mentallythe-illest

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i can't imagine a world in which i haven't put this video on my page

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“Brave warrior.”

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my video tribute to the hit game karateka

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Just saw the deleted scene of Bilbo planting his acorn in Dale to signify the hope of the future in dark times and all that but like. What Do You Mean. He didn’t actually take the acorn home with him. You know. That acorn that was supposed to grow into a tree so he could remember all the good and all the bad. The acorn that broke Thorin out of his dragon sickness spell, even if only for a moment. You mean that same acorn. He left it in Dale. Near where Thorin is buried. Peter Jackson when I catch you-

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All the Love I Gave to You is Yours to Keep

Francesca, Hozier // Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins // My Love Mine All Mine, Mitski // Persuasion, Jane Austen // All My Love, Noah Kahan

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Instead of telling men to repress their emotions to appear stronger we should encourage them to sing incredibly dramatic ballads to process their emotions like in fictional movies. Maybe the world would heal faster. And also it would be very funny.

These are my personal favorites.

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i just realized that tumblr allows multiple audio files in a row and they autoplay consecutively on mobile

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Who makes the porn bots. Where do they come from. What do they hope to achieve.

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Today in niche genres of joke that I can never get enough of and will probably still be secretly thinking about four years later

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I still struggle with not caring about male attention. I’m a lesbian, I don’t want men to look at me and think they could hit on me but bc I’m also fat and insecure I want to look attractive and hot and I want all kinds of people to think I’m hot. Like idk why I’m struggling with this

Don't feel too bad about yourself for this, anon. A girl will nearly universally be raised into an environment where, even if their immediate caregivers don't treat them this way, she will still ultimately have it hammered into her that her future happiness depends on the male gaze.

Think of the fairytales we're told as children; how a beautiful princess is saved from peril by a prince because she is a beautiful prince, and how an evil hag is identified as such because she is also an ugly hag. Male-approved beauty is associated with a bright future, while being ugly is associated with a sour character and a terrible end. And this is just one aspect of the ways we're innocently enough brought to believe that our appeal in the male eye is how we measure what we're worth. It doesn't matter whether you desire men, it's just that men's approval is the thing that girls are raised to value themselves by. If a teen girl is unpopular with boys, she is an outcast and a weirdo. If a woman doesn't put effort into being feminine according to male desire, she has "let herself go."

The best you can do is stop yourself when you think these thoughts or have thoughts about just not being good enough because a man won't want you, and really examine it with logic; why is that the measure you're using? Will male approval get you something you need, or is it just this reflex instilled in you? What would you realistically gain by gaining male approval - are these consequences wanted, do you want the male attention, do you want to be the person who is gaining that male attention? Why or why not?

So much of changing our habits brought on by a misogynist society is about simply debating yourself out of them by logic. There is no magic redemption available that will overnight stop you from being what the people around you made into, but you can ask yourself why you are that way, and if you'd rather act or feel somehow else. True change in how we feel often comes from the realisation of the bad patterns we have and the willful correction of them; it's not easy, but it's worth it. Just be aware of yourself, and keep aiming to become the woman you want to be. While we're never complete as people, one day you might stop and notice that the woman you are now has conquered these past insecurities and problems, and instead, now has new goals to aim for.

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The Gendered Gaze in the Superhero Genre

Whenever media objectification of women is brought up (eg. “sexualization of female bodies is because our culture is centered around the male gaze”), some people like to counter with “but what about all the male shirtless scenes in Marvel movies?” The point being made is really that women can’t complain about our bodies being sexualized in media because so are men’s! Another argument is “well, women have been sexualized in media for so long, so let’s sexualize the men, too! Equality!” Additionally, many filmmakers/actors/fans like to justify said male shirtless scenes with “Here’s some eye candy for the ladies!”

But here’s the thing. Sexualization of male bodies in film and comics doesn’t actually cater to the female gaze.

Hyper-sexualization of both women and men in comics increased drastically in the late 80s and defined the 90s, especially with the rise of artists like Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld.

You look at this and think “Hot women for straight men to look at and hot guys for straight women to look at. Sounds equal.” Except, female comic readership declined significantly in the 90s (mostly because of the increasing female objectification). Comics were being distributed to direct-market shops, which were largely male-dominated spaces. Even characters who were historically feminist and targeted at girls were being drawn by artists (Mike Deodato Jr.) who openly referred to their art as “porn Wonder Woman,” and were now being targeted at straight men. As far as the creators were concerned, their readers were predominantly male. Male comic creators were completely uninterested in catering to women. Their hyper-muscular male characters were targeted at men as power fantasies, and that’s really all there is to it.

These portrayals? Plenty of straight women appreciate it, sure, but this is still the male gaze. Male directors might convince themselves that it’s “a little something for the ladies,” but it’s not. It’s continuing a male-targeted trend of the genre.

I’ve watched the Superman movies (1970s to now) with several female friends, and my overwhelming observation has been that they are far more affected by Christopher Reeve’s sweetness and adorable awkwardness than they are by Henry Cavill’s muscles.

