Here are some awesome and empowering quotes from several very strong female celebrities.
And Kristen Stewart.
No, you know what? Fuck you.
Let me tell you about Kristen Stewart.
Let’s talk about how she’s the centerpiece of one of the most inexplicably popular misogynistic pieces of film shit and somehow gets blamed for it sucking, despite the fact that, hey, the books were actually worse. For those who were lucky enough to escape reading the actual books, her apparent lack of emotion is 100% accurate to Bella’s character, because Bella is in fact not a character but a blank white wall for fourteen-year-old girls to project themselves onto. Robert Pattinson is not the only one in the cast who hates Twilight, thank you.
Let’s talk about how she got crucified in the media for having an affair with a married man, when that man was her director. And let’s remember that she was called all manner of things for “ruining her relationship with RPattz” when she wasn’t even engaged to the dude, let alone married with kids. But oh no, she gets called a slut because she’s Kristen Stewart, she gets her career fucked because she’s Kristen Stewart, and the dude gets off scott free.
Let’s talk about how she is incredibly shy and anxious (rather, incidentally, like Chris Evans) but does film anyway, because she’s just that awesome.
Fuck your noise. She’s not the best actor in the world but she sure as hell doesn’t deserve that kind of shit.
^thank you
This.
(via goddamn-batgirl)
Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy, in case you hadn’t heard. How dare she remove those ticking time bombs from her chest, amiright? Like, hasn’t she learned by now that her body is public domain and we all get to vote on what she does with it? Sheesh, how selfish can ya get.
Ohohohohohoho
(via oliviasatelier)
In the past few years, the number of cosplayers selling posters and prints of their cosplay efforts has ballooned from a very few to very many. This has been met on social media mostly by reactions that range from mildly bemused surprise to outright disgust.
I am here to say that this is one of the best, healthiest trends in society in general we have seen in some time.
Now before anyone thinks that I am championing this trend because I take pictures of cosplayers, let me assure you that no photographer ever makes any money to speak of off cosplayers’ prints or posters. Some photographers get paid a flat fee for a shoot that might get used for such merchandise, but most are friends of the cosplayers who do the shoots out of friendship and for mutual promotion.
No, the reason this is a good thing is that it gives women a path to express their beauty and creativity, in a way that was, until even just a few years ago, solely open in pornography. Before the girl next door started selling pictures of herself in cosplay, the only two ways to make money by being pretty was traditional modeling and porn. Each has a whole slew of problems, and anyone familiar with the modeling industry will tell you it isn’t really any better than the porn industry — at least, for the models.
So, if a woman isn’t twig thin and tree tall, there was the amateur adult industry path available. And yes, I understand that even there, one has a range of what constitutes “adult” modeling. I also understand that the line between artistic nude and adult nude is a very poorly defined one. But frankly, even in the traditional modeling world, most models aren’t interested in taking their clothes off. So, nude, of any stripe, is rare among models in general.
Now nerdy girls can both get recognition for their creativity and their beauty (something that is even more in the eye of the beholder in cosplay than in either modeling or porn) in a way that is very empowering, and make some extra money while doing so.
Try to tell me that this is not a very healthy sign — in a world absolutely flooded with pornography, the fact that nerds and geeks and fans of all kinds are gladly willing to pay for content that is no racier than the Betty Grable posters their granddads had is wonderful. We should do everything we can to support this trend.
Will it result in some drama as some cosplayers with a more traditionally “beautiful” look outpace some of their friends? Sure, but if you can’t be happy for a friend’s success, you need to look up the word “friend” in the dictionary again — and stop at the word “bitch” while you are at it.
And before anyone throws out the completely unfounded, misogynistic horseshit concept of “fake geek girls,’ please refrain from doing so, as it will keep me from having to track down your home address and beat you with a moron stick. That particular piece of bigoted, elitist swill has died as far as I am concerned.
No, let’s forget all that and celebrate the fact that we, the geeks and nerds of the world, are actually making it safer and more accepting for women.
This is really interesting and definitely gave me something to think about! There’s a lot of disgust, as you said, floating around about women in our community selling pictures of themselves. But maybe it’s okay and even a healthy option.
That said, I’m pretty sure that the pictures that sell best are the ones with the most T&A, and yes, from the “hottest” girls - the ones that are more pinupy/pornographic.
But if a gal can sell other more “tame” or artistic shots, too, well, that IS a good indication of progress!
(via comicbookcosplay)
BlackBook talks about Beyonce’s amazing all-female band
One of the coolest things about Beyoncé’s live show won’t get nearly as much play as the impressive choreography or the light show or the ’90s-kid-Twitter-detonating reunion, and that is The Suga Mamas, Beyoncé’s all-female tour band, with whom she has been touring for years (as NPR’s Ann Powers helpfully pointed out, “not a gimmick”).
