#btw this is one of those intersectional feminist blogs

[inkskinned]

there's this video you've probably seen already where a woman is shaking in front of a microphone and delicately tries to ask - how can i make my husband listen to me, i've tried everything, i don't want to seem ungrateful and the other man laughs - the problem is that you married a man, we're only listening 25% of the time and we only understand 5% of that! and the audience laughs and the woman laughs and you just sat there, phone in your hand, letting the sound of it echo

and the thing is that people make think-pieces about it (isn't this one of them) and satire versions and "flipping the script" which is good and fun but at the end of the day, there's some truth in that man's response about men-not-listening. and you have tried to language that feeling for years, this sense that you can only take up 33% of a conversation before others view it as being "dominating".

it's not that they aren't listening, it's that the action they're taking is purposefully silencing. it's different. you accidentally-don't-listen a lot; just because the world is loud and you're distracted. you don't mean anything by it. and the truth is that the man who spoke is relying on that to be true of you; the way it's true of everyone. but there is a different undertone to his kind of not-listening. what he means is they don't respect you and you shouldn't expect them to. there is a difference between oh shit i forgot to take the trash out and why didn't you remind me to do it, just like there is a difference between i didn't realize you wanted to go out this weekend and why do you expect me to plan things why can't you just tell me where we're going.

and the thing is that it isn't just him, and it's actually not just because of your gender - your skin, your class status, your weight, their ableism - it happens often. so often it feels like a tightness around your throat and a weight in your stomach. you're not even "really" allowed to be upset about it, because to them it's a joke. and they laugh. and you know exactly the amount of work that goes into every conversation. how you have to work to condense down your thoughts into intelligent, crisp soundbites; worried someone will try to swoop in and cut you off. and there's this sense from everyone else - oh stop being so sensitive, are you really upset just because they weren't listening and you don't know how to say the way that feels when it happens constantly.

there's that video of the science summit where a woman in the audience finally says let her speak please! and the whole crowd bursts into applause and the man leading the summit holds up his hands and bows his head and says oops, sorry! like what he did was awkward and embarrassing, a little social gaffe that happens easily. later in your meetings, you're asked to take notes, and you don't say anything, you just hear let her speak please! ringing in your head and know that you'll never be brave enough for that kind of thing. and besides. think of all the people who agree this was a one-off, he just got excited and all of the people who say one man is not indicative of all of society

at the dinner table you're talking about someone you don't like and how he's not good to his girlfriend and how she always has to remind him to put the effort in and before him, she was glowing with curiosity and passion but now she just seems... tired, unhappy. that he likes the way she burns out; she stays home and takes care of him and their 2 kids. and your father sniffs and says that men take a while to learn those kinds of things. and you just stare at him and think about your childhood and are like - no wonder i turned out like this

and you want to say - there's no fucking secret school or mystic form of communication. i was not sent to Rearing a Child University. i did not graduate from Getting Chores Done College. i ask questions and i listen and i pay attention, because that's basic fucking human decency. it stems from respect, and how i respect others and their agency. i clean the house because someone should clean. not because it comes "naturally".

hell, you had to google "how to boil an egg" the other day, just because you usually make them scrambled. you can never remember which of the 2 bathroom cleaners make chlorine gas, only that two of them definitely do. you've accidentally bleached your clothes. it took you like 3 years of self-teaching before you figured out how to actually cook things correctly - for that whole time, you burnt or undercooked everything. but you did teach yourself; just like you taught yourself how to listen with empathy. just like how you taught yourself to think before you speak. to be kind first, to be better at communicating. it seemed like a good thing, an adult thing.

the joke the man in the video makes is that women say i'm fine! when they are not fine. and you think about the 150 conversations that happened around that; about how she probably has had so many arguments with her husband. how she said i'm upset you don't take me anywhere and he got mad at her because of course i do, you made me go to that stupid restaurant like last week and she probably said that's not what i'm saying and he said now i'm supposed to be psychic or something and she said no of course not and he said how am i supposed to know what to do when you don't even like everything and she said i do like things and he said well how am i supposed to win? and her pastor probably told her to be more grateful because they do things at all, even if she has to plan them and her mom probably told her that's just how men are honey and she probably cried over her journal, trying to figure out why the fuck she "has everything" and is still so bitterly, horribly unhappy

and how, in your life, for so many reasons, you looked down the barrel of another argument; of explaining yourself and being vulnerable and begging for help again. how many times you just said i'm fine because it was better than doing that again; it was better than wringing yourself out when it's literally easier to just pretend. because he wasn't going to listen. your father wasn't going to be better and your boyfriend wasn't going to be better and your boss wasn't going to be more respectful.

and you sit in front of a video of a woman shaking, looking horrible and guilt-wrought that she's even asking this question. and you know; deep in your heart - that's you. in a different life, you are her. you've stood in her spot. and you had to listen while someone else cackled - why would we bother to notice when you talk?

#writeblr #warm up #this is something im legit still unpacking the effects of #btw this is one of those intersectional feminist blogs #gender plays a role but let's be honest - this silencing comes from disrespect which can come from MANY things #white women will do it to women of color #it exists in many forms and permutations #but fuck that video made my blood run COLD #you know it's bad out there when my HORRIFICALLY right-wing trad cath father even admitted ''it's bad out right now''

[thegirlwholivesin-delusion]

HELLO THERE!!!

