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).

gardensoftherighteous:

I strongly dislike this idea that progression in countries is measured by their imitation of western society.

"… [with] India being an extremely complex entity of distinct religious, regional, linguistic, caste and class identities, it would be meaningful and pertinent to consider these factors while explaining the construct of gender roles for all sections of Indian society. Unlike the western culture that has generally tended to devalue feminine traits and characteristics, the Indian (Hindu) culture presents a different and slightly more complex picture. In the west, the roles assigned to men have almost invariably carried with them more prestige and greater social and economic power than those assigned to women. Also, the masculine characteristics like competence, assertion, and rationality have been valued much more positively than the feminine characteristics like warmth and expressiveness (Broverman et al., 1972). In Hinduism, however, there is basic duality and strong ambivalence above femaleness. Feminine traits of self-sacrifice, nurturance, fidelity and faithfulness have been positively valued (Williams and Best, 1990). Historically, India has produced many heroines, and politically, the Indian constitution has given equal rights and status to men and women. The Indian pantheon contains as many Goddesses – for wealth (Lakshmi); for knowledge (Saraswati), and even for power (Durga) has interestingly enough been associated with women’s status and prestige."

—

The Cultural Construct of Troubles with Boys in India by Aparajita Chowdhury

I think this quote is very important because people in the West tend to look down upon non-western societies like India for their misogyny and patriarchy, when in reality our own societies are just as problematic. It’s important to remind ourselves that nothing is ever black or white: India is a huge, diverse country and simply cannot be simplified to it’s problems with misogyny, same as any other country.

On Women Defending Themselves

makingfists:

1. They tell us to carry mace, flashlights, whistles
A gun.
And then sell us pants with no pockets.

2. “Well, you got a purse,” the man says.
Yeah, just excuse me while I fumble through
my bag in a dark alleyway.
I’m sure my attacker will patiently wait.

3. They say don’t drink.
And then tell us to
Ruin his libido with piss.
I don’t know about you,
But I get stage fright even with a full bladder.

4. They say take a martial arts class,
Learn to defend yourself.
Ten years into that pursuit now, myself
And my sensei’s never turned to me and said,
“Why don’t you wear your heels into class?
Wanna make sure you can do a proper take down in them.”

5. “Don’t wear your hair up,” says the person
Who’s never fought loose, waist-length hair in a windstorm.
Or pulled it out of sticky lip gloss for the umpteenth time.

6. “Carry your keys between your fingers like a weapon.”
Because three inches of dull metal
Is really menacing to someone who is bigger and stronger
And determined to hurt me.

"‎Boys are told from a young age that whatever they do will be excused under the “boys will be boys” mantra, and that “boys will be boys” mentality leads to what I call the “BOILING FROG” problem of women’s sexual boundaries. I call it that because if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump right out, but if you put a frog into a pot of room-temperature water and slowly heat it to a boil, the frog will acclimate as it heats and never jump out, eventually boiling to death. Similarly, when we learn as young girls to tolerate “low-level” boundary violations like the ones we often are forced to suffer in silence at school, at home and on the street – bra-snapping, boob-grabbing, ass pinching, catcalling, dick flashing “all in good fun” relentless violations that adults and authorities routinely ignore – it makes it harder for us to notice when even greater boundaries are being violated, eventually leading to the reality that many women who are raped just freeze and fall silent, because that’s what they’ve been taught to do over and over since day one. You tell me what’s more infantilizing: repeatedly letting boys (and grown men) off the hook for their behavior because “boys will be boys” and we can’t ever expect any differently, or creating a consent standard in which all partners take active responsibility for their partner’s safety, and which acknowledges the truly diseased sexual culture we’re soaking in every day."

— The (nonexistent) terrible, horrible, no good, very bad consequences of enthusiastic consent - Jaclyn Friedman (via queerintersectional)

"Breasts being gender specific is a myth. Breasts are fat deposits and nothing more (or implants). What of women with very small breasts, or breast cancer survivors who have none, or women with artificial breasts, or men with implants, or women with prominent pectoral muscles, or men with oversized pecks, or obese men with full large pendulous breasts, or men with hormone irregularities, or transgendered individuals, or third gender individuals, or lactating male infants? At what age does the nipple become obscene? Puberty? 18? What if the breasts are covered but the fabric is see through? What if the body is painted? Maybe in latex? Why does a nipple pasty make a breast suddenly inoffensive? It is the nipple after all that we all share in common. Speaking of common, women have always outnumbered men on this planet, so why is the majority of the world’s population taught that their bare torso is an obscenity?"

