yellow dress

I am Chloe, and I am a bunch of words.
I am an intersectional feminist, a secular humanist, an atheist, pro-choice, left-wing, sex+, a mental health and disabilities advocate, a skeptic and a freethinker.
I am a black belt, an artist, a gamer, a tea-drinker and a cat-lover.
I love yellow, the Simpsons, Harry Potter, manga/anime, kinkiness, P!nk, costumes, quotes and gaming.
I also run a tumblr solely for funny stuff, steampunkbanana (linked below).

pleasestopbeingsad:

Street harassment is not a compliment.

criticalreligionists:

Danish TV Show Features Men Judging Naked Women’s Bodies

Just when we thought we’d heard of every conceivable means of humiliating a woman on TV, along came “Blachman.”

Here’s the premise of this Danish prime-time TV show: a woman enters a room and silently strips in front of the male host and a male guest, who then critique the woman’s body out loud in front of her.

Danish X-Factor judge Thomas Blachman, who hosts the new, eponymous show, claims he doesn’t consider the content problematic. He told the Daily Mail, “[T]he entire idea of the show is to let men talk about the bodies of naked women while the woman is standing right in front of them. The female body thirsts for words. The words of a man.”

Read full article here (Link).

I love a good ass as much as the next person, but this falls under every definition of “objectification” there is. *Sigh* And all the comments are about how funny this is. Dismembered female body parts to fap to are just so funny aren’t they?

sarapocock:

This happens all the time. Every car horn, every whistle, every cat call and lewd exclamation, strengthens the lesson I’ve been taught over and over and over again throughout my entire life: as a lady, my body is on public display and open for judgment—from anyone.

Most men who will see this are decent, rational guys who will sympathize with my feelings. A small, vocal handful of dudes will send me private messages about how women like me can’t “take a fucking compliment.” This is not for either of you. This is for the guys who don’t know yet that attracting unwanted attention doesn’t make women feel good, no matter how nice their intentions are. I can’t speak for everyone, but I can say that I personally get embarrassed, often scared, and always—ALWAYS—ashamed, in some way, in how I look.

So… now that you know, cut it out. Tell all the girls how nice they are and how amazing they are at their jobs instead.

This just makes me want to cry. Or facepalm. Or throw up. I don’t know. I am just SO. FUCKING. SICK. of this fucking constant, CONSTANT objectification and sexualization of every single goddamn female character. These women are fucking SOLDIERS. KBFKAJKFNJA I can’t even express my thoughts on this right now, I am just so pissed off)

The ONLY (and I mean ONLY) reason Tali (right) is not bikini-fied is because her race has to wear an enviro-suit otherwise they’d DIE, however the artist still made it camel-toe-skintight.

(apologies for lack of source, I just found it on the Commander Jane Shepard facebook page)

~~(also this is not intended to be in the slut-shaming vibe, please don’t interpret it as such)~~

Thoughts On “The Hawkeye Initiative”

girlinfourcolors:

Artists: Lauren Armstrong (left) & Kenneth Rocafort (right)

Disclaimers may be in order.

First, I hate everything. It’s seriously the first thing out of my friends’ mouths when I’m done speaking to them. “Ceridwen, why do you hate everything?” Let’s just get that out of the way so I don’t have an inbox full of similar notes when I’m done with this. (What am I saying, people don’t read this blog.)

Second, I understand the intent behind The Hawkeye Initiative. The work that the management is busy with, drawing attention to the sexism inherent in mainstream comics art, is good work. It’s important that more people do this work, and on that level, I wish them success.

The Hawkeye Initiative has been live for about a week now, and the response has been incredible. Quite literally, in fact: It strains credibility to think how quickly this project has taken off. In seven days, the blog has been featured on io9, ONTD, Bleeding Cool, and Know Your Meme.

By comparison, Escher Girls, which has been doing the work of highlighting the sheer amount of sexist art in comics for over a year now, still doesn’t have the following that The Hawkeye Initiative has built in the last seven days. In the interests of full disclosure, the woman behind Escher Girls is a personal friend, but I want to be clear this isn’t a case of envy-by-proxy. I’m more interested in exploring why this discrepancy exists.

My take? People care more about issues of sexual exploitation if that exploitation directly effects men. We see this time and time again in our day-to-day lives. The sexual abuse of young men and boys makes national news, and the narrative surrounding them explores the psychological damage caused by their abuse. “What he might have gone on to achieve” is a common refrain in these stories. Meanwhile, the narrative surrounding the sexual abuse of young women ignores all of this in favor of finding some way in which her rape and abuse was her fault. Even in cases that avoid this trope, such as (most, though not all cases of) the abuse of underage girls, “what she might have gone on to achieve” is never even considered.