NICE TO MEET YOU ♡♡♡♡♡

I'm Ni/Annie/Cherry (whatever you prefer lol). I'm a minor! So please don't follow me if you are a nsfw blog.(You can interact with the posts of my main account but don't follow my side account or interact directly).

I have 2 accounts :-

1 account for my activism - @geminni5 (main)

And this one for other stuff - @thegirlwholivesin-delusion (side)

I have a lot of things I post/reblog about but it's usually books/artists I love.

My pronouns : she/her.

Sun sign : Gemini 🩷

MBTI : ENFP-T (Campaigner).

Also I'm an Ambivert ~

DNI : TERFS , HOMOPHOBES , SEXISTS , RACISTS AND NSFW BLOGS.

Also I love activism a lot (even though it hurts my mental health sometimes) and I probably am an Anarchist. I am a Feminist (intersectional), Environmentalist and Pro Choice.

Fandoms : PJO , Harry Potter , Olivia Rodrigo , AGGGTM , Chocolate box girls (underrated af) , and a lot more lol.

I have started posting poems recently (11th March 2024) so if you want to check those out , you can check out the tag #cherry🍒 writes stuff.

Oh btw really important notice :- This is what my #undescribed tag means. I'm so sorry but I didn't realise that it was not for that.

I occasionally have breakdowns so I might once in a while post some really depressing stuff on here. Sorry about that.

Also I have a tag #rambleeeee for posting the most randomest shit.

Also if you haven't realised by now, my favourite number is 5 lol. Oh also , I'm Indian.

Also I am a huge booktok and just a tiktok hater in general. You will find I reblog a lot of posts about that lol.

I mostly reblog posts but I sometimes post some stuff of my own (a lot of the times I find it on pinterest. The ones that I find there and post here are tagged #not mine!)

I am a poet / writer but I don't like to share my poems that much lol.

My mutuals : @acewithobsessions @holychaoticdevil28 @notbrucewayne48 @scrambledd3ggss @waiting-down-the-hall-for-me @starl1tt @stars-of-the-heart @snazzy-fangs @alphabetically-deranged @marcusmurdyspond @weeping-in-the-willows @jasperthenotfriendlyghost @guess-ill-dye @octoberconstellation @ringed-mars @lovelightwords @clarabowmp3 @rachellelizabethhdare @cc-horan28 @jay-drinks-gasoline @coldfestivalwitch @starrystims @readerintrash @swiftiebookwormlogastellus

I think that's all?

For now lol

I am very much happy to answer asks and always welcome them.

Also I send a lot of anon asks to people who are not my mutuals lol.

Anyways I really think that's all.

♡ Thank You ♡

GIFs from here

#intro post #india ♡

[8-evil-annoying-catboys]

not directly related to the post i just rb’d (for the second time, and which i agree with, just btw) but looking thru the notes reminded me. i’ve been seeing ppl who are either not latine or are not open about being latine, jabbing at the moment near the end of barbie (2023) where sasha tells her father that him saying “sí se puede” to barbie before she goes in to see the gynecologist is cultural appropriation. usually when i see people mentioning this, they make it out to be that she’s telling him that learning spanish is cultural appropriation, and completely remove the context of the scene. being chicane and specifically of mexican heritage, i kinda wanted to mull this over on my own blog, yknow? below is a long-ass post dissecting my take on barbie and its message, and why, ultimately, i think the discourse about it is kind of overblown and most people posting about it, positively OR negatively, are ignoring the real issues with it. it’s mostly about the aforementioned scene but i talk about other stuff too

granted, i didn’t love the fact that they included this dialogue, it seemed gratuitous and like they were just trying to be more inclusive in a film that was very much told through a White Feminist lens, without much intersectional perspective throughout, so that people wouldn’t knock on the film for including minor characters who were disabled, trans, and poc, and a few major supporting characters who were woc, for diversity points, but not meaningfully integrating their experiences into the message of the film, and, noticeably, diversifying the barbies and kens who are not real humans, but only having two human women characters of color, whose roles don’t integrate the fact that they ARE woc in really ANY meaningful ways either. however… sasha was not wrong in saying this. and she wasn’t saying that her father learning spanish is culturally appropriative. the dialogue, if memory serves, goes like this:

father (to barbie): estoy muy orguoso de tí.

gloria (mom): orgulloso.

father: orgulloso. estoy muy orgulloso de tí. (smiling) ¡sí se puede!

gloria: that’s a political statement.

sasha (daughter): yeah, dad, that’s cultural appropriation.

