#apologies if the costume designs are inaccurate

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

“Zorrino! You’re a prince now?”

“Well, I guess I will be once Maita and I are married! What about you, amigo Tintin?”

“I uh, got fired by my newspaper.”

I always wondered what the hell happened to Zorrino, they just let him stay in a hidden community they barely interacted with? Does he have any family outside? Any friends? Colleagues? He sells oranges, he must know some people. Will he ever be allowed to go outside ever again? Not to mention how much he’d have to adjust to. In the 1969 Belevision animated adaptation they gave Zorrino a love interest (Princess Maita) which partially explains his decision to stay in the Inca city.

I can’t help but feel his original community would notice him being missing too, like two white guys with firearms show up and return from the forest without him. yeah prisoners of the sun was pretty whack

[thesinglesock]

Heya! Sorry for the random message but I was looking through the bunad tags on tumblr and saw your post on fantastistakk? (I hope I’m spelling that right!!) i was wondering if you had any good resources on learning more about them or could share any more information on them! I’ve always loved norwegian bunads and I’d like to depict them + reference them more in art/writing but with further fantasy themes (hence the even greater fascination with fantastistakk) and have worried about coming across as ignorant when the last thing I want to do is do these wonderful dresses and their history a disservice! (I additionally ask just because when I look up fantastistakk specifically I get a lot of results in norwegian which is fine I just don’t want to end up with inaccurate info putting it through a rough translator online so i thought I’d ask!)

Thank you so much!

Hi and thanks for the ask! Please don't apologize I love talking bunad and fantasistakk :D

I really wish I could paste in a link to the Definitive Guide to Fantasistakk (English Edition), but unfortunately no such thing exists.

Mainly because this is what I would call a Folk Fashion Movement, in the sense that there is no big fashion house or designer* behind it, it consists of regular people digging up their mothers' sewing machines and having fun with learning traditional techniques in a new way. The closest thing you can get to valuable literary resources would be people's personal blog posts and the occasional news article, but they're all written in Norwegian, like you discovered. And while I get that machine translation can be awful, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you used it to research this topic, since most of the time the explaination of a fantasistakk essentially boils down to "I made it like this because I think it looks cool". (*there are a couple of notable fashion houses that do fantasi-stakk, like Eva Lie and Embla Bunader, and while they contribute to the trend, they don't control or own the movement.)

There are several ideals tied to the fantasi-stakk trend, so the reason someone might choose a fantasistakk instead of a bunad can vary. Some people make theirs from thrifted curtains because they're saving up for a "proper" bunad later, while others commision a carefully researched and deeply personal subversive tailor made piece of art based on their local dress tradition. In any case, the fantasistakk wouldn't exist without the traditional bunads, so you might want to look into those as well.

Luckily, you can find a lot of international resources on the traditional bunads, because they've been around for longer and one of the core ideas behind the bunad-movement was to document local dress traditions to prevent them from fading into obscurity. If you want to learn about the history of bunads I highly recommend this video by Kristine Vike, that takes a critical look at the idea of the Bunad. It really digs into the historical and political context that the bunad has and the history of how it evolved into what we know it as today.

I cannot overstate how well researched this video is, and also if you want to learn more about Norwegian dress history and textile arts in general, go check out her channel, it's a real gold mine.

But if you want resources for art inspiration, I'd encourage you to look up specific bunads to base your fantasistakk on. Each bunad has its roots in a geographical area and is made with the traditional techniques unique to that place. Some areas have more variety than others, but there's enough to write several books on each and every bunad.

Here's a handy list of pretty much every bunad (with a few Sami gakti as well), sorted by province:

Very few of the costumes in this list have English wikipedia articles attatched, but some of them have Norwegian articles, and I'm sure every single one of them has plenty of pictures to use for reference (pro tip: instagram hashtags. people love to tag their bunad pics with the name of their dress). And if you find one you're interested in, but you can't find any accessible information, I'd be happy to help you learn more about it :D

when it comes to being respectful and coming up with fantasistakk-designs, I'd say try not to worry too much about it, and just have fun! some people get mad when they see a teenager using a "non-traditional" shirt with their family heirloom vest, while others applaud them for showing both their heritage and their individuality. Doing your research is important if you want to depict historical dresses (and to give you more ideas of what a bunad can look like), but in contemporary norwegian culture a lot of us are mixing it up with modern garments and borrowing from other cultures and just making clothes we want to wear (just like our ancestors used to do before the standardized national costumes got popularized)