As a longtime member of internet fandom, I’ve also noticed a major trend in fanart drawn by women and queer people that actually minimizes the muscle definition of male superheroes, frequently accentuating their body fat and generally making them look very soft and squishy instead of bulging veins and eight-packs.

When women routinely prefer character depth to physical attractiveness; sweetness to big muscles; fuller bodies to tightly muscled ones; hand touches to shirtless scenes; it becomes clear that the “we’re doing this for the ladies 😉” argument has little ground to stand on. It’s not about equality. It’s not about pleasing women. It’s about male power and toxic masculinity.

So actually no, directors have no excuse for dehydrating Henry Cavill and Chris Hemsworth to the point of hospitalization so they can “look like a superhero” and give the ladies some eye candy.

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cha cha real smooth

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saw barbie

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the complexity of feminism in Barbie (2023) is just *mwah* chef’s kiss

residents of barbieland thinking barbie fixed everything. barbie near-immediately being sexualized and objectified in the real world. teenage girls thinking barbie is horribly misogynistic and supports the patriarchy. so many people on the Mattel board only valuing barbie due to consumerism. barbie thinking she can’t do anything and someone else will come and fix misogyny. barbies brainwashed into enjoying being subservient. barbie feeling like she isn’t enough. gloria telling her she is enough. gloria pointing out the difference between giving women equal treatment and “society claiming they have empowered women by actions they have already done to justify any possible misogynistic action in the future.” gloria saying how nothing women do ever satisfies the patriarchy. the movie itself acknowledging that the movie’s view on feminism is from a white perspective. THE MOVIE EMPHASIZING HOW FEMINISM ISN’T SUPPORTING A MATRIARCHAL IDEAL, IT’S GIVING ALL GENDERS EQUAL RIGHTS AND RIGHT TO IDENTITY. paralleling real world society by giving kens only a foothold in power like giving women only a foothold in power.

feminism isn’t a giant chunk of an idea that can easily be discredited into something as simple as “support women.” it’s a complex issue with individuals of different perspectives that deals with intersectionality and confronting completely new worlds in an attempt to understand others. long story short this movie is a masterpiece

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Okay this is very niche but I need to get it out of my system and Tumblr is the only place I can do it.

These two men:

…are on opposite ends of the goth-bimbo spectrum.

One is very competent with many skills, the other’s only job description is “beach.”

Both are obsessed with the badass ladies in their lives and frequently devote their brain cells to them.

One has the look and demeanor of a sad wet cat, the other is a happy golden retriever puppy in man-form.

Both are based on characters that exist in huge franchises consisting of animated movies and children’s toys.

One is the title character and protagonist, the other is defined by his role playing second fiddle to the main character.

Both are played by actors who turned in iconic performances despite many people objecting to their casting and gave chaotic vibes in their press tour interviews.

Early 2020s cinema is truly giving us the duality of man.

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Before Barbenheimer, there was “Apocalypse in Pink,” the August 1983 theme of fashion/culture magazine SPECTAGORIA. The issue’s controversial imagery of Barbie-esque models attempting to stay gorgeous and glamorous amidst nuclear annihilation sought to, in the words of editor/photographer Sera Clairmont, “revel in the morbid absurdity of the new American condition,” an “anxiety vibrating underneath all our plastic smiles.”

“It’s The Hot Pink Cold War,” Clairmont wrote in her introduction. “It’s ‘Material Girl’ on the radio and ‘WarGames’ at the drive-in. It’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ interrupted by the emergency broadcast signal. We’re told to look sexy, dress fashionable, make money, and spend money, but be sure we’re just the right amount of terrified about the bomb. Get that Malibu dream home, keep working on that perfect body, sip cocktails by the pool in your little pink bikini and watching the stocks go up — but STAY VIGILANT! and for God’s sake vote Republican, because that dream home could melt into a pink plastic inferno at any given moment. Just don’t stop smiling as the blast liquefies your skin into bubbling ooze like a Barbie doll in a microwave - it’s bad for the economy.”

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NOTE: This is a work of fiction created by me. This alternate reality horror story is part of my NightmAIres narrative art series (visit that link for a lot more). NightmAIres are windows into other worlds and interconnected alternate histories, conceived/written by me and visualized with synthography and Photoshop.

If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon for frequent exclusive hi-res wallpaper packs, behind-the-scenes features, downloads, events, contests, and an awesome fan community. Direct fan support is what keeps me going as an independent creator, and it means the world to me.

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one thing i really like about nimona's final form is that it has no teeth. she bears no real threat to the city. yet, they still misconstrued her into a monster hoping to destroy their kingdom and all they got. her teeth make vivid appearances when she's either committing violence or showing key personality traits aka being herself. she has nothing left of herself because of this country and still she doesn't aim to hurt anyone. she bears no threat. SHE BEARS NO THREAT!!! DO U UNDERSTAND 😭😭😭 she doesn't hurt one person during this scene. she hurts a few buildings, sure, but doesn't hurt a single person. if anything, the kingdom hurts itself more than she ever did (via missiles, bombs, guns, etc). maybe i'm over analyzing this but this movie is sick