“sí, ¡se puede!” is a political statement. it was coined for use in this context by dolores huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, in 1972. it is usually associated with césar chávez, though, being a more well-known figure and the other founder of UFW. in the US, it is a federally registered trademark of the union, but it has also been adopted by other labor unions and immigration activists. the literal translation is “yes, it can be done!” which refers to using organised protest to accomplish goals in the realms of workers’ rights, and human rights more generally, especially in contexts where the majority of victimised people are latine. in short, taking this phrase and saying it in a completely different context, as a white person, to another white person, IS appropriative. sasha had every right to say this, and, really, her mother commenting “that’s a political statement,” was just a less aggressive way of saying the same thing, and she was right, too.

basically? i think that people are taking issue with the wrong thing here. this scene wasn’t really funny, at least not to me as a mixed mexican myself, therefore someone who would be the target audience for this joke. but it was kind of truthful. and ultimately, what bothered me the most about barbie was that, despite the fact that, yes, they have a disabled barbie in the center for a bit during the dance number, yes, they had a trans actress play one of the barbies with multiple lines, yes, they cast multiple poc in the film and gave multiple of them several speaking lines, and noticeably weren’t too shy on hiring poc for extras… the story didn’t really… care about them. if you took all those actors, and replaced them with abled, white, cishet actors instead… the story would barely change. the only thing that would probably change is that they would’ve shown the dad doing something else to occupy his time other than learning spanish on duolingo, and they’d have replaced this awkward dialogue with something else. everything else could’ve and would’ve stayed exactly the same.

while i like that the message of this movie was not… like, incompatible with intersectional feminism, it also wasn’t really that groundbreaking feminist film that a lot of people are making it out to be, to be totally honest. it’s a good slightly-deeper-than-surface-level deconstruction of the patriarchy and how it hurts men AND women, although it hurts women more profoundly more often, but there wasn’t much there to specifically point out and sympathise with the struggles of marginalised people who aren’t women, and women who are marginalised in ways that aren’t solely related to the fact that they’re women. it’s a fun movie with a core message worth taking to heart, but it’s also served up with a pretty overtly pro-capitalism, and pro-consumerism message on the side, and it’s neutral, at best, towards the people who are hurt by capitalism/consumerism. i enjoyed it, but i’m really sick of seeing people argue about whether it’s a groundbreaking egalitarian intersectional feminist film or not. there wasn’t as much substance to it, in that realm, as i was expecting—granted, i also went in having seen someone say it was rated R, but it was only rated PG-13, so i was sitting there like, “…where’s the rated R content? where’s the deconstruction of women’s sexuality? why doesn’t barbie react to Barbie Girl by Aqua?!?!” lmfao. i wouldn’t say you shouldn’t see it, but i also wouldn’t drag you to see it if you’re not interested. and i DEFINITELY wouldn’t say it was all that deep. it was just fun, and i don’t think you should go into the theatre to see a fun, playful movie that isn’t that deep, when you’re expecting a deep, intersectional deconstruction of masculinity and femininity and the patriarchy.

i would say, though, that if you’re indigenous, just know that our perspectives weren’t considered deeply by the writers. there is that line, mentioned in the post i referred to at the very beginning of this long-ass post, which could be offensive, where the dolls are directly compared to the plight faced by indigenous people when smallpox was brought over from europe, so be aware of that. and if you’re latine, don’t expect the film to portray the two latina leads as… well, latina, beyond just dealing with the white dad not being very good at speaking spanish. if you’re trans, don’t go expecting them to talk about our struggles and not present a cisgender take on feminism. if you’re disabled, know that there isn’t a lot of representation, and iirc the one barbie who is a wheelchair user doesn’t have any lines, although i may be wrong. if she does she probably has one, or two lines, otherwise i think i’d remember her talking. in all cases, don’t go see it if that would be upsetting for you. but if you’re okay with that, it’s an enjoyable movie.

#tumblr original post button is literally my diary <3 #barbie (2023) #barbie spoilers

[stuckyfingers]

My feelings on Captain America trilogy actors:

Because I can. Also these are just my opinions, which I'm posting on my own blog, so don't get mad. If you wanna counter my beliefs, please do so politely.

Chris Evans: Love his acting, looks, dog and charisma, but he's ehh *shrug*. I do admire some of his support for Stucky but he's a far cry from Steve Rogers. Yes I'm still bitter about the bomb signing, why did he do that. who autographs explosives in their right mind?? It's a horrible look with the exact thing being done during the ongoing genocide. He seems to be advocating for US military violence. That's never good.

Sebastian Stan: The BEST. Dedicated to his job, and CEO of Bucky Barnes + Stucky defense squad. Won't let the execs get away with bad writing. Acting is impeccable and also gay. Idk how he doesn't have an oscar?? Guess he's one of those perpetually snubbed stars. idk about him as a person, but he's doing his job well. I have a feeling he's secretly kinda shitty. I hope he isn't tho.

Scarlett Johannson: Nice acting, and pretty af, but she's... well. You've probably heard about it enough. The feminism here is not intersectional either.

Anthony Mackie: I LOVE Sam, and I did love this guy and his charisma for a long time till he got on that show and said women should make sandwiches for 'daddy'?? and it wasn't a joke btw, he really meant that. Well, that was weird af, and made his praise for 'Wonder Woman as a feminist movie' fall flat. Idk what to think about him anymore.

Hayley Attwell: Perfect casting but in not a very nice way (she looks EXACTLY like the comics Cynthia Glass, a Nazi spy). Again, the feminism here is not intersectional. Also, apparently she gropes guys a lot?? It's been caught on camera many times. And that's outside my disagreements with her Peggy Carter advocacy.

Samuel L Jackson: Idk much about him tbh but he seems pretty chill. Loved his 'He's the first LBGT Captain America' line.