An all-female backing band may be part of her image and a very deliberate decision, but in an age where women playing rock instruments is still totally novel to a lot of people because most of America and the world is in a dumb time warp about stuff like this and women who are guitarists, drummers, etc. still have to “prove” themselves more than their male counterparts, to have The Suga Mamas on the biggest and most mainstream stage, performing to millions the world over, is really goddamn impressive, even if they were supporting one of the biggest names in music and of course they’d be there.
And leading this pack is Bibi McGill, who in addition to having a pretty incredible stage presence and complementing Our Bey well, can play like nobody’s business. It’s a shame people probably missed her playing because everyone was waiting so attentively to see if Destiny’s Child would show up, because it was boss. There were pyrotechnics. There was shredding. The planets aligned and all was well.
Find out about every member of The Sugar Mamas, Beyonce’s all female band here.
(via albinwonderland)
I want to apologize if anyone got angry, or developed a negative opinion of me, at the recent couple of posts I made on the pro-life/pro-choice issue.
My boyfriend gently informed me last night that out of all the political and social issues out there (many of which I regularly argue about on the internet), abortion is far more likely to work people up intensely and quickly. Because I usually keep my mouth shut about it, I didn’t quite realize how drastic reactions to the topic can be.
This, combined with the general philosophy of “don’t post anything on the internet you don’t want to discuss,” has definitely taught me a lesson. :)
We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming of awesome cosplays, pretty girls, dolls, fashion, and non-abortion related feminist gripings!
My Dear Cosplay Ladies,
I want to start by telling you that I have so much admiration for you. You are so beautiful. You are so dedicated, so talented. You have so much heart. I love watching you dress to the nines at conventions and browsing the pictures that proudly show off your work. I am inspired by you every day – by how passionate you get over your fandoms, the hours you spend researching new building techniques, and the times you safety pin an outfit from a box of scraps for the fun of it.
We’re up against a surprising amount of adversity in this hobby, we women. At every convention, there’s somebody trying to shame us for not being “true” geeks. When photos show up online, we’re blamed for not being pretty enough or the right body type or the right gender for what we’re wearing. To do what we enjoy, we are forced to fight through a haze of doubt, criticism, and negativity. Given the state of the geek community and the state of the internet right now, this is our reality.
So my plea to you is: Be good to each other.
There is increasing bitterness between women who cosplay. It’s true that competition is common when women are in close contact over long periods of time. But most of us come from a background of feeling like outcasts for our interests, or feeling like we don’t measure up to others somehow. So why is there not more of an effort to make our space safe for each other? Why do we not stick together against all the things trying to tear us down?
Instead, our space is full of catty public comments, flash judgments, and sob stories. Why are cosplay girls writing hate-fueled blog posts ranting at each other for being posers or backstabbers? Why is it considered a point of pride not to accept blame when we hurt people with our words? Why do we use language with other women that we would never tolerate coming from a man? Why do we treat each other the way we were treated in elementary school?
Why are we not good to each other?
I will never understand the women who say that they don’t like other women. I am lucky to have close, supportive girlfriends in my life. I can tell you honestly: when you do it right, friendship doesn’t have to be a competition, and it doesn’t have to be an repetitive series of dramas. For that matter, nor does sharing a hobby with hundreds of women you don’t know – really. We will inevitably have problems with each other, but they don’t have to turn ugly. Be truthful. Be kind, as much as you can. Be thoughtful and supportive. Acknowledge that other women have feelings and that you can have an effect on them.
And please, I beg you, take the high road. When you’re tempted to bitch another gal out, don’t do it. When your fingers are hovering over the keys, ready to write a scathing Facebook post about the failings of soooo many girls who cosplay, don’t do it. Close the window. Close your mouth. Turn your judgmental thoughts around and use them to inspire yourself to be better. You cannot control each other; you can only control yourselves… And chances are, you will ultimately get what you give.
Please. Be good to each other, ladies. You all deserve it.
My support always,
- Roxy
This is a letter from one of my favorite cosplayers, presented without further comment except to say I was not familiar with the phenomenon she speaks about at all.All I really read was ‘Why don’t women like other women’ …..Because women are human, and humans are dicks to one another. It’s a fact of life, it’s a fact of *evolution*. We survived, as a species, by being dicks to everyone and everything else. We evolved from proro-mammals, that had a territory with resources, and they protected it from other proto-mammals by fighting and and killing. Eventually those proto-mammals became proto-apes that had territory with useful resources, and they protected it by fighting and killing. Cavemen, resources, protected, fighting, killing.
The only difference now is that the resources in question (Such as respect, attention, love, whatever) aren’t always tangible, and laws have cropped up against killing people or even physically fighting, so all we can really do is screech at each other from the trees.
TL;DR version: Women/People in general fight because they’re ALIVE.
^This sounds like an excuse to me ;) Not that some of it isn’t true, but you can’t just make the blanket statement “women hate other women because it’s natural,” because there is also a strong evolutionary argument for the necessity of family groups and close social bonding. And as them philosopher types have said, our development of higher intelligence/consciousness means that we have the ability to act on more than just instinct. We can rise above, if you will. And with great power comes great responsibility.
