireland👀

@subatomicskud

i love when people are like, society won’t survive these declining birth rates. if society can be destroyed by female liberation from sexual slavery and forced birth, then it should and must be destroyed by that. also there are 8 billion people on the earth, there used to be like ten people. we had a generic bottleneck at one point where there were about 3,000 people on the entire planet. you’ll survive a couple million women being spared from forced motherhood. maybe we will have to actually invest in elder care as a society instead of just throwing the elderly into what is basically a minimum security prison

the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ has only been actually typed once by a single person, everyone else who has ever used it has just googled “shrug emoji” and copy-pasted it

why repaint the mona lisa

Photographed by Tina Tyrell for Sophie Buhai Hair Accessories Fall 2019

You know what’s so dang attractive? KINDNESS. PEOPLE WHO ARE KIND AND WARM AND DONT IGNORE YOU AND ARE GOOD FRIENDS AND SMILE A LOT AND LOVE PEOPLE ARE REALLY ATTRACTIVE BUT THATS JUST MY OPINION

if you believe gender doesn’t exist and all human brains are the same then start referring to everyone as they/them

if you’re so “gender critical”, then why are you so insistent on gendered pronouns?

As Shulamith Firestone put it, “[T]he end goal of feminist revolution must be, unlike that of the first feminist movement, not just the elimination of male privilege but of the sex distinction itself: genital differences between human beings would no longer matter culturally.” In this future, we could ostensibly all use they/them pronouns (possibly with the exception of within medical/scientific fields, or when describing sexuality). However, we have not arrived at this future yet, and in order to fight for it, we must be able to name and describe the problem of patriarchy, and the problem is not gender-neutral. Gendered pronouns are useful in many instances, such as describing male violence towards women (ex: he hurt her), affirming women as normal by replacing “he” with “she” in academic texts/ interpolating a male reader into a female point of view (ex: the reader can see examples in her own life), and identifying others within/not within the sex class (“can i bring her along to the meeting today?” may yield a different response than “they” or “he”). Color-blindness is widely accepted as being an ineffective way to solve racism (as well as a racist microagression) so why is sex-blindness different? That being said, there are many situations today where using they/them is perfectly reasonable (such as when describing somebody one does not know, ie “what are they like?” “an ideal candidate for this position will have their own car.”)

As manhattanrf is says, language change without any actual change in society is simply making it harder to say what you need to say and to illustrate what you need to illustrate. It’s erasure.

Beyond that ,there are plenty of examples of languages that are grammatically genderless, including genderless personal pronouns, and yet those societies still manage to make patriarchal distinctions between men and women, and somehow it’s mysteriously always the same pattern of oppression where “he” oppresses “her.”

Notice how Chinese feminists in the 1910s and 20s actually tried to introduce a feminine character into the Chinese, arguing that they needed a word that referred to women so they could simply talk about themselves in their writing.

Or how in France they are currently doing the opposite of English, actually officially validating feminine versions of words because they’re discovering that people don’t remember that a woman might have a traditionally male career otherwise.

Not to be too harsh about this here, but pretending that an English “they” is somehow the solution to gendered opression is historically ignorant and linguistically imperialistic.

In patriarchal societies, gender neutral language is generally interpreted as male-default language for positive things, and female-default language for negative things. It therefore serves to further increase sexism and reinforce stereotypes. Eg, say ‘doctor’ and people will assume a male doctor, say ‘prostitute’ and people will assume a woman in prostitution. Whereas using gendered language, if I say ‘I went to see my new doctor today - she’s much better than my last one,’ the word ‘she’ in that sentence serves to challenge the unconscious stereotypes held by the listener.

Saying that the Targaryens achieved nothing when they united the perpetually warring seven kingdoms, built the Iron Throne, built King’s Landing into the populous city it is in the main timeline, created the institutions of the Kingsguard and Archmaester, regularized taxes and duties on imports to prevent abuses by high lords upon the smallfolk, codified the laws of Westeros into a standardized source, abolished the lord’s right of first night, passed the widow’s law to abolish the disenfranchisement of widows, passed the rule of six as a gradual reform of faith-based normalization of abuse of women, built the Kingsroad and multiple other roads that helped foster inter regional travel and commerce, and at least attempted to change the deep-rooted structural ills (patriarchy and exploitation of smallfolk—and yes they did this, and ignoring the Targaryen kings and queens who did so won’t help your cause), over their three hundred year reign, aka the longest period of time that the kingdoms have been united, is funny. Prior to their conquest the kingdoms were fractured and war torn and after the conquest the kingdoms are once again fractured and war torn. That you don’t get 300 pages detailing the wars of succession and power for the other great houses that you do with with the Dance or Conquest, or side novels portraying some of the rebellions that lords and petty kings had to put down that you do with the Blackfyre Rebellions, doesn’t mean that those houses and kingdoms were any less plagued by problems of rebellions and wars and dynastic crises.