Emily VanCamp: She seems ok, and again idk much about her. She didn't deserve the kinda comments that Hayley Attwell sent her way.

Idk about Robert Redford, Frank Grillo, or any of the others. I think the less I know about someone the better they seem 😂😂😂

Even Seb seemed pretty fishy when he was crossing lines with an interviewer once, by saying something overtly sexual. It's not a very popular video tho, probably why it's hard to find.

#gah I hate celebs #meta #my opinions

[rfidblocking]

What defines radical feminism as opposed to other forms of feminism, and why should people who espouse it be blocked? If you have a link to an explanation at the top of your page or something I'd appreciate just a link, as I browse Tumblr mobile and can't see it. Sincerely asking, btw. I've seen terms used in varying ways and the categories of feminist thought seem blurry to me.

Classes of feminism are not very sharply defined. Any feminist can espouse ideas influenced by radical feminism, and vice versa. Indeed, intersectional feminism is a reaction to and evolution of radical feminism.

Feminism in the Western world is roughly sorted into four “waves.” Non-western feminism addresses different cultural needs than western feminism and does not necessarily follow these patterns. It emphatically does not follow this timeline.

What we consider first wave feminism arose from upper class white women in the late 19th century. The suffragette movement, reduction of hysteria diagnoses, etc were “first wave” actions. By far, the first wave was the wave of respectability. In a world where women were property, being seen as human was already a large task.

The methodology used to achieve this “humanization” was very much focused on improving the state of the uppermost class of women, with vague notions of “coming back for the rest” later. Or not at all.

Nevertheless, first wave feminism- what we might today call “white feminism”- was the foundation upon which later western feminist ideologies were built. It is also where the first strides towards legal equality for women (voting rights, inheritance law, etc) came from.

The second wave of feminism arose in the 1960s, alongside other major protest cultures. Modern radical feminism generally considers itself to be “second wave.” Where the first wave focused on basic legal rights of personhood, the second wave focused on social limitations and domestic rights, as well as examining the specific struggles and consequences of being a woman in a man-centered society. 

This included things such as attempting to abolish dress codes that required excessive levels of modesty or infringed on the freedom of expression of women. It also included successes such as no-fault divorce, domestic abuse studies and shelters, title IX sports and education protections, etc.

It also included and fostered an enormous amount of hatred towards men. The second-wave was the wave of militancy and separatism. There was a persistent belief that if men could be eliminated from the lives of women, women would magically become utopian creatures.

This fostering of separatist attitudes also exacerbated a lot of what we would now call intersectional issues: any woman who disagreed with the party line was clearly just hypnotized by the patriarchy, and needed to be forced to agree with the party.

This led to ignoring a lot of very valid concerns from a great many women. Such as:

+ Ssecond wave feminism’s separatist attitude seeking in many cases to separate women from their sons and other beloved male family members,

+ The hatred of women who were assigned male at birth,

+ The hatred of women who worked with or for men, especially those who worked in sex,

+ Hatred for sexuality involving men,

+ Hatred for sexuality  between women,

+ Hatred for women of color,

+ Hatred for religions and religious women involved in anything other than Christian derived mother-goddess paganism,

And so on.

These are problems that still exist in today’s “radical feminists” who seek to recreate, or never left, the second wave. Indeed, while transgender status prior to the rise of second wave feminism’s influence in the US was hardly a cakewalk, it was second wave feminists, with their hatred of all things “male” who exacerbated tensions, or entirely created new ones, and created many of the most horrifying aspects of transphobia that we see today.

The third wave of feminism rose in the late 80s and early 90s.

Taking inspiration from the many, many, many women who were attacked and hated by second wave policies, the third wave of feminism, today called, “intersectional feminism,” sought to examine just what it was that caused women who weren’t in the ruling class of feminist momvements throughout history to experience a combination of patriarchal misogyny and hegemonic racism/queerphobia/classism that was greater than the sum of its parts.

Many Black and queer feminist scholars were especially active and especially well regarded during this time period. The expansion of queer theory and racial equality efforts in academia and certain public sectors including child education in the third wave time period was also a prominent influence on third wave feminism.

One especially important aspect of third wave feminism was individualism. The belief that there is no “one right way” to be a woman, and that womanhood is necessarily influenced by the individual’s other identities, as well as their internal truths. This is what led to many feminine subcultures: feminine academics, feminine punks, feminine queers.

Unfortunately, one draw back of the third wave’s strong focus on individualism was that it lacked the cohesive force of early waves. Organization of large scale protest and revolution is very difficult when no one can entirely agree on what is being fought for.

Another critical factor of the third wave, and the defining point between third and fourth wave feminism, is that the third wave existed before the spread of internet access and internet culture. This contributed to the communication problems and scale problems third wave feminists experienced.

The fourth wave of feminism is where we currently exist today.

In effect, it is the third wave, but with broadly accessible systems of communication and organization. Intersectionality 2.0, as it were.

Information overload is common in fourth wave spaces. While everyonenow knows what conflicting access needs are, at least, there is little experience in satisfactorily dealing with them.

Because so much of fourth wave feminism is “talking the talk” rather than “walking the walk,” it gives the impression of being a toothless cacophony of young modern feminists screaming at each other incoherently. Because everyone has a platform, it is difficult for leaders to emerge who are not falling back on earlier, more “cohesive” waves: the first and second.