While objectification is not as “serious” as rape, it remains a contributing factor in rape culture. So when that culture sees an instance of a man being objectified, even if that objectification is meant to draw attention to similar treatment of women, it reacts in ways it does not when the subject is female. As I said before, Escher Girls has been highlighting this issue for over a year now, but the focus has remained solely on how this issue effects women. Ami provides smart commentary, her readers have contributed redraws showing ways in which the art can not only be less objectifying but objectively better, and the focus remains on women. The Hawkeye Initiative, meanwhile, shifts the focus to a male character, and in so doing, draws the attention of our male-dominated culture.

And that’s assuming the best intentions of the management and their contributors. Go through the archives and count how many times a variation of “This is hilarious, I had to contribute” is used. Be careful here, friends. There’s some intense ugliness hidden behind why you find this so hilarious, and it’s steeped in misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia.

On tumblr, polerin elaborates:

There’s some really nasty shit lurking not too far under the surface of some of the drawings. In some cases, like the ones where they switch clothes, it’s not even too deep.

Making choices of clothing based in femininity/femme-ness on a dood isn’t a context free choice. Doubly so when you are mocking something. It relies on the deep history of cissexism and oppositional sexism in our culture. Even if that’s not the intent of the artist, it is impossible to look at these drawings and not have all the jokes about guys wearing women’s clothing or “acting like a girl” come up. That’s the POINT of these drawings.

And that point pins trans women to the wall as a side effect of (rightly) critiquing the sexism in comics.

Despite the best of intentions, the vibe comes across as really anti-femme, anti-trans women, and ultimately, anti-women. After all, if we’re unable to talk about the mistreatment of women without bringing men into the picture, what does that really say about us? If we’re unable to talk about the mistreatment of women without considering how it effects all women, what does that really say about us?

…. fuck

wemustnotend:

paramoral:

dyke-recovery:

stfusexists:

syllogi:

buzzfeed:

gofwd:

Zoo Weekly asked its readers to pick which half of this woman they preferred, and why. It was, of course, promptly pulled from their page.

Ugh.

I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY FEMINISTS JOKE ABOUT KILLING ALL MEN WHY ARE THEY SO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAN

So for anyone who asks why I keep doing Facebook Friday - THIS is why. Dismembering women into literally two objects and deciding which half you would screw and subjugate is considered appropriate conversation.

To all future employers of Matti Parker, Luke Osgood, Werner Hartweger, Andrew Clark, Paul Pettigrove, and John A Sloan (as well as the other two who were at least smart enough to not use their real names) - this is what they think of women. This is what they think is acceptable behavior in public for all to see.

Noticed none of the men commenting referred to the woman as a woman or even human, they all called her “it”.

I just thought this was so stupid that I found this funny. Until the “it” calling started.

This kind of objectification is what makes me want to strangle people who make even slightly sexist comments, as this is ultimately what it condones and perpetuates as acceptable behavior and treatment of women.

ikilledcaptainclown:

archetypalboner:

“Women are more likely to be attracted to personality and men are more likely to be attracted to physical appearance”

woah maybe that’s because we teach women to see men as people and we teach men to see women as objects

Dear Human Development Professor: this.

beautilation:

At Comic Con today, I went as Black Cat. This is a shitty picture and there will be better ones of my whole costume coming up but I just want to say something.

Black Cat’s costume has a fair amount of cleavage (conservative compared to many other female comic characters but a good amount as far as what I’ve ever shown). I guess I was not surprised to have a couple men ask to pose with me and then do some doofy “WHOA LOOK AT THOSE KNOCKERS” poses. I just make a really ugly face when I see they’re doing it. One guy with the social graces of a lemur said to me “I was this close to wearing that same outfit. My breasts are large and supple and I think it would have been nice.” Nope. Stop talking.

But aside from guys being doofy and awkward (but clearly not foul-intentioned), I did have my first truly skeezy experience at Comic Con today.

And my first truly empowering moment as well.

This group of men from some kind of Stan Lee fan club blah blah internet video channel blah blah asked to interview with them on camera about Comic Con. I said well okay, sure. Camera is rolling. The “host” is a middle aged, rotund dude. It’s an all-male crew and lots of people (mostly guys) were beginning to crowd around. The following is the interview as burned in my mind. Keep in mind that I expected this to be about Comic Con in general.

Him: I’m here with…

Me: Mandy, aka Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat

Him: ..And she is HOT. Do you think I’m hot enough to pull that off?

Me: Uh, I’m not sure, I’ve never seen you in drag.

Him: I’ve got a great ass. Go on, spank me.

Me: (look at his large ass, popped up mere inches away from me then look into the camera like are you kidding me . No thanks. I may hurt you, I’m a lot stronger than I look.

Him: Aw come on!

Me: No, seriously. Stop.

Him: Damn, alright! Well let me ask you an important question then…what is your cup size?

Me: (big talk show smile) That is actually none of your fucking business.