And on that note, I'll wrap this up with the banner picture from Embla Bunader's home page for inspiration:

(btw I'm officially rescinding the statement I made in the fantasistakk post, that Embla is "less extravagant", cause this past year they've Really been Cooking)

I wasn't really sure where to even begin answering this ask, since it's such a massive topic, but I hope I at least some of this information is useful :P

[heretyc]

eddie & val headcanons, but this time they're modern

my apologies for being inactive. my mental health became shit AGAIN

in another post i mentioned seeing a pic of val in a sweater. it's right here [i tried finding the artist but the blog that shared it to pinterest is down??? @//baldrsmoke bb come back i beg. if you find credit lemme know pls thank you]

a lot of the shit in here is unrealistic but that's the beauty of fanfiction, especially in this economy. and they will not be murderers because we deserve breaks, okay??!?!?! getting blood out of carpets is a NIGHTMARE

so because val and eddie barely have stable backstories or personalities, they are my bitches to experiment with. these aren't canon they're just....my view, you feel? that's the point of hc's but ya know, please feel free to give me your thoughts

again, they/them pronouns are used for val, see them however you wish. i see them as a milf- [i am then lovingly stabbed by val for calling them a milf and not a cilf, 'Cultist I'd Like to Fuck']

this is obvious but warning for nsfw!!!!!! duh

and a bunch of imagery is used, if that's not ur thing i am Sorry

enjoy !!!!!

☸ Eddie Gluskin —

♡ Assuming he got help for his issues and he's sane? Omg, he's a dreamboat. You are the envy of the block.

♡ He gets angry sometimes. The past never leaves you fully. But he has remedies.

♡ He has many resources to help him with his anger. He learned to put most of his emotions into his work. Some dresses may have random holes in them, but holes are a fashion statement, dammit.

♡ Loves using lavender to help him sleep. So calming.

♡ Believe it or not? Excellent at cooking. Breakfast in bed is common.

♡ Because he's old-fashioned, he is very much a gentleman. Holds doors open for you, lays down his coat so you don't get your shoes wet from a puddle. He's a typical Canadian man /satire

♡ Is loved by a lot of people for his fashion taste alone. Keep the 40s/50s alive, baby!!!

♡ Either becomes a wedding dress designer or a surgeon, your call. Y'all know that show Say Yes to the Dress? He'd own that show LMFAOOOO

♡ Helps you grab things off of shelves. This man is TALL

♡ Unironically drinks black coffee??? Okay Satan

♡ Has to wear glasses. Is the type of dumbass to have them pushed onto his head and claim he can't find them 💀

"Darling, have you seen my glasses? It seems I've lost them..." "...Look in the mirror, Eds." "Oh? ...Oh. Thank you, darling! ♡"

♡ Would be the type to get a golden retriever. Both are walking hugs 🤭 Imagine coming home to Eddie and a big ass fluffy dog. Yes PLEASE

♡ Has a soft spot for desserts with blackberries.

♡ Enjoys Disney movies because who doesn't??? Jokes aside... because he wasn't able to have a childhood, he will indulge in children's movies now with his golden retriever and you. Fuck yeah

♡ Needs to be taught how to use a cell phone. Yes he types like every other old person

♡ Wakes up at 5 am. Every day. Have fun with this information :)

"Wake up, darling! The sun says hello!" "And I say GOODBYE."

"...Darling 😒"

♡ Not extremely religious but prays sometimes.

♡ The man to go to when you need help regarding clothing. Have a hole? Stitches it back up. Button fell off? He's gotchu. This man is a god when it comes to repairing clothes.

He's also great when it comes to colour matching.

♡ Finds horror movies to be funny and inaccurate. Like he's seen blood and gore [thanks, childhood :/], it looks nothing like in the movies. Corn syrup? Get with the program, Carrie

♡ Halloween is always fun because he makes your costumes, and they're always so detailed and comfortable.

♡ Has a whole ass room dedicated to his work; threads, sewing machine, extra needles...

♡ Listens to records and is beloved by the Millennials for it.

♡ He believes that the great outdoors helps with just about everything and takes walks every day. He'll want you to come with him. If you're an introvert, well that's too bad ;)

Just kidding. You don't have to talk to people, he's happy with a simple walk through the park

♡ Doesn't understand video games but will happily watch you play them.

