#femininity as violence

[1200flowers]

The Resurgence of the Monstrous Feminine: Hannah Williams

#the resurgence of the monstrous feminine #woman as wound #womanhood #girlhood #femininity as violence #waw #gh #pp #mine

[gothhabiba]

analyses that seek to talk about the relationship between “femininity,” “masculinity,” and social punishment and reward shoot themselves in the foot when they refuse to define what “femininity” or “masculinity” are and instead just consider them to be two distinct, intangible, immutable qualities of objects or people themselves, such that people just kind of are “feminine” or “masculine”—rather than thinking of different kinds of femininities and masculinities as shifting and multivalent categories that are imposed on people, scripts that people manipulate, or ways in which things are read. people who want to analyse femininity and masculinity for their social disciplinary functions are often unable to really get there because they don’t make this distinction. perhaps they assume that we all know what “femininity” or “masculinity” are and so how these ideas are actually created and applied doesn’t need to be theorised?

this gets especially dicey when you start trying to talk about racialised discourses surrounding gender, and leads you to claims such as “Black men are socially punished for their masculinity”—for the “masculinity” that they just sort of ‘have’—rather than the more productive analysis that the concept of “Black masculinity” is a white invention and sexual fantasy imposed on Black men that serves a specific social-political function re: the policing of Black men and racial corralling, division, and denial of public space justified by viewing Black men as a sexual threat; police murder as an arm of capitalist biopower/ control of populations justified by claiming Black men are a physical threat; the government’s role in systematically destabilising the engine of social reproduction that is the nuclear family in Black communities; &c. &c.. To describe this spectacle of an invented threat as “[Black men’s] masculinity” as though it describes anything actually ‘possessed by’ Black men is, I think, weak analysis to say the very least

#masculinity #femininity #gender #racism #antiblackness #antiblack murder / #police violence

[hadesoftheladies]

masculinity is 99.9% grooming boys to be the bestest toy soldiers ever. the violence it is characterized by, so that oligarchs can always have bodies to throw at the territory they want from their competitors. “you are savage” “a meat-eater” “such a strong little boy” “buy another shooting video game” you are being bred for a war that will never end because the greed of your overlords has no limits. war wouldn’t happen if men didn’t start them and hinge the global economy on them. they want men to identify with the role they want them to play. and it’s worked so brilliantly. they really think they’re heroes. male identity is so steeped in violence on a peer and societal level. and it’s been happening for ages.

#radblr #thoughts on gender that aren’t focused on femininity #this is a really old thing men are sociologically conditioned to identify with war and see themselves solely in the context of violence #they don’t have identity outside of violence #not by the time their male peers are done with them #capitalism #marxism #thought of this while reading gerda lerner

[uncanny-tranny]

I just find it very interesting that all the labour classed as lesser (most often seen as "women's labour") becomes indispensable in moments of crisis. It's just interesting to see how quickly people turn to that labour and then discard it in moments of peace or prosperity, devaluing it until another crisis hits.

#politics #feminism #yes this is me reflecting upon the knitting and war video #it's interesting how a 'feminine' craft like knitting became recognized only in tangent to the violence of war #my feelings about this are complex but i think textile craft is a good example of what i mean #because textiles are revolutionary to humanity - just like the discovery of fire. and yet it is so often devalued #especially when it comes to profit over human welfare #look the textile artist to even stauncher hater of capitalism pipeline is real and i'm barreling down it faster than the speed of light #complex feelings on this but this is my general thesis i guess #(context: i was watching a video about knitting and how it supported war efforts in wwi and wwii) #(and while i did know a lot about the topic in that it was a huge part of war support propaganda it was still interesting) #i feel like that video encapsulated a lot of angst i have about crafting labour especially #and also by 'interesting' i actually mean infuriating and stupid

[thepoisonroom]

'I flirted with the idea that instead of being trans that I was just a cross-dresser (a quirk, I thought, that could be quietly folded into an otherwise average life) and that my dysphoria was sexual in nature, and sexual only. And if my feelings were only sexual, then, I wondered, perhaps I wasn’t actually trans.