— Breast and Nipples (via perfectcoma)

(Source: gynocraticgrrl)

[TW: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE]
jedees:

jedees:

Be sure to “full view” each page because (at least on my computer) the black in some of the pages is just GONE. Anyway, my design final. A comic attempting to address society’s failure of telling young boys (and girls too sometimes) that abuse/violence/bullying is NOT an appropriate way to show affection…

REBLOGGING AGAIN because I figured out what was up with the colors uhghhsdlkf

[TW: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE]

jedees:

jedees:

Be sure to “full view” each page because (at least on my computer) the black in some of the pages is just GONE. Anyway, my design final. A comic attempting to address society’s failure of telling young boys (and girls too sometimes) that abuse/violence/bullying is NOT an appropriate way to show affection…

REBLOGGING AGAIN because I figured out what was up with the colors uhghhsdlkf

eternitysshylock:

don’t be too clingy
don’t be such a ‘girl’
be a woman
but be hairless like a child

don’t wear skimpy outfits
don’t be such a ‘slut’
be modest
but take it off when i ask

don’t assert yourself
don’t be such a ‘bitch’
be nice to me
but don’t be a fucking doormat

don’t be ignorant
don’t be such a ‘bimbo’
be intelligent
but don’t argue your opinion with me

don’t wear make-up ever
don’t be so ‘insecure’
be yourself
but don’t complain if i don’t like it

(Source: tamamuratamao)

…the last, most vital thing is to get the message through that some people will never “work” in the sense they mean at all. They will never be “economically active” or “sustainable” or “self-sufficient” or any of the other dogmatic, de-humanising labels they invent to coat the disability stick they hit us with.

But they will almost certainly “contribute” Some will spend 90 hours a week caring for an adult or child totally reliant on them for every basic human need. Some will write great novels from their beds or paint great art using their mouths. Some will philosophise and others will make beautiful music. Some will counsel, using their experience to help others through the incredibly difficult times long term illness inevitably bring.

Any system that recognises contribution must include all contribution. Reciprocity and Responsibility work both ways, whether a “Big Society” or a “Good Society” or “One Nation” they are simply empty words unless we find a way to value the many unseen, daily contributions that keep our country rich and safe, and better.

To politicians and media and think-tanks I say : If you tell the country we contribute nothing, that we are nothing, that we’re worth nothing, can you blame them for believing it? Recognising all contribution tells the public that we really are “all in it together” and might just be a first step in showing the true value of our social security system, not just it’s worth.

— From Benefit Scrounging Scum - the entire post is worth a read. (via fluffybedsock)

religiousragings:

George Orwell

snakelet:

“i’m a man and to be honest i’m just tired of society trying to make me feel guilty for being a man”

(Source: babylizard)

"Hey here is a thought, of course it’s not meant to be problematic. Just because there aren’t some evil Disney executives rubbing their hands and gloating over the ruin of society or something doesn’t make it okay or acceptable when it happens."

— Feminist Disney when asked for the bajillionth time why we critically analyze the media when things aren’t actually meant to be racist/sexist “or anything like that at all” (via deannatroi)

rationalhub:

Reasons to love Stephen fry #2328382…

"You have to question a cinematic culture which preaches artistic expression, and yet would support a decision that is clearly a product of a patriarchy-dominant society, which tries to control how women are depicted on screen. The MPAA is okay supporting scenes that portray women in scenarios of sexual torture and violence for entertainment purposes, but they are trying to force us to look away from a scene that shows a woman in a sexual scenario, which is both complicit and complex. It’s misogynistic in nature to try and control a woman’s sexual presentation of self. I consider this an issue that is bigger than this film. … There is something very distorted about this reality that they’ve created, which is that it is OK to torture women on screen. Any kind of violence towards women in a sexual scenario is fine. But give a woman pleasure? No way. Not a chance. That’s pornography."

— Ryan Gosling, actor and feminist, in a letter protesting the NC-17 rating of Blue Valentine. The rating was based on one consensual sex scene, in which he goes down on Michelle Williams. (via snowstorminjuly)

alimarko:

tinydragongina:

brittanyjeanisnotmylover:

society, man

srsly

To the person who just submitted this image to me asking how I feel about it, I think it says it all. Why do we as a society think it’s more acceptable to see breasts in over-sexualized advertisements, in the pages of magazines, movies, and pretty much every media outlet than to see them being used for their natural purpose which is feeding babies?

(Source: brittanybitchperfect)

"Let’s begin with the bottom line: It doesn’t matter how fat someone is, or why they are that fat, or what the outcomes of being that fat may or may not be. They deserve to be treated with respect and it is completely ok for them to be that size. Yes, even if they weigh 2000 pounds. Yes even if you think their weight is “their fault.” Yes, even if you would never ever want to be that fat. Yes, even if you can’t understand how they live. Yes, even if they have problems that can be correlated with being fat. Yes, even if they have problems that can be causally related to being fat. Yes, even if studies show that they cost society more. Yes, even if they actually cost society more. It is totally, completely 100% ok for someone to be fat. Nobody needs anyone’s encouragement, justification or permission to live in their body. Period. This is true whether or not people are able to achieve permanent weight loss – it is a matter of civil rights."

—

“Yes, it’s okay to be fat” by Ragen Chastain

(via redefiningbodyimage)