♡ Drives an old ass car, don't @ me

♡ ADORES Valentines day!!! An excuse to shower you in affection with flowers and clothes made special just for you 💓🤭💓

♡ Has night terrors :(

♡ Does not feel safe if you go anywhere without him. This mfer is your bodyguard and he only feels better if you take self defense items

♡ Goes all out for your birthdays. Attempts to make homemade cake, takes you out...the WORKS

NO NOT "MURDER" I MEAN HE ACTUALLY TAKES YOU OUT TO PLACES. FELT LIKE I HAD TO CLARIFY AGAIN 😭

♡ Reads a lot, obviously is into romance novels but he enjoys mystery novels as well

♡ Wears a lot of navy blues, monochrome shades and the occasional red.

♡ Dislikes rap music and will loudly make his opinion known. He especially hates Eminem.

♡ Gets upset when you shame yourself :(( stop it right NOW

♡ Makes it a point that whenever you're upset, he's the first person you should go to. He is not letting you leave his sight without a smile on your face. A REAL one

♡ He despises alcohol and only really drinks it during events. Even then, he doesn't drink a lot, maybe a couple of sips and that's it.

♡ Dislikes Trager. A lot. If he's your doctor Eddie makes you switch 💀

♡ He's a social butterfly, why wouldn't he be with a personality as charming as his?

♡ Never lets you use knives in the kitchen because he hates the thought of you cutting yourself.

♡ Dislikes green. For whatever reason, it just makes him cringe.

♡ Happily gives you food from his plate, and makes no comments or complaints.

♡ Teaches you how to sew, and has many thimbles on stand-by if you have a habit of stabbing your fingers.

♡ Fucking HATES fast food, and heavily prefers homemade stuff. Fuck Burger King, all his homies hate Burger King

However, he'd enjoy fine dining.

♡ He'd learn to knit, too.

♡ Loves winter because he has an excuse to make you sweaters. He makes you sweaters no matter the season, but you're gonna wear them during the winter, so

♡ Prefers suburban or country life. The city is too noisy for him.

♡ Never ever doubt his love for you, he adores you and 100% would steal the moon for you if you asked [NASA might be mad tho]. Cheating is also out of the question, he finds it disgusting.

♡ Has an unironic love for bunnies and wants to protect them. As a result, despises animal testing. Psychologically it's because they're innocent and cute.

♡ He'd smell really nice. Musky and elegant.

♡ Very prudent when it comes to money, and chastises you if you spend on pointless things.

"Do you really need a new pillow?" "It's shaped like a cat, so YES."

♡ Doesn't understand modern lingo...help him.

♡ An excellent caretaker if you're ill!! Leave everything to him, he will do the housework and errands until you're healthy again.

♡ If you're injured and can't move, the same applies, but he'll carry you to places. [I had to get stitches on my foot last October and I'm still salty >:(]

♡ Has a hard time expressing sadness as it's considered a weakness.

♡ Will happily make your doctor's appointments for you if you have anxiety, but encourages you to do them yourself. He'll hold your hand :3c

♡ Really strong hands, so he likes giving you massages and rubs.

♡ Not too patient, but he works on it.

♡ An old man regarding the internet and only really uses it for tutorials. He asks for your help, obviously.

♡ Finds online shipping suspicious.

♡ He shaves and styles his own hair. He's excellent with a blade.

♡ Has never heard of an 'emo phase' and is kind of weirded out by it. If you went through one, expect questions.

♡ Dislikes jewelry, and only wears rings.

♡ Very disgusted by the music of this time. Who calls women 'bitches'? Absurd. [You do, you weirdo]

♡ Loves thunderstorms. He thinks thunder is calming. Gets annoyed when he sees lightning, though. It hurts his eyes.

♡ He likes the heat. He's like a cat.

♡ He can sometimes sneak up on you and scare you, but it's not purposeful. He can get really...quiet. [Due to his childhood...it's a skill]

♡ He's not completely opposed to the idea of traveling, but he loves being at home with you.

♡ Carries a messenger bag with him sometimes. It has glasses, a first aid kid and other essentials. Happily carries your stuff with him.

♡ If you see a spider and freak out he'll calm you down, but if it's bigger than he's used to or he's alone, he will SHRILL

♡ Gets upset if you need to leave the house for a long amount of time. He enjoys your company.