I had read about a book called The Man Who Would Be Queen, by a Northwestern University professor who believed that transwomen who were attracted to women were really confused fetishists, they wanted to be women to satisfy an autogynephilia. And though I first read about this book in the context of its debunkment and disparagement, I thought about the electricity of slipping on those tights, zipping up those boots, and a stream of guilt followed. Maybe this professor was right, and maybe I was only a fetishist. Not trans, just a misguided boy.

About a year later, on the Internet, I come across a transwoman who added a unique message to the crowd refuting this professor. Oh, I wish I remember who this woman was, and I wish even more that I could do better than paraphrase her, but I remember her saying something like this: “Well, of course I feel sexy putting on women’s clothing and having a woman’s body. If you feel comfortable in your body for the first time, won’t that probably mean it’ll be the first time you feel comfortable, too, with delighting in your body as a sexual thing?”'

-Casey Plett, Consciousness

#this quote always moves me almost to tears when i remember it #i'm not a trans woman and i don't share the author's specific experiences with transition #but it really moves me that she frame transition as joyfully giving yourself permission to approach your body #not as something that has to be disciplined and deprived and made small in all these various ways #but as a means for experiencing pleasure and joy and delight and for insisting that our feelings and desires are worth #valuing and exploring and treasuring #i always used to think of prioritizing those things for myself as selfish and irresponsible #but who does it harm to want to experience pleasure in your own body? #it's such a beautifully simple and powerful switch to have flip in your head #and equally why are we forced to deny our own pleasure in transition and anything else related to our bodies in the name of moral rectitude #this is why i get so confused and pissed off when other trans people are fatphobic for example #like why are you so invested in politics of shame and disgust that never had any purpose other than #violently disciplining people as if they've violated moral codes by existing in a body #to say nothing of white people being racist in gay and trans communities #like again this system of violence is foundational to homophobia and transphobia #so why are you acting like it has nothing to do with you #even if you are unmoved by the urgency of other people's suffering which btw you should be moved by #what do you hope to gain by acting a collaborator and handmaiden to those systems #Casey Plett #she really is one of my favorite authors i wish more non-canadians read her #this quote is from a series of columns she did ont transition and every single one is a banger #i love when she talks about the people-pleasing elements of dysphoria and transition denial #she's so sharp about noting how many of us deny our own dysphoria on the grounds that others like and validate our bodies #that's how i always felt during my cis conventionally feminine era #it pleased other people so much and also that reception felt so hollow and joyless to me because i hated it #i get less of that positive feedback but that feels so unimportant next to the joy and pleasure i get to experience #said with the understanding that i'm very privileged in being able to prioritize those things without fear. but it was a switch flip #personal nonsense

[lostinhewe]

She has such a way with words

*Orion’s hair gets fluffier*

#the scholomance #a deadly education #orion lake #galadriel higgins #naomi novik #violence is always the answer #feminine rage

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

we need more feminist horror

#there is so much potential there #rambling #the beauty industry… anti ageing… dieting…. #female gender roles as a demon haunting you… #the prison of femininity… #menstruation pregnancy abortion as body horror #subversing horror tropes of female exploitation and male violence… #men as monsters… the patriarchy as a haunted house… competition between women as curse… #or just female slashers and serial killers who are not sexy for the female gaze #liberal feminism encouraging ‚sex work‘ as a cult #as some sort of commentary #WITCHES… the last girl becoming ‚evil‘ but what really is evil… #intergenerational female trauma… #male religion > occult horror #zombie as symbolism of trauma… #MOTHER DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIPS

[mountainmagpie]

I will always be a slut for feminine rage, for women covered in blood that is not their own, for the flash of white teeth beneath a dangerous red smile, for nails shaped like claws, for a voice that sounds like a knife, for the complete descent into a blind pursuit of revenge. I'd willingly bare my neck for that woman and relish in her bite.

