indiasspace

[indiasspace]

‘my shot’ came up on shuffle and i got amped up 😬 i tend to battle with myself, over whether to follow my heart or head, if you wanna put it that way... i’ve been giving my heart the airtime over the quarantine season... i feel, uh, alive, again, so... i don’t think i’m going back ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (at Brussels, Belgium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_H5EhrHkToqwDdrYf8N13C84cWJ1BOHkdZlEE0/?igshid=12em2xs3i9kgx

[indiasspace]

[indiasspace]

the fact that everyone has a different connection with reality—and that every interpretation of the physical AND spiritual realms is neither right nor wrong—is really doing a number on me. get me out of this apartment (at Agia-Sofia, Konstantinoupolis) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kCO6hHDC2/?igshid=1c0lrqzfiht1h

[indiasspace]

hi, it’s MY 21st birthday and i’ve made YOU a video with tips to deal with poor body image! here’s what would REALLY really make my day: share my channel, or any of my videos, with 3 people you think could genuinely get something out of the videos I make. I’m really passionate about the things I’m producing and I’m working hard to make them as good as possible (I’m still really new at this!) and I’d really really love to be able to reach the people who could benefit most from it and build a little likeminded community ☺️ if you do it, comment and let me know and send me some evidence (like a screenshot) and I’ll make you an A5 watercolour painting of anything you want. deal? birthdays are a big deal to me 🥺 (at Brussels, Belgium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-eUr76HHU-/?igshid=zyza38egl8yc

[indiasspace]

eleven minutes of me cracking up at the absurdity of civilisation and reminding you you’re good enough as you are :-)

[indiasspace]

eleven minutes of me cracking up about the absurdity of civilisation? yes please! if you want to know what on earth I’m talking about, link is in my bio 🤡 (at Brussels, Belgium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-PYu3EHlp-/?igshid=1cv7cpij1ky88

[indiasspace]

dreamgirl, reading a book (at Brussels, Belgium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-I4S7PnF2W/?igshid=13rs58i9erit0

[indiasspace]

wrong box (at Brussels) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-FQYlLHxqQ/?igshid=p854r6vod1t6

[indiasspace]

THINGS TO ROMANTICIZE

- going 2 bed on time

- healthy romantic relationships

- eating without worrying about calories

- living alone

- non-traditional career paths

- loving yourself

- being old and happy

feel free to add on!!

[indiasspace]

I don’t remember being this bad at using punctuation but reblog

Feminism in Disney's 'Moana' (spoilers)

Disney’s ‘Moana’ (2016) tells the story of a young woman and future village-chief, learning and growing characteristically both on her own and alongside characters such as Maui, a seemingly 'macho’ demi-god, and Moana’s grandmother, Gramma Tala, a.k.a. the 'village crazy lady’ who encourages Moana to pave her own path in life, figuratively. Factors of female leadership: rejection of the gender role/norm status quo: and progressive representation of male and female strength; all contribute to an overall impressive movie for representing social development of the genders in the 2010s.

The stark lack of romance is probably the most surprising and explicit declaration of feminist values in the film: both for Moana herself, and minor characters alike. The only suggestion of any kind of romance for Moana is the fact she travels so far with the incredibly muscly, seemingly arrogant, Maui. My friend and I both watched the scenes of the pair sailing to Tahiti in nervous anticipation, for fear that the creators may ruin a perfectly wholesome, platonic relationship with a kiss or even a suggestive look, as occurs so often in the other recent Disney animations which arguably promote feminism, such as Tangled and Frozen. But there was none! Even Moana’s parents - who although clearly care about each other - show no real romantic gestures, or appear to exist to perpetuate an idolisation of romantic relationships at all. This is a bold step for Disney: although the filmmakers showed Merida in Disney Pixar’s 'Brave’ (2012) as rejecting relationships in favour of living to “change [her] fate”, 'Moana’ does not bring up romance at all. It represents a world in which being in a relationship is not the default: at least, not for Moana, which is perhaps more significant as she is to be the next leader of the tribe and is not expected to have a man to rely on - which brings me onto my next point.