♡ If you watch Strangers Things I think he'd laugh at the fashion and feel nostalgic.

♡ Enjoys feeding the birds. Has a hummingbird feeder and your standard bird feeder outside the living room window.

♡ If you too had a childhood much like his, he will become a mixture of saddened and angered. The fact that his loved one can relate to him and had a childhood much like his own? Makes him sick.

† Val —

♡ The soft, loving partner you never knew you needed.

♡ Val is a lovebug!! Cuddles on the couch. Words of affirmation. They love showing you their adoration.

♡ They're somewhat involved with Knoth as they run the suburbs you all live in and Knoth's church is within said suburbs, but both Val and a group of people meet in secret to talk shit about him.

Oh yeah; they have orgies. You're invited too, obviously. No pressure, though.

♡ As a result of being Val's partner, you are accepted by their group and are seen as their good friend. They're all fun to speak to.

♡ They love wine. They have a whole ass cupboard full of it.

♡ They mostly wear wool sweaters because they have an excuse to give you warm hugs ♡ [also because they're cozy!!!]

♡ Extremely pale and hates going outside unless they have to because they're prone to getting sunburnt.

♡ Knows how to work the internet, surprisingly.

♡ Their hair is naturally a light blonde, so they're envied by those who have to bleach their hair.

♡ Also has naturally bright blue eyes, so everywhere you go they get complimented at least once.

♡ A dark chocolate fanatic. Yum.

♡ A cat person!! When you go to their house for the first time you are greeted by a gorgeous white cat named Ruby. She warmed up to you instantly. Val lowkey got jealous though hehe

♡ Loves you for all of your flaws.

♡ An excellent listener. They're not a therapist or anything but their advice is suspiciously perfect and works for you every time.

♡ Best friends with the doctor down the road. They're both chaotic.

♡ They love to watch horror movies with you and occasionally thirst over the characters. Scream is their favourite out of all of the iconic horror flicks. Maybe you and them should go as Billy and Stu for Halloween? Them as Billy, obviously.

♡ They are your own personal cheerleader. You accomplish something! Yayyy! You come back home with new clothes? You better run a fashion show for them. [And they probably have a cheerleader costume stashed somewhere...]

♡ Very elegant and wears expensive perfume. Always a joy to be close to because your nose is often swimming in perfume that's probably more expensive than your kidneys.

♡ Loves to spend money on you because they think you deserve it. If your childhood was difficult [like Eddie's] this increases ten fold.

♡ Regarding rough childhoods, Val always feels an anger build within them when they hear about abuse victims who experienced said abuse in their childhood. Who could harm children? They're bright, they're innocent. They will always feel like you deserved better and will assist you in undoing trauma.

Doesn't matter if it's impossible, they will try. You need meds to take? They will make you take them. They will escort you to therapy appointments. They will let you vent. They want you to feel better because you deserve the world and they can't help but want to violently hurt the person who harmed you.

♡ Prefers wearing dark colours, like black and navy blue, but will wear light ones, too. Mainly cream or coral.

♡ They enjoy wearing accessories. Their rosaries are their favourites. They get you your own rosaries after a year of dating. [With your initials carved into them, duhhh]

♡ Got their genitals pierced after they turned 18 and never took them out. They got them for the aesthetic, they kept them for sexual benefits.

♡ Prefers to stay alone and rest when they get sick, liking to take things into their own hands and not burdening you, but becomes a Momma when you're ill. Soup, cold cloth, bedrest, the works.

♡ Obviously a sexual icon. They're sex positive and do not judge what someone enjoys sexually. Unless of course it's morally gross.

♡ Expect sex. Like...at the most, 5 times a week. The whipped cream in the fridge isn't for ice cream, I'll tell you that.

♡ Regarding sexual piercings, they'd love and support you if you got some done, too. They'll hold your hand when you get them cause they hurt like a bitch. [My friend got nipple piercings...the screams of pain she let out y'all 😭 don't let that stop you if you want some though!!]

♡ Has no understanding of memes but loves when you explain them. They're amused and still don't get it but they see how happy they make you and how they make you laugh, so they'll listen for as long as they need to.

♡ They're liked by a lot of people because of how accepting and nice they are, but they prefer being alone with you and Ruby.

♡ They hate idiocy, which is why they want to leave Knoth. Ugh.