And it’s especially funny to say this considering the current timeline of ASOIAF. Jon Snow and Bran Stark have TARGARYEN mentors. Doran Martell thinks allying with the TARGARYENS is his family’s ticket to getting revenge. Arianne was supposed to marry Viserys III and Quentyn tries to marry Dany and steal her dragon. Victarion and Euron both want to marry Dany. Varys and Illyrio, both Blackfyres, are at the heart of several political schemes in the series. Jon Connington is the foster father of sorts to Young Griff, and he wants Young Griff to marry Dany. Rhaegar is Jon’s biological father and the basis for most of your takes that Jon is the ~true~ chosen one and that Young Griff is a ~real~ Targaryen and that both of them should rule. Half of the characters in the series are fighting for a throne the Targaryens built—Robert himself had to use his grandmother Rhaelle as a justification for his claim to the throne (guess his conquest wasn’t enough!). Rhaegar name drops the title of the series and Aegon I conquered Westeros because of his dream of The Long Night, the one Rhaegar refers to. Dany brings dragons and magic back into the world. She is one of the two most magical characters in the series, next to Bran, according to GRRM. Tyrion thinks Dany is his ticket to life and safety and manipulates Young Griff to sail West to begin fighting. Euron obtains a dragonbinder and wants to use it to claim one of Dany’s dragons. The Citadel and magical characters in the series use glass candles, a Valyrian instrument. Jon, Brienne, and Jaime all wield Valyrian steel, forged by dragon fire and blood and Valyrian spells, and there are families in Westeros, like the Tarlys, who have ancestral Valyrian steel swords, like Heartsbane. Dragonglass is also forged by dragon flame. Stannis literally sits in Dragonstone.

The Targaryens are integral to the text and the source of multiple moving parts of both the magical and political storylines. Half of your faves are propped up by things the Targaryens created or achieved and the story would be colorless and pedestrian without them. This attempt to turn Targaryens into irrelevant failures is pathetic, to say the least.

“We’re in 2019. Female hair is CENSORED everywhere. You don’t see it on TV. You don’t see it in magazines or adverts. There is an injunction of society for women to remain ‘soft’ and completely hairless. Just like a little girl. I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. Young, skinny, hairless girls have been very popular in the media for years and it makes me wonder. Who’s behind it all? Who’s perpetuating this message about women looking like adolescent girls? It sometimes feels rather paedophilic. It worries me.” – Camille Alexander. Musician (2019)

“Years ago I did think about getting laser hair removal for my navel hair, but then I realised I’d be paying a couple of hundred pounds just to conform to expectations that I don’t even care about– I’d much rather use the money for a holiday or circus lessons! I think that’s one of the things which annoys me so much about society and the media’s expectation for women to be basically hairless– they’re pressuring us to invest serious time and money and endure pain. It’s a double standard and it’s unfair. Being able to accept your body– hair, scars and all– is freeing. I remember seeing my Aunt Glynis dancing to reggae in the 90s with her armpit hair showing– she looked so confident, happy and free. As a child, I couldn’t put my finger on ‘why’, but I can now. On a practical level, it feels pretty darn good when I consider how much time, money and pain I’ve saved by accepting my body as it is. I like to think that that memory of my aunt being free and totally comfortable in her own skin is one that I can emulate and pass onto other girls and women. It hasn’t always been received well though. At Lambeth County Fair one year, a friend of a friend was seriously freaked out when he saw my armpits. He asked me “what’s wrong with you? Why would you do that?!”, which was pretty amusing but bewildering. It reminded me there will always be people out there who may react and judge me like that. Thankfully, the opinion of people who think like that means very little to me! For me having hair and not caring is a bit like being part of a secret club. When you notice someone else who is resisting society’s expectations and staying hairy you feel solidarity and respect. It’s nice to be part of that.” – Isabel (2019)