On the other hand, when everyone has at least the potential to have a voice, then people who have existed in silence for generations finally get to speak: people with multiple stacking intersections of marginalization. People who lack the access to historic methods of learning feminist theory can now get a firm foundation in gender equality without needing to pay for 4 years at a liberal arts college. People who are too weird, too queer, to black or brown or disabled or fat or traumatized to participate in the historical forums of feminism can participate in the fourth wave, due to its strong online presence.

With easy, omnipresent recording and data collection methodologies, it becomes increasingly difficult for people to deny the existence of misogyny. With easy, omnipresent communication platforms, this data can be spread to people it could reach before. People who are trapped in controlled environments of abuse, people who are too poor or disabled or anything else to escape the small town hyper-conservative bubble they were born into.

The fourth wave has been “in progress” for between 6 and 10 years, depending on who you talk to. Currently, it doesn’t have a catchy name, but if I were going to give it one, I might call it “accessible feminism.” The barriers to entry have never been lower.

And yet, it has its many problems, too.

No social movement is perfect, because the people involved in it are not perfect. And each wave of feminism overlaps with and influences those that came before and after it.

But, given the choice, I would say each subsequent wave of feminism has been “better” than those before it, and I would also say that no wave of feminism was as openly and violently hostile as second wave feminism and the radical feminists who still espouse it. That it was more effective than the first wave is a point in its favour, but little else is.

That many modern radical feminists seek to undo the leaps and bounds we have made in the decades since radical feminism fell out of favour as the dominant feminist ideology is somewhere between regressive and openly horrifying.

So, I suppose that wasn’t necessarily as helpful as it could have been, in terms of specifically identifying radical feminist ideology today.

But with any luck, it has given you enough of a foundation upon which to build your own research in the future.

XOXOX

💮 Yazminx 💮 

PS: The title of our blog is a pun. You should only block people who you, personally, feel should be blocked. If you want to use our work as a guideline, then by all means do so. However, we are not operating any kind of blocklist here.

#Anonymous #Yazminx #🌸

[fyeahbatcat]

Not batcat related but what did you think about the Wonder Woman movie? I love your blog btw!

Thank you!!! I haven’t seen Wonder Woman yet. I have tickets for tonight :)

Edit 6/30/17

Sorry I meant to give you an update right after I saw themovie but then the proposal happened the next day and it shifted my focus for awhile. Anyways, last year I was kind of asked about my thoughts on the thenupcoming Wonder Woman movie and I outlined my concerns about the potential forlightweight feminism, portrayals of violence, and the representation of theAmazons and everyone I am happy to say that I could not have been more wrong(for the most part). I’ve been begging the powers that be at WB for a WonderWoman for years and I fully intended to catch an advanced screening since itwas announced in 2014, but I was away on vacation that week so it didn’t happenand I had to do some extreme internet acrobatics to avoid spoilers. Between that,the letdown that was Suicide Squad,and the pressure of having the first *real* superhero movie starring a woman I thoughtthere was no way it would live up to my expectations.

That said: I am a changed person having now seen Diana ofThemyscira grace a giant plasma screen in her own movie. Watching Wonder Woman was a spiritual experience.In response to my own concerns about:

1.      The trailer looking too violent

It’s not that I expected there to be no fighting or violencein a multi-million dollar action movie I meant more along the lines of WonderWoman was created as a foil for violent hyper-masculinity and a symbol ofpeace. A lot of these themes have become very muted over the last severaldecades by mostly male writers who interpret Wonder Woman’s strength as coincidingwith traditionally masculine ideals when William Moulton Marston created WonderWoman as a symbol of feminine power. Because it was very clear that PattyJenkins and the DCEU is taking the recent New 52 daughter of Zeus origin story Ithought that they would mostly be relying on more recent versions of WonderWoman which, in my opinion, strayed too far from Wonder Woman’s importantlarger themes (until Greg Rucka, God bless him, came back to the series).

The ending completely shattered my expectations and I amhappy to report that I was wrong. The movie was all about Diana’s destiny andhow she became the hero that she is. By the end she decides that she wants tobe a hero that believes in the power of love. That’s exactly who Wonder Womanis. This was a feminist movie through and through.

2.      The diversity of the Amazons

You can read about what I had to say about the initial promoshots of the Amazons in my previous post: but what it came down to is the factthat diversity among the Amazons isn’t just a meaningless gesture of diverserepresentation or just for optics. It’s essential to Wonder Woman’s characterbecause she stands for equality among all women and intersectional feminism.People expressed concerns over how the first images of the Amazons were of allwhite faces and Patty Jenkins said was just Diana’s “immediate family” and the restof the Amazons would be diverse. It was a pretty unsatisfactory placation, buton that end Jenkins did hold up her promise. My exact words last year were:

So diverse like WOC will be playing actually namedcharacters who contribute to the plot and/or Diana’s development? Or diverselike they’ll all be in the background swinging swords, thrown a few tokenlines, and will be credited as “Amazon” #4? Because those are two verydifferent ideas of diversity?