♡ Has somewhat of a Southern accent.

♡ Loves gardening because they grow their own flowers and give them to you on Valentines day. Romantic.

♡ Baking desserts is a common thing the both of you do. Expect them to feed you the batter.

♡ They're generally a pacifist but regarding you or something else, they will Exchange Fists

♡ An excellent babysitter. This was to be expected.

♡ Doesn't like video games too much but will watch you play them as they sip on wine.

♡ They're a night owl.

♡ Likes it whenever you get scared, whether during a thunderstorm or a scary movie, because they can comfort you.

♡ They're tall as fuck and you need them to grab things for you from the higher shelves at the grocery store. Sometimes, at home, they'll put things you need on higher shelves so you ask them for help.

♡ Befriends ravens so they can train the things to steal from Knoth. Yes, it's possible. You can thank them for the occasional rings and coins.

♡ Like Eddie, they carry a messenger bag with them if you're both going out.

♡ They like the suburbs but enjoy the country life even more. They'd take you and the cat out into the country if they weren't a deacon.

♡ Gets annoyed when others mock their drawl, but when you do it, they find it cute. You're not mocking them to be a dick.

♡ Is the designated driver on road trips and lets you play your music.

♡ They can handle the heat. If you can't, they find it amusing but makes sure you take care of yourself.

♡ Uses mainly pet names. Your real name is maybe used once a day 😭

♡ They find gender stereotypes stupid and wear whatever tf they feel like. They encourage you to wear whatever you want.

♡ Lets you paint their nails or do their makeup or whatever if you're practicing. They'll just stare at their phone and patiently wait.

If you did a poor job, they won't tell you.

"How did I do?" "...Perfect, my love. Absolutely perfect. [cringes when you're not looking]"

♡ They buy the full size chocolate bars on Halloween. They're not Satan.

♡ They think you need to be protected. All the time.

"I'll get that." "Val, it's just someone at the door." "Okay, and? What if it's a murderer? We've seen Halloween, dear. Let me get it."

♡ The big spoon. But enjoys being the little spoon sometimes.

♡ They're a switch. They're dom until you make a move. They encourage you, too.

♡ Their lips are plump so their kisses are really nice. MWAH

♡ Unironically enjoys pumpkin spiced things. They make their stuff at home, though. ♡ They enjoy lollipops. They're also easy to seduce someone with. Val as the Lollipop Chainsaw protagonist, anyone?

[butyoudontlookgay]

It’s been a bit rough lately. You’ve been feeling unwell or tired the past few days.

We went to ikea, I brought the idea up because I thought it would be a super cute date to go check out the new location.

You thought all my ideas were not great. Everything I thought was cute you didn’t like it were super selective about. Even when you said you had no idea how to do design.

I tried to enjoy our food together but you were on your phone the whole time looking for more dinner to eat.

I then chose some food to eat and you felt that I was ordering everything off the menu.

I asked after dinner if we were ok and you said ya we’re fine. My feelings were hurt. But you were already cleaning the table off so we could leave.

You sat on your phone for half the game we came home to watch. I felt alone.

You woke up sick the next day and it explained some of your mood. But I still felt like it sucked.

You complain about your symptoms and don’t ask me for help. You expect me to jump in and just do it all for you. I guess I just wanted to be asked.

I missed a meeting with my manager that morning trying to do everything. I wasn’t paying attention to the time but I wasn’t getting much help from you because your work had started.

I told you about a potential chat with an agency. You forgot about it that day until I brought it up. After you didn’t ask about it. How it went etc or how I felt.

The first red flag had you feeling like I shouldn’t have pursued it at all. Or should continue to do so.

I felt like you weren’t very supportive. It was my first chat in 6 months. Every time I try to chat with you about my salary, you aren’t very receptive.

You keep bringing up that you don’t feel well and that it might be covid but every time I bring up you should test you ignore it until I’ve brought it up enough times for you to bark at me “OMG I WILL…”

Every time you complain about symptoms I try to tell you to take meds and 1 Tylenol to you makes you feel like you’re taking it too much. I wonder what you think of my chronic migraine doses…

9/10 times I actually have to hand the meds to you because you never take the initiative to take care of yourself. It’s frustrating.

The moment you realized you were pretty sick you said that we won’t have any food because I can’t cook. Glad you think of that of me.