The emphasis on Moana’s role as 'leader’ explicitly subverts traditional norms of female passivity and subservience. Again, nobody fights to achieve this status on her behalf, or is surprised by it: it is wholly accepted that Moana is to lead, and will be damn good at it, too (which she proves wholeheartedly by the end of the film). However, there is some limitation to this, in that her father is the one pushing for Moana to lead the tribe and abandon her calling: the ocean. The roles of Moana’s mother and grandmother are also in alignment with stereotypical gender norms as they both act as nurturers to Moana, and the chief. That being said… embracing typical norms is not necessarily sacrificing feminism. As feminism (or my interpretation of the movement, at least) emphasises on choice and individuality, the film would only be non-feminist if it were suggesting that women were RESTRICTED to nurturing and serving others. This is clearly untrue, as the grandmother embraces her label of “the village crazy lady” and encourages Moana to live her dream, against the will of her son, Moana’s father. Equally, Moana’s mother helps her pack to sail, with the full knowledge that it is against her husband’s wishes. Therefore, these female 'carers’ are also active and self-governing role models to Moana and audiences alike.

Similarly, the common characteristics across genders within 'Moana’ also demonstrate feminist ideals. Scenes involving background villager characters - such as that in 'Where You Are’ near the beginning of the film - show men and women* partaking in similar behaviours such as dancing and gathering food. Maui’s treatment of humans is equal across genders too, as he explicitly states that his heroic behaviour is “Not a guy girl thing. You know. Maui is a hero to all.” Additionally, there are shared personality traits across genders, as demonstrated when Moana’s grandmother tells her that she is “stubborn” like her father. Gramma Tala does not criticise Moana for overstepping her mark as a young woman, or encourage her to soften up; instead, she simply highlights the problem (that Moana will clash with her father due to their similarities), not really blaming either character but rather accepting the situation as it is. One is not ultimately superior: gender equality is heavily implied throughout the movie script and plot.

(*This is assuming that Disney is representing the community with a consensus of two genders, which I know is not necessarily true in Hawaiian culture, but as it is not explored in the plot as far as I am aware, there is little material to judge the extent of transgenderism in the film.)

However, Disney does not ignore gender differences and simply treat everyone as the same: 'Moana’ also embraces feminism by acknowledging and embracing the differences. For example, Maui is largely characterised by his brute strength and muscular build, which Moana and the other female characters lack. However, Moana makes up for this with agility, stamina, and determination (all of which are evidenced when she breaks out of the cave that Maui traps her in upon meeting in 'You’re Welcome’, which seemed impossible to escape). 'Moana’ displays this equal respect of gender differences to a greater extent than any other Disney princess film, I would argue, despite similar events in movies like 'Tangled’ (2010). The escape from the cave follows a similar premise, however Rapunzel’s redeeming feature is her magical hair: which is out of her control. Credit where credit is due, having the intelligence to use her hair to escape is an admirable trait, but ultimately Rapunzel did not work to develop such a tool: she was born with it, which is not particularly inspiring or relatable for girls in the audience, compared to Moana’s sheer persistence and ambitious mentality of self-improvement.

Moana’s rejection of the title “princess” has multiple interpretations, so it can either lean toward or away from feminism. Firstly, and more in line with feminist values, it can be seen that Moana is rejecting the expectations that are associated with princesses. She chooses to take more personal responsibility for her achievements and life course, as opposed to relying on being born into, or marrying into, a position of power. This could increase her worth as a leader because she is willing to be self-reliant. On the other hand: Moana’s aversion to being seen as a princess could be synonymous with the 'I’m not like other girls’ mentality in real life, wherein women and girls try to distance themselves from others due to an internalisation of patriarchal values (namely that girls are inferior in a variety of ways: too emotional, clingy, serious, unintelligent… you name it). Moana rejecting Maui grouping her together with other female protagonists in Disney princess films (the joke, we assume, Disney is making when he says, “If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you are a princess.”) may in fact be counterproductive, by reinforcing a culture of female competition and negative labelling of other women. A third interpretation could be simply that Moana’s character is making a cultural statement: that princesses are not a part of Hawaiian culture. This may be social criticism aimed towards the audience itself, to discourage generalising the story of 'Moana’ to fit into Western norms, where it does not belong. However, a counterargument to this interpretation is that Maui himself is Hawaiian, so it does not make total sense for him to be imposing Western ideals on other Hawaiians by calling her a princess. For this reason it is more likely that the script-writers were making a commentary on gender and power, rather than culture.