Anyway, since one can’t intelligently make a blanket statement about people being all one way or the other, and there’s a lot of grey area, I choose to push for more tolerance and less competition. Call me idealistic, but I do think there’s room to tip the balance. I know a few people who really, absolutely EXUDE love, and who tend to keep their negativity to themselves. While being around them is wonderful in and of itself, I also like the reminder that it is possible to be that way. Makes me try harder.
To Gail Simone (to whom I am so grateful for reblogging this!): I love that you and others have said they haven’t witnessed this kind of behavior at all. That makes me proud! I hadn’t seen much of it, either, until I really got to know a broad range of people in the hobby and became intimately involved with things. Now more and more, I’m seeing “drama” worm its way around. There are a particular few people that I was thinking about when I wrote this. Who knows if they’ll read it, but I thought I’d put it out there.
Thank you to everyone who has read and reblogged. This means a lot to my idealistic little heart. <3
My Dear Cosplay Ladies,
I want to start by telling you that I have so much admiration for you. You are so beautiful. You are so dedicated, so talented. You have so much heart. I love watching you dress to the nines at conventions and browsing the pictures that proudly show off your work. I am inspired by you every day – by how passionate you get over your fandoms, the hours you spend researching new building techniques, and the times you safety pin an outfit from a box of scraps for the fun of it.
We’re up against a surprising amount of adversity in this hobby, we women. At every convention, there’s somebody trying to shame us for not being “true” geeks. When photos show up online, we’re blamed for not being pretty enough or the right body type or the right gender for what we’re wearing. To do what we enjoy, we are forced to fight through a haze of doubt, criticism, and negativity. Given the state of the geek community and the state of the internet right now, this is our reality.
So my plea to you is: Be good to each other.
There is increasing bitterness between women who cosplay. It’s true that competition is common when women are in close contact over long periods of time. But most of us come from a background of feeling like outcasts for our interests, or feeling like we don’t measure up to others somehow. So why is there not more of an effort to make our space safe for each other? Why do we not stick together against all the things trying to tear us down?
Instead, our space is full of catty public comments, flash judgments, and sob stories. Why are cosplay girls writing hate-fueled blog posts ranting at each other for being posers or backstabbers? Why is it considered a point of pride not to accept blame when we hurt people with our words? Why do we use language with other women that we would never tolerate coming from a man? Why do we treat each other the way we were treated in elementary school?
Why are we not good to each other?
I will never understand the women who say that they don’t like other women. I am lucky to have close, supportive girlfriends in my life. I can tell you honestly: when you do it right, friendship doesn’t have to be a competition, and it doesn’t have to be an repetitive series of dramas. For that matter, nor does sharing a hobby with hundreds of women you don’t know – really. We will inevitably have problems with each other, but they don’t have to turn ugly. Be truthful. Be kind, as much as you can. Be thoughtful and supportive. Acknowledge that other women have feelings and that you can have an effect on them.
And please, I beg you, take the high road. When you’re tempted to bitch another gal out, don’t do it. When your fingers are hovering over the keys, ready to write a scathing Facebook post about the failings of soooo many girls who cosplay, don’t do it. Close the window. Close your mouth. Turn your judgmental thoughts around and use them to inspire yourself to be better. You cannot control each other; you can only control yourselves… And chances are, you will ultimately get what you give.
Please. Be good to each other, ladies. You all deserve it.
My support always,
- Roxy
The response to the all female X-Men was very positive from my neck of the woods. Of course there are those who feel that you can’t have any X-Men team without men. Or so says Brian Wood.
Oh you 20%, what would we do without you?
Anyways, here’s a pretty variant cover of the new team by the Dobsons for those of you looking forward to it. And for the 20% who want to add dudes, here’s some salt for your manguish!
photo via Wired.
(via women-centric-comics)
Brian Wood’s responses on CBR to why the team isn’t called “X-Women”.
THANK YOU BRIAN WOOD.
^THIS. “X-Men” is no longer just a dictionary word with a letter in front of it. It’s a proper name. It’s the name of a longstanding team and ALL of its members, male or female, no qualifiers or adjustments necessary.
This guy might be doing some amazing shit here. I can’t wait to find out.
(via stabithastabs)
Can we please stop pretending like talking about our experiences as oppressed people on tumblr isn’t doing shit?
Because i’ve had many people say how what I blog/reblog has opened their eyes.
Aside from getting shit off your chest, isn’t that the point of it all, or at least an important portion? Like for real.
Please stop acting like “just talking” about this stuff isn’t actually doing something about it,because it fucking is.
If I go off about some shit involving privileges on my blog, okay no it’s going to change the entire world, but what the fuck does actually change the entire world? I’m happy knowing somebody read my post and came to me saying “i never saw it that way wow”
Seriously. Yeah, we’re a bunch of people on the internet. But guess who the fuck uses the internet? Real people who get offline and that shit sticks with them.
HALLELUYER
Boom.