I’ve been getting high lately to distill the frustration and anger I have towards you lately. Because I have no idea how to talk about this small moments that build into this. This feeling of wanting your attention but not really getting it. The small quips. The lack of quality time and 1:1 undivided attention.

Today I tried to show you a 3 minute video after spending 10 with you helping you pick out pieces to your costume.

You didn’t make it to the end of the video and just left. You asked questions that the video was seconds away from answering… neither did you ask what my role on this project was or if I was excited.

I’m literally crying in the room and you haven’t even noticed and your headphones are off. Whatever you’ll just say you’re paying attention to work or whatever.

I asked you the past two weeks to go to work so that I can have some time to myself. It hasn’t happened. Now your sick. Great.

A couple weeks ago I blurted out “god could you just make coffee once in the morning?!” It was rude and it bubbled from this type of frustration. It came out inaccurately and I felt bad immediately.

You didn’t hesitate to remind me of it multiple times throughout the day after I apologized. You also mentioned how you did it every day while I was in school. As if I didn’t already feel bad. Obviously it wasn’t about the coffee but you didn’t try to talk or open things up.

I talked to you earlier this week about mornings. You havent been supporting any of it. I’m still getting us both up and ready. Now your sick and it’s even more on me.

[glambots]

Hey! Just wanted to say that your blog is amazing and you're doing such a good work, keep it up!! <3

If you don't mind, can I request for Glamrock Freddy and Monty with a colorblind (Protanopia type) S/O? Headcanons, please! Thank you so much for the chance!

FYI: I do not have any sort of colorblindness, (that I'm aware of anyway) so I apologize if anything is inaccurate.

🎩Glamrock-Freddy +Colorblind!Reader HCs: 🎩

⭐He's familiar with the condition as a whole, but doesn't know exactly how things work until you explain it to him. He genuinely finds your condition very interesting and is happy that you trusted him enough to talk to him about something so personal.

⭐However, it can be a little grating when he's constantly pointing out the colors of things. ("And this chair is red! And this plate is blue! And this--") Fredward, please. Thankfully, a polite word is all it takes for him to chill out with the running commentary.

⭐He's curious about what he looks like in your eyes, but it's not a huge issue. He knows that you like him for more than just his design. However, whenever it comes to costumes/accessories, he'll still makes sure to pick things that you can "make out," color-wise.

🐊Montgomery Gator + Colorblind!Reader HCs:🐊

⭐Whoa. So...what does he look like to you? Does he look weird? Can you even see him? How many fingers is he holding up??? (Listen, we love the man, but we all know that he is not the sharpest crayon in the box. He's doing his best.)

⭐He likes to hide against surfaces that are a similar color to him, to try and blend in so he can jump out and scare you. Which, he'd probably do even if you weren't colorblind, but for some reason he finds this funnier? Jerk. >:(

⭐In truth, he can be kind of exhausting with the whole "Okay, so what color is this?" bit. It's half genuine curiosity on how your condition works, and half him just being an ass and screwing with you. But just tell him to knock it off and he will.

[audreydoeskaren]

(Rant) Chinese historical clothing and corsetry myths

Source here

*TERFs do not interact

tw misogyny, racism

Intro

Hi y’all, I wanted to make a short rant but it ended up becoming a full blown essay about clothing and the patriarchy. If you’re into this sort of stuff, buckle up and ride along. I was reading some articles both casual and scholarly on Qing Dynasty Han women’s fashion recently and it struck me as really odd that a lot of them mix in some age old myths about European corsetry for absolutely no reason. In their pathetic attempts at entry level feminist analysis, in order to prove that historical Chinese clothing was patriarchal and oppressive to women they always bring up European corsets and stays to make the argument that women in the past were oppressed no matter where they were. After I received a stupid and disturbing response to the foot binding ask regarding foot binding and corsetry, the making of this post appears much more significant.

As a feminist and European historical fashion enthusiast myself, the wildly inaccurate, sensational and sometimes pseudo-Darwinist corset myths they perpetuate make me cringe to my core. Popular fashion history bloggers like Karolina Zebrowska and Bernadette Banner have been debunking corsetry myths for some years now so anyone active in the Western historical costuming community would have been able to avoid them, but that information has largely failed to reach their Chinese counterpart. While I understand that Chinese fashion historians don’t need to know about corsets and stays, why would they bring up corsetry all the time if they don’t know fuck all about it to begin with?? It’s really unprofessional and frankly stupid.