Him: Oh! I think that means to say she’s a C.

Me: I actually have no breasts at all, what you see is just all of the fat from my midsection pulled up to my chest and carefully held in place with this corset. It’s really uncomfortable, I don’t know why I do it.

Him: (to the male crowd) Aw, come on what do you guys think? C cup?

—a few males start to shout out cup sizes as I stand there looking at this guy like this has to be a fucking joke, then look at the crowd and see that no amount of witty banter or fiestiness will stop making this whole thing fucking dumb. It was clearly a ploy to single out cosplaying women to get them to talk sexual innuendos and flirt with this asshole and let him talk down to them simply because they were in costume and were attractive. Whether I’m in a skintight catsuit or not, I’m a fucking professional in everything I do and I don’t need to play nice for this idiot.

Me: This is not an interview, this is degrading. I’m done. (I walk away)

Him: (clearly dumbfounded and surprised) ..Come on, it’s all in good fun!

Me: Being degraded is fun? That was unprofessional and I hope that isn’t your day job because you can’t interview for shit, my man.

And the entire crew and the crowd were SILENT. NOTHING. SHOCK, HONEY. It felt like I was in a heated fog, full of rage and pride and I sashayed away feeling like the most badass motherfucker in the whole damn room, but kind of also on the verge of tears. A slow build of applause would have been appropriate, but from the looks on people’s faces, they were just completely not expecting me to do what I just did- which was really nothing more than speaking up for myself. It wasn’t something one should feel brave for doing but crazy for not doing when necessary.

It’s because many people at these cons expect women cosplaying as vixens (or even just wearing particularly flattering costumes) to be open/ welcoming to crude male commentary and lecherous ogling, like our presence comes with subtitles that say “I represent your fantasy thus you may treat me like a fantasy and not a human in a costume”. And maybe that will always be how the majority of people see us. But that does not mean we have to put up with shit that crosses the line, it does not mean we owe them a fantasy, it does not mean we dress up to have guys drooling over us and letting us know that we turn them on. It is not all about your dicks, gentlemen. So I encourage cosplaying women everywhere to be blunt and vocal with their rights, their personal boundaries, and their comfort level at conventions. I actually encourage girls to be brashly shameless about these things, to not be afraid to speak up if you feel uncomfortable and to let the person doing it know that they are crossing the line. Don’t keep quiet because you’re scared of what they might say or think- because if you say nothing they will continue to see what they’re doing as OK.

Camera: Photo Booth

hahastupidcoolpeople:

Firebender Feminist: hahastupidcoolpeople: Hi there. I’m going to talk really super briefly…

using-only-my-penis—i:

hahastupidcoolpeople:

Hi there. I’m going to talk really super briefly about gamer girls (hint: it won’t be that brief, but it’s cool, I have pictures).

People say girly girls can’t play games. They make fun of this girl, for wearing make-up and dressing nicely and posing with a…

The problem with this picture isn’t the facts that she is wearing makeup.
The problem is that THERE IS A CONTROLLER IN HER FUCKING MOUTH.

This stupid ho isn’t a real flower enthusiast! I bet she doesn’t even know the difference between a wild daisy and a gerber daisy!

Oh wait, no one gives a fuck, because flowers/gardening is not an interest/passtime that has been claimed by men, where women are treated poorly unless they remove themselves as a sexual threat, or submit themselves for objectification.

How is her holding the controller cable (not even the controller, that’s something the comic has exaggerated for the sake of vilification) in her mouth an actual problem? How is that an issue to you? Is it depriving anyone of their basic rights? No. Is it hurting anyone? No. It is a complete non-issue.Why are you so offended by it? Why is it so amusing to you that you must make fun of this girl? What did she ever do to you? Try to feel attractive in her own skin? Well fuck, let’s burn that bitch alive!

The only actual problematic thing here, is the way a young girl is being shat on for embracing her sexuality and her femininity. She put something in her mouth and thought she was attractive! She must be a dumb slut! As a result, she’s making the rest of us girls look like dumb sluts! (Let’s mock her mercilessly, lest some other dumb slut thinks she can be powerful and confident in her body!)

No. She’s doing no such thing. Other people are projecting that onto her. That is the problem. People like you are the problem. Stop slut shaming, and stop vilifying women for taking control of their own bodies and minds.

(Source: snugglesfordean)

Male privilege is

aboutmaleprivilege:

Being able to participate in physical activity without it being immediately deemed sexy because you’ll be wearing exercise clothes.
The oversexualization of women’s bodies has gotten bad enough where one can’t even attend a yoga class without her male friend labeling it “hot”.