Spoiler alert: it was the second one (though I think some ofthem had names, not that you would’ve known). It’s hard for me to criticize thedecision to cast Robin Wright as Antiope because my goodness she was born toplay that part. It was so thrilling to see an actress in her fifties in actionsequences and woman fighting as warriors free from the male gaze, but it justas well could’ve been Phillipus that also had a hand in training Diana. Evenafter viewing the movie Jenkins reasoning strikes me as defense for casting allwhite actresses in the most prominent roles for the Amazons, which is prettyexpected by Hollywood standards. There wasn’t even any need for Diana to havean “immediate family” as it didn’t contribute to the plot in any way.

Stray thoughts:

Okay I anticipated the “twist” but that didn’tstop me from thinking “If they make her the daughter of Zeus Patty Jenkins isgonna catch these hands” the entire time. I’m willing to overlook it but thatdoesn’t mean that I liked it.

Omg Diana’s characterization was so friggingood. A lot of writers make Wonder Woman too severe and serious, but Diana wasa character that was full of joy and humor. One of my favorite moments in theentire movie was when Diana swoons over the baby (“A BABY!!!!!!”) which wasadorable because they don’t have babies of Themyscira so it’s something thatshe didn’t take for granted. Also I loved it when she tells the ice cream manthat “you should be very proud.” It was just little moments like that you gotto see Diana’s human side and that she was a joyful, loving person.Also the scene in NML when Diana is socompelled by human suffering to cross the trenches and put an end to theviolence once and for all. This is the moment that she becomes Wonder Woman.I also think that they did a really greatjob of conveying what it’s like to be in a foreign place. Some of the mostinsulting stereotypes in media are that foreigners are just stupid and don’tunderstand anything (see Starfire). Dianacan speak dead languages and knows about literature. Diana wasn’t dumb by anymeans, but she didn’t quite know all of the cultural cues. Like when she didn’tknow why her and Steve couldn’t “sleep” together which Steve assumes this meansthat she doesn’t know what sex is and Diana matter-of-factly informs him that she’s“read all twelve volumes of Cleo’s treatises on body and pleasures.” And whenshe tries to hold Steve’s hand because “they’re together.” Cultural norms areregion specific so of course anytime you venture to a place unknown you, youdon’t know everything about there is to know about how to socialize with the peoplethere. The film did it in a way that was funny and honest without beingcondescending.

Gal Gadot and Chris Pine had some of the bestchemistry I’ve ever seen on screen. They were both so charming and funny. Evenmy mom liked them and she hates superhero movies.

“I wish we had more time.” I’ve never sobbed somuch from one line before.

Best universal human theme since The Dark Knight. Wonder Woman was allabout Diana’s journey of self-discovery. When she first leaves the island shenaively believes that all of the violence and evil in the world is a result ofAres’ influence and once she destroys him it will magically end. Before sheleaves she asks Steve if he’s typical representation of mankind.  Sure Steve Trevor was a genuinely good guyand that probably got her expectations a little too high, but he points outthat even he’s not a saint. No one is. When she first kills who she thought wasAres and nothing changed she became immediately disillusioned by mankind andrealizes that people are pretty shitty and it wasn’t just because of Ares. It’sSteve that brings her to this realization that: yeah we suck, but that doesn’t meanthat we’re not worth saving.

Steve got hella fridged. Well sort of. Steve’sdeath is really what motivated Diana to destroy Ares and continue to mentor theworld through love, so it’s a rare example of a male character’s death beingused as motivation for a female character. However, Steve was given much moreagency in his death than a female character would’ve been given. Steve died onhis own terms in a way that was really, really heroic and sacrificial. It’s almostthe way Batman went out in The Dark Knight Rises and how Steve Rogers “dies” inCaptain America. Compare that to GwenStacy’s death in Amazing Spiderman 2 whoseneck snapped in the last ten minutes just to make Peter all sad and angsty. Ithink that writers still have more expectations for male characters to beactive and think that it’s more acceptable for female characters to be passiveso in terms of gender representation in Hollywood there’s still a long way togo but hey it’s a start.

Scene that had me laughing even days later:

Diana, who has neverseen a man before standing in front of a bare ass naked Steve: What’s that?

Steve:

Steve:

Steve:

Steve: This is awatch.

Bottom line: I loved this movie. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I’mgoing to go see it again this weekend.

#ask #anonymous #not batcat related #personal note #wonder woman spoilers

[dreamsghostslovers]