Before we begin, I have to get this out of the way: corsetry in the West is not comparable to foot binding in China. They were completely different practices with completely different consequences for a person’s body (person because men wore corsets too). I am sick and tired of talking about foot binding so I won’t even elaborate, have a thought about it yourself.

Debunking

Ok, so moving on to the debunking. I’m gonna show passages from two pretty representative articles that pull corset myths out of their arses and show you why they’re wrong. If you’re into Western fashion history or corsetry in general, I apologize preemptively for the cringe.

The first one is called “ 18世纪中法女装造型对比研究与创新应用 ” (comparison between 18th century Chinese and French womenswear: research and innovative application) by 高夏 published in 2018. The passage on corsetry goes like this (the translation is my own)

Corsets or stays achieve structure by inserting whalebone, wood, ivory or metal, so that it can have better shaping. Usually of a v-shape, corsets or stayrs cover the chest and waist, diverging into tabs at the bottom, hugging the figure, but doesn’t interfere with the movements of the lower body; usually in the shape of a tank top, the straps are sometimes on the shoulder, sometimes of a cap sleeve design. Lifting the breasts, taking in the waist are both the most aesthetically striking features of the corset, but under this beautiful appearance, what is more terrifying is, corsets or stays cause long term compression to the torso deforming women’s ribcages, shifting their organs, pressing against the nerves and blood vessels, causing difficulty to breathe and other illnesses.

Source here

18th century stays

Jesus Christ what is going on. Also the sentence structure in this one gave me a stroke just reading it. First off, I don’t know a single 18th century person who used ivory to bone their stays I’m pretty sure nobody did that. It was acceptable to use as busks (the straight front piece inserted into the chest area), so was wood, but it sounds impossible to use them as boning. Metal boning didn’t become a widespread thing until the 19th century. Whalebone is the only correct option. Congratulations author, you made four guesses and one of them is correct. 

Second off, women’s ribcages and organs were fine, this has been debunked a thousand times. Like Karolina Zebrowska mentioned in one of her videos, if corsetry really had this much power, wouldn’t all Western women who lived through the 17th to 20th centuries have deformed ribs?? And that is obviously not true. If you don’t tight lace I don’t see how anything can be compressed, I tight lace a lot and even my organs are fine. The human waist area is naturally pretty squishy so you can lace down a lot no problem. Plus, the effects of corsetry are not permanent, whatever shifted during the day when you are wearing corsets/stays would return to their previous positions once you take them off in the evening. Even if the ribs would shift over time, I don’t see how that would cause a problem? The effects stacked over time so the changes wouldn’t noticeable to the wearer. Difficulty to breathe? It depends on the design of the specific corset/stay, some styles don’t even cover the chest, I’d be impressed if those things gave you difficulty breathing. Even for 18th century stays, which covered most of the chest, breathing shouldn’t be a problem; modern opera singers wear corsets and stays as part of their costumes as well, and they can sing in them. From personal experience, I breathe in a slightly different way when wearing corsets tightly, and the effect is barely noticeable when not tight laced.

Third off, medicine was very much not developed in the 18th century and I wouldn’t advise anyone to trust doctors at the time writing about what caused women to become sick. On top of their lack of expertise, there was also the prevalent problem of misogyny in the male dominated medical profession; male doctors liked to blame illnesses on things related to femininity such as the uterus (hysteria) and obviously, stays.

The moment the author mentioned ivory boning, all credibility was lost... It’s kind of unfortunate because the whole point of this dissertation is to compare 18th century Chinese and French women's’ fashion and the author couldn’t even get one of the most basic premises of French historical fashion correct.

One of the only legitimate health concerns for wearing corsets is that you shouldn’t be wearing them all the time, like 24 hours a day, because your muscles will get used to the support and weaken as a result. But this could be countered by taking off your corset a couple of hours everyday and doing exercise, and also not sleeping with your corset on. Also, it’s good to wear a breathable layer under corsets, like a cotton shift that can be frequently washed, so that sweat wouldn’t accumulate and cause skin problems. With that said, I’m not a scientist and I also haven’t read every single piece of literature on corsetry, if there are any other legitimate health concerns for long term wearing of corsets, please let me know!!