(Source: all-about-male-privilege)

Sexism against women is more personal than “sexism against men.”

stfuconservatives:

iamabutchsolo:

thatisnotfeminism:

A study by Swim et al had male and female students keep a diary of sexist encounters. They found that women experienced more every day prejudices and instances of discrimination, about one to two instances per week, “consisting of traditional gender role stereotypes and prejudice, demeaning and degrading comments and behaviors, and sexual objectification.” As a result, these incidents “affected women’s psychological well being by decreasing their comfort, increasing their feelings of anger and depression, and decreasing their state self-esteem.”

Men, on the other hand, experienced fewer sexist incidents. The sexist incidents that they did experience, moreover, were more general and less personal (“All men are pigs,” vs. “You were asking for it because of the way you dressed.”).

Negative attitudes against the male gender, therefore, are usually not directed towards individual men, but rather “men” in the sense of resenting a general culture of masculinity. In contrast, sexism against women is tangible and personal, and results in measurable psychological damage to the women who experience it.

^ This is important and why I don’t take instances of interpersonal “sexism” against men that seriously.

Reblogging because I love it when studies back up what we’ve been saying for years: prejudice against men isn’t as bad as it is for women. Period.

(Source: )

(Source: fuckthespacepatriarchy)

"It is disgusting. We are told to love sex but never masturbate or fool around. To love our bodies but we have to be hairless, thin, have boobs, and to never wear make up to cover our flaws. We can like sports and watch them but we can’t play them unless they are toned down and pretty enough to be oggled at. We can be nerds but we can’t be TOO smart or we forget our place. We are told we need a prince charming and to seek him out by constantly changing ourselves and being perfect for him. We are given the message that outside beauty is what matters the most but if we have it and get successful it was because we have a pretty face. We are told we exaggerate and should just go with it when we complain of being objects and property. We are taught that being a woman is worthy of an insult… WE have to fear walking at night. WE have to go in a group if we need to use the bathroom in a strange place. WE have to be cautious of where we are and who we are with. That we are told to hush and get over it if we are assaulted because real life isn’t like the crime shows and it is harder to convict the assaulter. That female artists are degraded and yelled at in artist alleys. That you are judged just by how you wear a t-shirt."

— plucifer [marchen] (via chubbell)

(Source: queerlittlemermaid)

stfufauxminists:

[Image: “Used high-hippie asks: “Something I have found disgusting with some feminists online is that I show an ad where the man is sexually objectified. Similar to the “Women in a vending machine” ad, there are a few ads with “men in a vending machine” or men in the frozen meat aisle and women pick the one they want (on the plus side, the men were ethnically diverse…). When I protest against it, these feminists say its okay because they’re men. I don’t understand… sexual objectification is not okay…”]

(Made rebloggable by request)

Answer:

Here’s the thing:

I’m a feminist who is of the mind that a little sexual objectification is probably ok. The thing about sexual objectification is that it should never be the only way that a person or certain groups of people are shown, since everyone is a multifaceted individual whose social group should not be boiled down to stereotypes. Now, women are sexually objectified in the media much more often than men. If you would like to contest this point, I guess you can, but um, I don’t think it would be wise (I mean, even in this original ask you say that there are only “a few” ads which sexually objectify men).

So, there’s that portion of the sexual objectification scenario to consider. When it happens so much more often to women, it is seen that being a sexual object is just part of women. Women become sexual objects to the culture consuming the media, and that has a negative effect on the lives and experiences of real, actual women who are in fact people - not sexual objects (Take Native American women, for example, who are much much much more likely to be sexually assaulted than women of other races - how often are they, or rather, white women appropriating Native culture, posited as sexual objects in the media?). For more information on this, try watching Sut Jhally’s Dream Worlds 3 (Unless there’s been a new one? Anyone know?).

The other thing to consider is ownership of the social narrative. Who owns the means to produce content which shapes our culture? (Hint: By and large, it’s not women, especially not WOC) So, in the current model, men are creating and/or approving for creation media which sexually objectifies women on a much larger scale than media that sexually objectifies men. You don’t see a problem with this? Essentially, women are not creating the social narrative about themselves, and it’s been that way for ages.

So, that’s the thing. A little sexual objectification here and there is not as harmful for people who are in power - currently that’s white dudes. And were everyone to share in power equally, a little sexual objectification here and there of women or anyone probably wouldn’t be that harmful. Mostly because everyone else would have the ability to equally access media production and change the narrative of their social group as they see fit. The overall message about them would be more varied. But the problem as it stands today is that white men are creating everyone else’s stories for the most part, and currently women’s story is that they are sexual objects for heterosexual male consumption. I go a little more into ownership of production and diversity of social narratives in this ask in the FAQ.

So when women create media that sexually objectifies men (or when anyone does, really) in this current media environment, it becomes an equalizer rather than a tool of oppression since that is not the dominant media narrative, whereas objectification of women is.

So that’s why I think you’ll see a lot of feminists shrug off or even enjoy a little objectification of men. Mostly because sexual objectification isn’t really that bad - as long as it’s not the only story being told about you.