The enrichment of Maui’s character through his eventual emotional openness demonstrates feminism which benefits men (and the whole planet, resultantly). The scene where Maui admits that he sought validation from others by playing the macho, “hero” figure shows that men can be both strong and emotional. His self-expression to Moana strengthens their relationship (which is only made more impressive in that it is platonic), allowing greater trust and therefore commitment to the task at hand, of returning the heart of Te'Fiti. By showing the positive consequences of male emotional expression, Disney encourages such behaviour and hopefully little boys in the audience can internalise the benefits of following Maui’s example in this scene. I would argue that this is a new step for Disney 'princess’ films, although Flynn Rider’s character had similar moments in 'Tangled’… Flynn’s motives were romantic, however, so there was arguably something in it for him. Maui, on the other hand, was opening up to a friend, for the benefit of himself and the mission which affected the wellbeing of the whole island Moana lived on. He ultimately acted for the good of the people by coming back to help Moana on her journey, unlike Flynn who acted for one romantic partner when he sacrificed himself for Rapunzel.

Equally, Moana’s emotional expression is taking a somewhat bold feminist step, as it does not limit her, but aids her personal progress as well as progress on her mission. Although expressing emotions is commonly attributed as a feminine act, it is not often seen as a strength, but rather as a weakness, generally speaking. However, Moana’s self-doubt, fear, and grief over her grandmother’s death enables her to grow more mature and capable to self-actualise. For example, when she turns to the vision, or spirit, of her grandmother on the boat when Maui has abandoned her, Moana gains the insight and determination to return Te'Fiti’s heart herself. She is not given this strength by her grandmother, or by the magic of the ocean, or the comfort of knowing she has a man to fall back on if she finds herself incapable: she develops it on her own, as a result of doubting herself and overcoming it.

'Moana’ explores many themes within the overall subject of feminism and gender, and does so with commendable grace and wit, in my view. I left the cinema inspired and touched by the clear effort that the creators put in to promote gender equality, and hope that Disney will maintain such high standards in all of their animation films from now on.

🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊 🌊

(All views expressed in this essay are my own. My writing is not in any way affiliated with the The Walt Disney Company or similar.)

[indiasspace]

i feel so sorry for the mouse welp she’s doing her best give her a hand :’<

in my head theres a little mouse wearing a little apron and she makes all my emotions

[indiasspace]

[indiasspace]

reminder: you can start over at anytime. your day is not ruined. your world is not over. take a deep breath. start over.

[indiasspace]

It really freaks me out that people think body hair is unsanitary. Like y'all are just so brainwashed if you believe that body hair is perfectly normal and fine on men, but on women its suddenly dirty? Use your critical thinking skills for a few damn seconds, I’m begging you.

[indiasspace]

what? The fuck?

Trump administration preparing to hold immigrant children on military bases

The Trump administration is making preparations to hold immigrant children on military bases, according to Defense Department communications, the latest sign the government is moving forward with plans to split up families who cross the border illegally.

According to an email notification sent to Pentagon staffers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make site visits at four military installations in Texas and Arkansas during the next two weeks to evaluate their suitability to shelter children.

The bases would be used for minors under 18 who arrive at the border without an adult relative or after the government has separated them from their parents. HHS is the government agency responsible for providing minors with foster care until another adult relative can assume custody…

Read more: Washington Post

[indiasspace]

“She understood that the hardest times in life to go through were when you were transitioning from one version of yourself to another.”

— Sarah Addison Allen

[indiasspace]