“As a teenager, I remember trying to stuff myself into a box of what a girl should be like. It always felt uncomfortable; padded bras, shoes that hurt and shaving rash. Running, swimming and climbing have helped me to see the strength and resilience in my body and to love it for what it is. Growing my armpit hair has been a recent experiment and the longer it gets, the more I like it! I like the way it looks & feels. It has given me a new respect for myself. So I say, embrace growth & if it pleases you, let it all grow!” – Jess (2018)

“Shaving, epilating or waxing hurts. I was tired of suffering, trying to adapt to the image of a ‘beautiful young woman’ society is selling us. Everybody told me to shave. As a teenager, it’s a huge subject among girls; where do you shave? What method are you using? It takes so much time and costs so much money (the majority of hair removal products are also not recyclable). All of these reasons coming one after another motivated me to stop shaving. I would often have irritated skin after shaving and being a very sporty person, the sweat and the friction of my clothes would cause pain.The worst thing was having sex on the second day after shaving my vulva. I didn’t understand why women would suffer and waste so much time on hiding who they really are. By showing my body hair on stage, I would like to stimulate and change people’s point of view. I’d like to motivate women to make their own choices.”

– Darian Koszinski. Circus artist (2018)

“I stopped shaving completely when I was a teenager because of two instances. The first? I got tired of all the time wasted on maintenance and the discomfort that came with it. The second was when I went on a few multiple week-long backpacking trips; it would have been extremely inconvenient to spend hours ripping my hair out, so I let things grow. Being so close to nature let me dive deeper into and re-examine the relationship with myself and the world, acting as a mirror. In nature, there is wild; it is as beautiful as it is untamed. How could it be anything other than that? I felt so relieved and free when I let it grow out. It felt like being able to breathe. It was incredibly comfortable too. I felt a confidence and boldness returning, like I was replenishing some kind of primal power. I will say that a very pleasant side effect of having armpit hair is its ability to ward off rude people whom I wouldn’t care to interact or associate with anyway. Because the people that care about that sort of thing and make it a point to say how disgusted they are, are precisely the kind of people that I don’t want in my life.”

– Kyotocat (2017)

“At this point in life, I feel that the real question shouldn’t be ‘why did you let your armpit hair grow?’ But actually, ‘why did you shave in the first place?’ Please celebrate your body! Own who you are and be that! Those who celebrate who and what they are, are creating a much open and safer space for those who are struggling to understand who and what they want to be in life. It might be easier said than done but give it a try. We’ll then help create a healthier and understanding society with less bullshit than there already is…”

– Alex Wellburn (2017)

“I never stopped shaving because I never started. I do remember my mother shaving when I was younger and I thought that was pretty unnecessary since she was a strict muslim. I later realised it’s a thing women do to look more desirable to men. It really irritated me that the people who reacted negatively to my natural armpit hair were men. Like it was the most disgusting thing in the world. It really gets on my tits. This is just one more reason that I don’t shave it off. It belongs to me and I don’t make noise about the “ugly”; hair on men which are sometimes pretty painful in the eye… But you’ve got to get over it and don’t let these idiots get under it. I would recommend growing it to any women.”

– Ayan Mohamed. Graduate architecture student (2014)

Natural Beauty Photoshoot

I'm actually sick and tired of the 'sexuality is a spectrum' nonsense. no it's fucking not. you're either homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual or asexual. those aren't on a spectrum. they are four distinct categories. you cannot be 'more' or 'less' of any of them. if you feel any attraction to the opposite sex, you are not homosexual. if you feel any attraction to the same sex, you are not heterosexual. you cannot be 'more' or 'less' bisexual because bisexuality only requires some attraction to both sexes. and if you feel any attraction to either sex then you are not asexual. that's it. fuck off.

thank you tumblr for this incredibly humbling feature!

Hey, this post is super off topic, but it was something I was thinking about at like 4am so I'm going to post it.

This post is specifically for all the women who are radical feminists & hate being women.

If being a woman is uncomfortable to you, upsetting, restrictive, unpleasant, or even painful at times.

I know everything in your movement tells you that being a woman is all about your suffering, but have you ever considered that maybe you aren't a woman..?

I want to admit that I had been in your shoes, I was confused and scared, I didn't understand a lot of things, and a lot of talking points for radical feminism sound like they make sense to you. Of course being a woman is restrictive, of course it's uncomfortable, of course it's about living in fear, of course of course of course.

But I want to tell you that most women do not feel that way about being women. They do not feel uncomfortable in their own skin or out of place in their own bodies or like they don't belong to themselves.

I have been in your shoes before. It doesn't need to be like that.