#women #rage #feminine rage #female rage #revenge #feminine rage aesthetic #female rage aesthetic #violence #violent aesthetic #gingersnaps #jennifers body #gone girl #my sister the serial killer #a certain hunger #werewolf #vampire #monster girls #monster women

[wrathsofgrapes]

Concours de Femmes: Our Dirty Secret

There's a particular facet of womanhood and girlhood that I find to be barely talked about, usually only briefly mentioned in feminist discourse - the competition between women, and beauty standards as a means to even be accepted by other women. I feel like "the competition" (as I will now be referring to it) takes up such a large space within women's lives, and I would argue even more so than the approval and acceptance of men, such a large space that we have barely known alternatives, or what the lack of the competition could look like.

Mainstream feminist discourse often centers around the general idea that "women do not do [xyz] to please men!" - often referring to makeup, cosmetic surgery, and other aesthetic rituals. In reality, in many instances, it genuinely is partially for men, but I will argue that it is mostly for the approval of other women. Women want other women to be jealous of them. Women are in a constant competition to be the most desirable, the most fuckable, and on top of it all, we are in a competition to see who can pretend as though we are not even aware of the mere existence of the competition, who can convince other women that they are the most -effortlessly- desirable and fuckable. Because if you fit a certain beauty standard that traditionally fits what is called the "male gaze", then you also fit in with other women that are in the same place in "the competition" as you.

Mainstream feminist discourse too often focuses on what we, feminists, can do about men, when we, women, are just as wounded by our patriarchal matrix and heteronormative delusions. It is rarely discussed that women will go through lengths of extreme aesthetic alterations (nose jobs, BBLs, lip injections, and whatever else is popular right now) not only to fit the male gaze and feel that euphoric rush of male approval, but also to be accepted by groups of women, to fit into the "pretty" group, for other women to perceive you as competitor. Because ironically, it happens quite often where the more you are seen as competition, the more the competition want to be friends with you. Society loves a group of pretty women. Think of the Kardashians, the Real Housewives, the appeal of sorority culture, and think about how reality shows about groups of pretty women are often solely based around the competition between each other. Because the truth is, we (as a whole) have been conditioned to find entertainment in a "catfight", we're all perverts, eyes and ears glued to the objectified gaggle of women claiming to be "best friends" as they jump through hoops to see who can be the most successful in fame, desirability, money, and often intellect as well. We secretly want them to fail; we have been trained to secretly want our own friends to fail as well.

In terms of desirability, I will speak on personal experience when I say that in adolescence into young adulthood, most girls do not actually want to have sex, especially not with the partners that they usually "choose" in adolescence (I use the term choose very loosely. I actually think young girls often get tricked into thinking they have full control in their choices). No, rather, they would like to be desirable, fuckable. Not only that, but they would especially like to tell their friends about how desirable they are via tales of sexual and romantic (mostly sexual) exploits with boys. Sexual gossip is a very important bonding factor in friendships between girls and young women, and I will argue that for some it is one of the largest reasons why many will partake in our current zeitgeist's soulless digitalized hookup culture.

In high school, I was fascinated and intrigued to hear about the sexual adventures of my girl friends, not only because I had none, but also because none of these stories were positive. They made me sick to my stomach. Stories of boys who refused protection, stories of boys who coerced girls into anal sex, stories of dry, painful penetration, stories of boys getting girls too drunk or stoned to consent. And the girls? Too often did they tell me these stories with a proud smile on their face, thinking that it was funny, not a big deal. I think when you're young you thirst for experience whether it is good or bad. You want stories. You want to be interesting. You're definitely more interesting than your prudish and awkward friend (me). They liked it when I freaked out about these stories. They would reassure me that it wasn't a big deal, as if they were telling me that I will experience it one day, because they think every girl does, and that's just how it is. They liked feeling older, more mature and more experienced than me. They liked when I pried them about their sexual experiences in detail. I only pried because I wondered if they'd get to a point where they really heard themselves, and the words they were saying to me. I don't think anyone's really having any great sex in high school, and everyone was trying to convince everyone else that they were having great sex.