I’m a proud intersectional feminist. I love the female form. Especially when it’s naked. My porn blog is INCLUSIVE! It features regular women and then women of color and lesbians :) My favorite feminist topics are sex positivity and how to help men suffering from toxic masculinity. I’m a feminist because I love and respect women. I love women so much I date many at once because I just love appreciating women. Women are so strong and empowered when they’re wearing makeup and I really love and respect that :) I empower the women in my life by taking away the power from them on their terms. Oh you’re not into certain sexual acts? Maybe you’re just being close minded. I’ve watched several feminist videos and they all say it’s liberating. You’re just suffering from internalized misogyny by refusing to perform those sex acts. It might take a few hundred tries but eventually you’ll get used to those acts and you’ll grow to love them :) Speaking of internalized misogyny, women who don’t perform femininity are suffering from internalized misogyny and we need to help them. But we also need to protect normal women and give them safe spaces away from these gender nonconformists. I wrote a thinkpiece about it on my blog! It’s somewhere between the violent degradation gifs and the Pornhub video named ‘teen girl gets punished by rough daddy’. Anyways yeah I really respect women. I know lots of women. You’re all so strong :) I really admire the way you withstand violence :) and I think it’s so cool how you can work full time AND raise a family AND maintain a household all on your own. Yup I’m just over here feministing all over the place. Actually I think feminism isn’t even really about women. It’s about everyone so we really shouldn’t focus on women. You might not get it, sorry if I’m being too advanced for your tiny woman brain, one of my favorite porn blogs (whatshesreallyworth) has a good explanatory post about it. I think he links it in his bio after the long graphic description about his patriarchy kink. Did you know not holding any standards towards the men in your life is an empowering thing because then you avoid feeling hurt? Makes a lot of sense if you don’t think about it. Plus I think it’s bad to hold men accountable for their actions because when you think about it they’re the victims of toxic masculinity that forces them to treat women poorly so speaking badly of those men is victim blaming if you think about it. Btw Did I mention I’m sex positive?

[soyoureviewhiphoptoo]

Soundtrack of the Week 24/08/2017

It is time for the Soundtrack of the Week, the SYRHHT blog segment where I discuss latest music releases and other projects that I listen to over the space of 7 days. So, here is the Soundtrack!

ALBUM (EP)

Dave East- Paranoia: A True Story Released: August 18, 2017 Label: Def Jam Recordings and Mass Appeal Records

As I have made very clear on this blog, Dave East has become one of my favourite rappers in the new age of hip hop (he has just overtaken Vince Staples as the artist who has been given the most mentions on a Soundtrack with 3 individual entries). Following the release of his acclaimed mixtape Kairi Chanel last year, Dave East gives us Paranoia: A True Story, an EP that acts as a prelude to his debut studio album for Def Jam. As prelude EPs go, I was worried that this would be a similar situation to Vic Mensa’s Manuscript which only had four songs to act as a prelude to his debut album The Autobiography (two projects I do want to hear but have yet to). Interestingly, even with three skits and one interlude, Paranoia is still quite stacked with nine songs to warm us up for the pending album.

Once you overlook the four aforementioned filler tracks, Dave East shows off once again what has gotten him this far; raw lyricism and vivid storytelling. Setting the scene with the opening track Paranoia, Dave illustrates the mindset he has become accustomed to; paranoia over the people around him as they might be trying to steal from him or see to it that he ends up in prison. In the life he leads on the streets or even as an up-and-coming artist, it is hard to see who to trust and it is easy to become paranoid. The feeling of paranoia is further explored on standout songs The Hated  (which illustrates the story of 2 drug dealers) and Phone Jumpin’ (which features Wiz Khalifa and samples Busta Rhymes- Gimme Some More which was amazing btw). In general, he sticks to what he does great, strong and lyrical showings about urban life in Harlem hoods. 

This EP also has the softer songs for the ladies that are marketed as the lead singles. The first of them is Perfect featuring Chris Brown, which was talked about earlier this month on a Soundtrack but another song that is looking to gain some traction in the mainstream is My Dirty Little Secret. This song illustrates yet another story about a girl that East is getting with. 

She really my type because she think love is boring I don’t know if it’s the jewelry or the cash That made her respond to me so fast She ain’t never asked me nothin’ ‘bout my past

Taken from My Dirty Little Secret Even within this love story, those feelings of paranoia are still prevalent.

Like this the shorty, you been talking bout and showing us I’m growing up, no more Keisha’s nigga I’m blowing up I don’t trust her enough to pass the weed I be rolling up

Taken from My Dirty Little Secret What is immediately interesting is that he makes direct reference to a previous song his, Keisha where he was just sleeping around but now he is looking to settle down and yet that last line brings everything back to the paranoia.

This song shows the story of East meeting a girl but what is interesting here is the constant cognitive dissonance that is present throughout the song. On one hand, he really likes her, wanting to spend all his time with her, wanting to make love to her and tell the world about her and yet on the other hand, he is viewing her as just a another girl he should not really care for, constantly thinking she just be using him for his riches.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Paranoia: A True Story. It is a strong showing of his storytelling abilities and gives us hope towards his debut album that will be coming next year. I openly recommend everyone to listen to this project.

RATINGS

Concept: 3/5 Production: 4/5 Lyrical Content: 4.5/5 Flow and Delivery: 4/5 Repeatability: 4/5 Did I enjoy this project? Yes, I did Songs to Recommend? Paranoia, The Hated, Phone Jumpin, Dirty Little Secret and Found A Way

Final Rating: 3.9/5

Dave East- My Dirty Little Secret

Dave East- The Hated The third track of the album, Dave East tells the story of two friends, Anthony and Cory as they grew up and found themselves in the dangerous and frivolous lifestyle brought about from drug dealing. A story filled with expensive spending, imprisonment, gang beef, betrayal and so much more.