It's okay to do what makes you comfortable, it's okay to be happy, it's okay to not be a woman. It's okay, I promise.

I don't have anything except my own experiences to offer you, but if you feel like you need a safe place to talk or vent or ask questions, my DMs are open, I have anon turned on. I am not going to judge you. I am willing to listen.

I know it's hard right now and you might not feel like you have any options or that if you dare to step out of line you'll lose your community and support. But I am here if you need space to understand yourself or even others. I am willing to welcome everyone in good faith. Things can get better. ♡

Hi, black radfem here. I want to tell you a story

When I was a child I had extreme race dysphoria. I was the only black girl in my class and one of about five black children in my entire school. It was isolating. That on top of the fact that I was poor and lived in the ghetto and constantly saw black people in my neighborhood and in the news and in entertainment being treated like shit. Made out to be the villain, made out to be loud, ugly, unwanted. I started self harming. I hated being black so much, I started planning my suicide. At like 9 years old. On the walk route to school their was a train track. We knew we were late when the train would pass by. On one of our late days, I planned on throwing myself under that train.

Obviously I didn't. My Mother found my diary at some point and grew extremely concerned. She came and talked to me. I asked her if she thought I was ugly. She told me no, I am beautiful. She told me my skin isn't ugly, the world is ugly. She read me a bedtime story called Black is Beautiful, about a black bird who is outcast by the other colorful birds in the jungle, but ends up realizing theirs nothing wrong with his beautiful black feathers. She read me that story every night for a long time.

Time passes, and I grow older and make friends. One of them being an older black woman who was like a second mother to me. She was not only beautiful, but intelligent, compassionate and capable. I looked up to her a lot and she became my confidant.

My family eventually ended up moving to a better neighborhood. I gain more positive roll models who tell me their stories and experiences with hating the color of their skin. I realize I'm not alone in feeling the way I did. I asked them what they did to overcome such negativity and they told me that they were made the way the universe intended, every puzzle piece in the right place. They were perfect the way they are. But just because the world doesn't like you because of how you were born, that doesn't mean there is something wrong with you.

It was liberating knowing I wasn't alone in my feelings, that my role models experiences aren't unique to themselves. Internalized racism is something a lot of black people go through. But black people can't pull a Michael Jackson, change our skin tone and tell everyone we're not black because conditions for us are horrible. That solves nothing and benefits no one. Our race is immutable, unchangeable and we cannot identify out of our oppression.

Now apply this to womanhood.

Women experience misogyny and sexism no matter our race or gender identity. And that's because the one thing we all share in common is our birth sex. Women wouldn't hate being women so much if conditions for us weren't so fucking awful. Women wouldn't hate being women if they didn't see how the rest of the world sexualzes, rapes, abuses and discards us when we're no longer valuable, wether that be because we no longer fall within sociwties ever changing beauty standards, or because they are infertile like I am. If all women identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns, that wouldn't make our sexism and abuse magically dissappear. Because our oppressors and abusers don't care that women don't identify as women. They don't care if they identify as nonbinary, they know what birth sex is, and that's all that matters to them.

You're right, things can absolutely get better. But not by denying what we are. Not by changing ourselves. But changing the way the world views women. By ripping out the rot at its very core. It's not going to be an easy fight. But nothing worth fighting for is

Edit: op blocked me after reading this

Beautifully explained. Thank you so much for weighing in with this. You did it poignantly and profoundly.

The OP of this is a goddamn coward; a childish gendie idiot who would rather just block you after you proved her stance wrong rather than admit that her original post was full of gaslighting, condescension and insidious misogyny; and dismissal of the basic constructs of reality.

It didn't read like a good faith question to me. And the blocking just proved that.

Ivan Tsarevich, 1880. — Viktor Vasnetsov (Russian, 1848-1926)

ken is just ken.

literally the bill provides a penalty of $250k and a minimum of 20 years for *using a vpn to access a website*. the list of banned websites can be updated at any time be an unelected appointee with no oversight or warning or even public announcement

A lot of people have been pointing out it's only specific countries like this person so I want to clarify that the bill allows the US government to change which countries it considers a threat. They could add more countries as an excuse for more censorship if they wish.

Also banning people from accessing websites from The Bad Countries with 20 years in prison is fucking insane and fascist and you should hate it even if the list of countries was fixed in stone

One of my favorite pieces I did this year. It represent all of the people who helped me out during a difficult transition in my life. This is oil on canvas.