I feel for these girls. I feel for my sixteen year old self that secretly envied these girls. I acted shocked to them as they told me of these traumatic events with a smile on their faces, having read Germaine Greer and De Beauvoir, trying to explain to them why they deserve to be treated better, and how male validation is not worth it. They simply thought I was a silly virgin who did not understand. I secretly wished to have just not thought about these things. Back then I thought things would be so much easier, simpler, if I just let myself be treated that way. I would feel more loved. I would feel closer to my friends. I'd have some really "fun" stories to tell. I felt alienated from my friends because I couldn't relate. Back then I convinced people around me that I was not so lonely. That I didn't see a point in relationships, that I was too busy to bother with them (busy with what?? Algebra 1? Who was I fooling...). That I wasn't so interested in sex. I wanted to act like I was above sex and love (or what high schoolers thought love was). I even identified as asexual and later, gay, for some of this time because I felt so alienated from the adolescent rehearsal of heterosexual sex and love.

But that doesn't mean that I was above an interest in boys - especially platonically. I think I have noticed (as well as perpetrated) women and girls not only competing for sexual and romantic desirability in the eyes of men, but also platonic desirability (which in reality is often just hidden sexual desire because straight men and women often cannot fathom of pure platonic relationships between each other). An example of this is women having a complex, often encouraged by men, that they are "one of the boys". Women saying things like "I just get along better with guys", feeling a sort of competition to see who can have the most male friends. Women can be guilty of valuing men and male friendships over women, just as men can. Men often don't view women as -full people-, and maybe, just maybe, many women subconsciously feel this way too.

Don't get me wrong, I am definitely still trying to shake out of being entrapped within the competition. I think we all are, especially recently. But it's hard when one is surrounded solely by people who are perpetuating the competition further, when one is trapped. I get that. This post is definitely not to bash other women and girls for perpetuating the competition in any way. I was and probably always will be entrapped in the competition in one way or another. We women are all traumatized, brainwashed to romanticize that trauma, and brainwashed to compete in who has more of it, because -trauma makes you interesting-. I think it's getting better, I really do, but that might also be my experience from the people I choose to surround myself with and love. Sometimes I find myself talking with a girl who I would not normally talk to, and find myself back in high school again, prudish as she is beaming with tragedy.

I think when women live in more privileged societies in terms of gender equality (I mean as in, women who are not forced into marriages, are able to access education, etc.), internalized misogyny is just as important of an issue to address as the everyday misogynies of men. It is too often that men pit women against each other, especially explicitly, and women will agree and be complicit to it. It starts with recognizing the misogynies. It starts with analyzing why you -really hate that girl you have never talked to-. It starts with recognizing the difference in how you act around men versus around women.

Simply saying empty phrases like "girl power!" and "women need to stick together!" means nothing when we merely have an illusion of power and unity in groups of women, because due to internalized misogyny and the competition, what should be a "safe space" is filled with re-enforcers of our own oppression. Women often don't even feel safe in groups of other women, because within every woman is a little misogynist speaking in our ear. It starts with the slow and painful killing of that prick, who has been with you since you learned to speak, and has controlled your speech ever since.

#feminist critique #feminism #divine feminine #intersectional feminism #misandry #radical feminism #radical feminist community #gender critical #male violence #pick me girl #misogny #my opinion #judith butler #andrea dworkin #germaine greer #simone de beauvoir #girlhood #womanhood #feminine rage

[fromtheseventhhell]

Mind you the "girl bosses" in question are Dany: who has been sold as a bridal slave at 13, been on the run and feared for her life since she was born, rarely known safety and security, been used as payment by her abusive brother and further abused by the husband she was given too, who has made it a point to protect other women around her from further harm despite having little agency, who faced multiple assassination attempts and the painful loss of her child, vowed to defend others who couldn't defend themselves, has faced constant misogyny on her journey to doing so, has put her own ambitions on hold in order to help others, and is currently the only character enacting wild scale revolution in order to protect a class of people nobody else is fighting for. And Arya: who has been on the run since the end of AGOT starving and scared, has been thrust into a warzone and directly affected by the violent impact, was witness to the horrific torture of the smallfolk by the mountain and his men, was captured and forced into servitude at Harrenhal, was beaten and threatened with sexual violence, who has witnessed countless people she cared about die including her father, mother, and brother, and who still remembers those who lost their lives when nobody else has and done her best to get justice for them.