MIXTAPE

A$AP Ferg- Still Striving Released: August 18, 2017 Label: ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records

If I wrote on here that Ferg was the best artist to come out of the A$AP Mob, would you believe me? It is something that you can genuinely argue and question. While A$AP Rocky has had the most success of the New York rap group and is the reason a lot of people know of the Mob in the first place, A$AP Ferg has definitely risen right behind his friend. With the release of the well-received Trap Lord in 2013, Ferg has been on a rise in the rap industry. His follow-up album Always Strive and Prosper illustrated the changes he has explored stylistically, utilising a wider range of instrumentation and more polished production. In my mind, Ferg has a strong grasp of modern trends in hip-hop and is easily able to adapt himself to fit the trends without giving up his artistic integrity, staying true to the unique style that brought him fame in the first place.

This mixtape, Still Striving is a strong showing of Ferg utilising the current wave of hip-hop. On this mixtape, Ferg has MANY FEATURES. With Meek Mill, Cam'ron, Dave East, Lil Yachty, Nav, Famous Dex, Playboi Carti, Kid, Migos, A$AP Rocky, MadeinTYO, Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Rick Ross and Snoop Dogg, Ferg uses the variety of sounds to his fullest advantage. 

Now here’s where the issue with this mixtape lies; your enjoyment of this mixtape weighs heavily upon your feelings of some of the younger rappers he has featured. Ferg holds down every song he is on, giving us his strong lyricism over his exuberant, trap-influenced flow but you might switch off immediately once you hear someone else start spitting overly simplistic lyrics, with reliance on auto-tune or ad-libs. While I can say that East Coast Remix is the best song in terms of featured artists (read the Soundtrack from last week for my in-depth “analysis” of the song), Trap and a Dream featuring Meek Mill and Olympian featuring Dave East are strong standout tracks; these two rappers are very similar to Ferg stylistically so their respective chemistries are very clear. Funny enough though, while only three of the fourteen tracks have no features at all, they are also some of Ferg’s stronger verses on the project.

While Still Striving brings up some decent songs to listen to for the moment, it is probably worth waiting for A$AP Ferg’s next studio album to hear him rap to the fullest. 

RATINGS

Concept: 2/5 Production: 3.5/5 Lyrical Content: 3.5/5 Flow and Delivery: 4/5 Repeatability: 3/5 Did I enjoy this project? I did but it was hard at times Songs to Recommend? Trap and A Dream, East Coast Remix, Nandos, Rubberband Man and Olympian

Final Rating: 3.1/5

A$AP Ferg- Nandos One of the songs on the mixtape without any features. It is named after a chain restaurant here in the UK that specialises in chicken (random, I know). The song is an upbeat recollection of Ferg thinking about a time he and his friends were struggling to eat now that those days are far behind him. It is a standout track in my mind and is a good showing of Ferg’s use of the trap style.

SONG

Princess Nokia- G.O.A.T Released: June 28, 2017 Label: Rough Trade Records

The great thing about the internet is that millions of people are sharing around music every day and you can find something you have never heard of and immediately love it. This song is an example of that for me.The New York M.C. known as Princess Nokia has been making music since 2010, previously under the name of Wavy Spice (the lost member of the Spice Girls?). Gaining fans through her Soundcloud and YouTube early on in the decade and being apart of the group Ratking, she recently made waves with her EP 1992 and loose singles such as Brujas and G.O.A.T

From the very little I’ve read up on her so far, I see her as a representation of a millennial raised in the internet era; openly embracing intersectionality as she is a kaleidoscope of personalities and identities within a single being. Makes this song, G.O.A.T  stand out is the lyrics. 

Hate to burst your bubble, bitch I’m that weird girl that’s runnin’ shit I’m a boss bitch runnin’ big shit Got a company, need a couple mil’ Ain’t no rap talk, this my real life And that’s on God, I almost died twice

Opening lines of G.O.A.T

Off the bat, she challenges rap norms by calling herself a weird girl that is still a bad bitch who has been in two different near-death experiences (getting shot at close range when she was 17 and having a lighter explode in her face); we often have two different images of a “bad bitch” and a “weird girl” especially in this hip-hop culture, thinking they are two different entities and cannot be the same but of course, Nokia contradicts that belief. Throughout the song, she will go on to contradict the view of what a female rapper should be. In this song, Princess Nokia tells us that she is a bi-racial, mosh-pitting, intersectional feminist skater chick without curves who likes to watch anime, play with toys, go on MySpace, the film Clueless and OG Southern female rappers like Gangsta Boo, La Chat and Princess Loco….who just so happens to be a rapper. If you compare her to rappers in the mainstream right now (not just female rappers at this point), you probably won’t find a lot of rappers remotely similar.

I change rap forever, man It’s me who had the biggest plan Ain’t no average bitch, I’ve been the man I’ve been the G.O.A.T, eatin’ off the land

Princess Nokia is one of the more unique and intriguing people who happen to be a rapper I have seen in a while and honestly, I am hooked. Her EP 1992 is going to be reissued as an album with G.O.A.T and five other songs added to the tracklist; needless to say, I will be listening. 

Honestly, G.O.A.T will go down as one of my favourite songs of 2017 and it is looking like I am going to become a Princess Nokia fan.

#dave east #paranoia #a true story #the hated #my dirty little secret #asap ferg #still striving #asap rocky #asap mob #nandos #trap #chicken #features #princess nokia #g.o.a.t. #brujas #wavy spice #intersectionality #intersectional feminism #qtpoc #weird girl #bad bitxh #new york #rappers #harlem #new york city #rap #hip hop #music #musicians