Yeah, It's soooooo feminist to treat these two female characters like they're lesser because they aren't traditionally feminine. I find it funny how the ones who talk about the importance of valuing "feminine" strengths are the same ones who erase them from Dany and Arya. All of their intelligence, kindness, empathy, etc. get thrown out and their characters are reduced to ones who only know violence. Even the suffering and abuse they've gone through is treated as less impactful and they're given no sympathy. It's an interesting circle of them being misogynistic so that they can justify their misogyny to themselves. It also highlights how little they believe in the things they're saying. Supporting "feminine" characters has just become a convenient way of propping up their favorites; feminism is nothing but a disposable tool. If they actually cared then they wouldn't be rewriting characters to make them seem more "masculine", and in fact wouldn't care about that distinction at all. The female characters have a lot of overlapping experiences afterall.

No one is saying you have to like Arya or Dany, but being misogynistic toward them and trying to disguise it as feminism is disgusting. There's also no way of doing so that won't inevitably reflect poorly on the characters you claim to love. There's nothing productive about making such restrictive boxes for female characters. If you really don't care about them then you don't have to talk about them. It's as simple as that. But if putting them down is the only way you have of propping up your fave, then maybe it's time to find a character that you actually like.

#daenerys targaryen #pro daenerys targaryen #arya stark #pro arya stark #anti bs #fandom nonsense #anti jonsa stans #anti sansa stans #hurray for putting down these young girls who have faced incredible violence and abuse because they aren't traditionally feminine! #and I love how they used my post to start shit-talking Arya and Dany when I didn't even mention Sansa in the post! #they literally treat liking Arya and Dany as Sansa hate it's insane #sorry but Arya and Dany are the two main female characters they're just going to be more popular 🤷🏾‍♀️ #on top of that Dany is arguably one of the most iconic characters of all time #it's not misogynistic to like them more than Sansa

[iphnh]

Octavia Butler wrote a short story about male pregnancy that I think about a lot. In the short story, men attempt to colonize a planet, only to be captured by aliens. The aliens then discover that they can inject their eggs into the men and their eggs with hatch just fine. I’m not sure what the alien birthing process was beforehand, but the aliens decide that injecting their eggs into the human men is better lol so they start planting their eggs into the men. The men then wait for “labor” to begin, which takes some time -- but when it does begin, it’s really horrific lol. The aliens emerging out of their torsos are basically eating them from the inside out. 

Anyway. That short story had a huge impression on me and my understanding of the horror genre. I think it made me realize that men’s understanding of horror is so limited since they can never understand the existential dread of pregnancy. Obviously there are a lot of horrific things that can happen to a person but none of them are exclusive to men--however, there is one thing that is horrific and exclusive to women (unwanted pregnancy).

I think men are also less able than women to understand the horror of death since they do so little to create life lol. Women created, pushed out, and breastfed every single human on the planet. Men did what exactly? Bust a nut? Obviously death would have less meaning to them than to someone who created life. 

Anyway. My point with all this is that the ones most able to understand horror are mothers lol. When men make their little horror movies and their little horror video games they are like children during Halloween--dressing up and playing at things they don’t fully grasp or understand. 

#radfems please touch #radfems please interact #the monstrous feminine #horror belongs to women #men really are so funny lol #they perpetuate so much violence and yet have nothing new or interesting to say about violence

[coochiequeens]

Please let this be a troll. If not the women in his life, and that guy he wants to seduce away from his girlfriend, are in danger.

He probably doesn’t get invited because they can sense his hostility and envy towards them but they are too woke or just too nice because of female socialization to outright say no to him. I also bet he’s so focused on “girly” bonding activities like shopping that he doesn’t bond of the unglamorous “girly” stuff like cleaning up after social gatherings.

So glad reddit didn’t humor him and advised him to get therapy for his anger issues.

#Reddit #MtF #transwomen and male violence #This guy is so triggered by feminine hygiene products yet I bet he feels like he’s woman enough to use the women’s bathroom #He wants to seduce a man in a relationship just to validate his own gender identity #Men fetishizing violence against women

[infamous-if]

what do the soft violence members look like!!! i love them <3

Avina (they/them) - Pope (he/him) - Kieran (he/him)

Pope looks like he wears boat shoes and he'd snitch on you to his wealthy father. Or wear a letterman jacket and bully you...though I promise he's nice (relatively) lol!

I put Soft Violence together just because I was curious to see all of them in one line ahaha they look like a very stable and calm bunch! (not rlly)

#reference #soft violence #inbox #i feel like all feminine presenting characters in my if suffer from same face syndrome #well its mostly because of artbreeder actually #i suck at it #actually idk

[queerism1969]

#maga #gop #conservatives #republican #donald trump #marjorie taylor greene #trans women #trans mlm #trans stuff #trans positivity #trans feminine #trans ana #trans pride #trans mtf #trans artist #transgender #non binary #trans man #second amendment #gun violence #gun control #gun rights #gunman

[butchladymaria]

Immortality, Motherhood, and Pain: A Closer Look at Annalise and the Doll

Finally revisiting this from ages ago, because the parallels between these two are just SO fascinating. Content warnings for discussions of misogyny, genocide, abuse, and pregnancy/childbirth.

This analysis will cover the parallels between Miss Doll and Queen Annalise through the lenses of the misery of immortality, the trauma of marginalization, and the liberation they find in motherhood. Both the Doll and Annalise are undying, both coded as mother figures, both marked by death, and both very, very alone.

Miss doll and Annalise are the only characters in the whole game who are undying. You can kill them, but not meaningfully - not in any way that matters - and they seem to know it. Neither will try to stop you, nor will they fight back, should you choose to attack them. They will come back, and your violent betrayal will have seemingly meant nothing to them. They both are very aware they will outlast whatever violence you may inflict upon them. It's evidenced in their dialogue:

If you attack, Annalise says:

“Enough. If only Our life was so easily forfeit… Grieve not, for Us.” “How sad this is. If only Our life was so easily forfeit…”

If you attack Miss Doll, she used to say:

“I must have displeased you. Go on, shut me down… Even so, this vessel will remain in your service… So have no fear."

I think this point of comparison highlights just how deeply they've both been desensitized to violence and abuse. They do not beg for mercy, they do not put up a struggle - they only remark on it with distant chagrin. They both seem keenly aware that their flesh need not be in one piece to fulfill its purpose.

But where Miss Doll was made to embody the Victorian patriarchal ideal of womanhood, Annalise wields womanhood as her last weapon against the dehumanization of the church’s genocide through her queendom. Upon being resurrected the next time you return to the dream, Miss Doll will act as though nothing had happened at all. However, if you bring her flesh to the Altar of Despair, Annalise will call you an arrant fool, and remind you that “Vileblood or no, forget not; We are thy Queen”. Miss Doll kneels to serve the hunter, while the hunter must kneel to serve Annalise. Miss Doll has been conditioned to passively accept dehumanization and submission, yet Annalise demands respect through your submission even in her dehumanized state. Miss Doll is subjugated by the trappings of womanhood, while Annalise is lifted from subjugation by her womanhood, in some ways.

I find this fascinating, however, because while Miss Doll appears in every way as a pure, demure Victorian woman was meant to, they are also dehumanized through the denial of gender. To Gerhman, their creator, they are nothing more than another tool of the workshop. An object. Even the Doll themself uses neutral "I" pronouns to refer to themself in the original translation. I think it is pertinent to note that the only canonical reference to Miss Doll as a "woman" comes from Eileen. In the original Japanese text, she refers to the Doll with a term of endearment reserved for young girls. Miss Doll's appearance is the historical ideal of the subjugated woman - yet when Eileen confers upon her the status of "woman", she does so in an endearing and humanizing way. Therefore, for both Miss Doll and Queen Annalise, the status of womanhood is a rebuttal of their own dehumanizing subjugation: Annalise as "queen", and Miss Doll as "daughter".

Both characters are arguably seeking/find liberation through motherhood. Miss Doll gets "Childhood's Beginning": their creator and animator have both been put down, the hunt is finally over and they are no longer bound to serve its participants, nor must they watch their beheadings. They cradle the newly ascended hunter. It is a highly atypical “motherhood”. It exists in the performance of the role rather than the biology of childbirth. In the same way, the Doll possesses a highly atypical “womanhood” which exists in performance alone, rather than in biology or even identity — but nonetheless, it is real, and it is hers. I, perhaps too optimistically, choose read it as humanizing for them; because unlike their “womanhood”, Miss Doll is allowed to choose this for themself rather than having it imposed upon them.

In the same vein, Annalise seeks to birth a child of blood for a similar but perhaps more somber reason. She wants a child because she wants an heir — which is to say, because it is the only way she may once again have kin. Because it is the only way she may fulfill her duty as Queen. She witnessed everyone she ever knew or loved — surely her own family included — slaughtered before her eyes. Annalise seems to seek motherhood in order to be a homemaker - in the most literal sense possible. She wants to rebuild the community, the home, which was so brutally torn away from her. She wishes to restore honor to Cainhurst. For Annalise, having a child is an open act of rebellion against the genocidal eugenics-frenzied bloodthirst of the Church. I can't help but wonder if part of the reason Alfred is so hellbet on destroying her, why the Executioners imprisoned her the way they did, was to strip her of bodily autonomy so she couldn’t “reproduce”. Her desire for a child is her way of seeking liberation for her and her people.

In this sense, taking up the role of a mother, of "women's work", is what confers the agency upon both Annalise and Miss Doll which had been otherwise stripped from them. Annalise's by the genocidal eugenics of the Church, and Miss Doll by the pact of servitude she was seemingly born into.

#percy theoryposts :) #i'm aware this is a generous interpretation #miss doll #bloodborne is very much about womanhood and the trauma it brings but i think its a stretch to say that message is executed perfectly #the few fem-presenting characters who get hopeful endings do so by escaping/trying to escape a cycle of violence #but it also involves taking on very traditionally feminine roles which have historically been subjugating in and of themselves #so you kind of have to take from that what you will #but at least the pattern seems to be that those roles are liberating and powerful when they are CHOSEN rather than forced #ie: arianna is FORCED to become a mother #and this is not remotely empowering to her #i think it comes down to the concept of socialization though: the doll CHOOSES to become a “mother” in the symbolism of the game #but they also have been conditioned their whole life to know nothing but serving others #so its....................... iffy #i also dont know if i'm certain this was Intentional on the part of fromsoft. bc especially in elden ring they dropped the ball slightly im #but its MY interpretation god damn it #plain doll #bloodborne #queen annalise #annalise queen of the vilebloods

[mariathechosen1]

Feminine rage and envy:

Inspired by ‘Brutus’ by The Buttress.

[Image description: A collage consisting of 10 different photographs and quotes, all related to feminine rage. All of the images are in various shades of red. From top to bottom and left to right:

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "My name is Brutus and my name means heavy."

The painting 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' by Caravaggio: It depicts Judith, a serious-looking woman, in the process of beheading Holofernes. She is wearing a white blouse and a red skirt. In one hand she's holding a sword, cutting into Holofernes's neck, in the other hand she's holding Holofernes's hair. Holofernes looks terrified and is lying naked and sprawled out over a white bed. Blood is spraying out of his neck.

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "So with a heavy heart I'll guide this dagger / Into the heart of my enemy."

An excerpt from 'Much Ado About Nothing' by William Shakespeare: "Oh God that I were a man! I would eat his heart in the market place."

The painting 'Love Slowly Kills' by Adrian Borda: It depicts a pomegranate lying on small plate, placed on a wooden table. The pomegranate, which has been been divided into several pieces, is pierced by an arrow and its shape vaguely resembles an anatomical heart. Bits of pomegranate and pomegranate seeds are scattered on the table. Behind the pomegranate there is an empty crystal wineglass and a clear glass bottle filled with clear liquid.

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "What's more wrong, that I too wish to be great? / Or my mother wished she'd had a son?"

A photograph of a pomegranate split into two halves. A butter knife, covered in bright red pomegranate juice, lies next to the halves and there is a bright red stain on the floor.

The painting 'Within the Tent of Brutus: Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III' by Edwin Austin Abbey. The painting depicts Brutus, clad in a bright red toga, cowering from the grey ghost of Julius Caesar. The ghost is splattered with blood stains.

A lyrics excerpt in red text on a dark cyan background: "Of humble and born of the cursed sex"

A lyrics excerpt spelled out with words cut out from paper: "My name is Brutus, but the people Will call me Rex". In contrary to the rest of the lyrics, the words 'Brutus' and 'Rex' are made up of individual letter cut outs instead of whole words, putting more emphasis on them. The background is the painting 'Still-life with bunches of grapes, figs and four pomegranates on a ledge' by Michelangelo Cerquozzi. The painting is dark and depicts fruits in different shades of red.

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Sources and further explanation under the cut:

['Brutus' - The Buttress, 'Judith Beheading Holofernes' - Caravaggio, 'Much Ado About Nothing' - William Shakespeare, 'Love Slowly Kills' - Adrian Borda, 'Within the Tent of Brutus: Enter the Ghost of Caesar, Julius Caesar, Act IV, Scene III' - Edwin Austin Abbey, 'Still-life with bunches of grapes, figs and four pomegranates on a ledge' - Michelangelo Cerquozzi]

There's already a lot of 'female rage' web weaves on this website, but i figured why not do one myself? I think a lot of these web weaves either 1) tend to focus too much on biology (which is why I chose to say 'feminine' rage and tried to avoid a lot of cis female imagery. Fuck off TERFS) or 2) Choose photos or quotes taken sorta out of context? Especially when it comes to myths (like Persephone) and classical literature. I've sorta based this entire thing on 'Brutus' by The Buttress which is honestly such a fucking fantastic song, but the interesting thing about it is that it paints Brutus as, not only a female, but as someone driven by envy. I was really considering adding a quote or two from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, but in that play Brutus is specifically one of the only ones NOT driven by envy, his motives are pure. Idk, there's just something fascinating (in a positive way) about the fact that that envy appears the moment the character is female. I've also included a lot of small references that probably only I find interesting: I looked for paintings with figs as a reference to Livia Drusilla (augustus's wife who was rumored to have covered figs with poison to kill him), Beatrice from much ado because she's the best ever and I just absolutely love this rant of hers, and, of course, the pomegranates. I'm very aware that they often symbolize fertility (which goes agaist my whole 'no biology' principles), but idk I just love how bloody they look. They're a fruit. They're sweet, they're elegant, they're pretty to look at. They're blood red and they stain like hell if you're not careful. I just love how gore-y they look.

#web weaving #web weave #spilled thoughts #parallels #classic academia #dark academia #shakespeare #moodboard #feminine rage #mariacore #feminism #(I feel like ‘female rage’ can get a little terfy sometimes so I’m gonna avoid that tag) #much ado about nothing #tw blood #cw: gore #food cw #tw gore #tw violent imagery #tw violence #tw body horror #cw sexism #tw knife #cw misogyny #tw cannibalism #image described #let me know if i need to add any more warnings or tags! #this one is a bit more violent than the other #terfs do not touch