Onto the second one. This one is about the practice of breast binding in China since the 15th century; it starts out pretty normal and informative but as soon as the author begins to compare breast binding to corsetry it sashays off into pseudoscience.

Corsetry began in the court, rumors say that Queen Josephine of France got pregnant out of wedlock, and in order to conceal her pregnancy she used fabric to bind her torso, accidentally discovering its effects to lift up the breasts, combined with the low cut clothing popular at the time, the breasts became very visible, becoming a trend, this shows that the beauty of breasts were prized during that time period. 

I’m sorry I can’t stop laughing at this. You mean Empress Josephine? At the time she was born (1763) corsets/stays have been around for more than a century... When she was empress in the 1810s, the empire/regency style of dress was popular and it did not show the waist whatsoever, I don’t think anyone would notice if she was pregnant lmao. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did cheat on Napoleon, because cheating was super common back then, but heaven be damned if it had anything to do with corsetry. The part about short regency stays lifting and separating the breasts is legit but not for the reasons the author thinks; low necklines exposing breasts have been around in the 17th and 18th centuries as well, it’s just that during that time the boobies were pushed together, and after the waistline rose during the ancient Rome/Greece inspired directoire era, the boobies became increasingly pushed up and separated. It was just the fashion tbh, people wanted to do something different to what was done before.

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Portrait of Empress Josephine (I think? It’s weirdly difficult to find a good quality legitimate portrait of her somehow) in a high waisted gown with separated boobies.

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1790s short stays. They don’t cover the stomach at all?

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1780s Marie Antoinette with exposed boobies pushed together. She was, obviously, wearing stays.

This is the wildest corset origin myth I’ve seen yet and it would be funny if it weren’t kind of deranged. It’s very representative of the kind of popular history (野史) floating around the Chinese internet, which takes an average historical event and embellishes it with sexual degeneracy. I can’t help but be reminded of the iconic Lu Xun quote “ 一见短袖子，立刻想到白臂膊，立刻想到全裸体，立刻想到生殖器，立刻想到性交，立刻想到杂交，立刻想到私生子。中国人的想像惟在这一层能够如此跃进。(One sees a short sleeve and immediately starts thinking of bare arms, the naked body, the genitals, sexual intercourse, cheating, bastards etc.. The imagination of Chinese people can only make such great leaps on this matter)” Why is this still true 100 years later. I mean, Chinese people are definitely not alone in this, it’s just weirdly pervasive on the Chinese internet and sometimes even academia, mostly perpetuated by gross middle aged cis straight men going through midlife crises who love to boost their fragile egos by making up shit on the internet (such as my dad)...

By the way this is the photo included in the original article, showing some suspiciously retouched lingerie photoshoots from the 1880s/90s. I shudder to think that the author would believe 1880s corsets and regency short stays are the same thing...

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I love the 1880s. I love Photoshop. If you think these look freaky, don’t, it’s a real ass woman doing her thing and she doesn’t care about your opinion. Plus it’s photoshopped anyway.

Analysis

This is only the beginning of the journey. The passage goes on to cite Abba Goold Woolson, a dress reformer during the 1870s, saying that if a woman wears a corset, she suffers but is therefore able to please men and ascend the social ladder that way. I’m pretty sure the quote was taken out of context but Woolson herself also isn't the sole authority on the subject. The author buys into this bullshit wholeheartedly and comes to the conclusion that corsets were invented by the patriarchy to reduce women into sex objects. They write:

Breast binding is a sign of misogyny, stemming from the psychology of being disgusted by women’s breasts, it is a custom born out of a desire to restrain women’s natural beauty and attractiveness, the resentment for female attractiveness to men. Corsetry is a product of the patriarchal culture in the West, a product of women accentuating their figures to seduce powerful men.

This is nothing short of pseudo-Darwinist and kind of disturbing. There is so much to unpack here I might as well just move. First off, I don’t know who needs to hear this but corsets are supposed to be comfortable and not to kill you. They served a practical purpose before an aesthetic one, such as supporting the wearer’s bodies and the weight of the gowns, which in the 19th century, were some heavy gowns. Especially for bustier women, corsets provide superior bust and back support compared to modern underwire bras. If they were made with whalebone boning, spiral steel boning or cording, they were very light and flexible and wouldn’t interfere with everyday activities at all. This is the thing, the people calling for the complete abolition of corsets seemed to forget that busty women existed; if you’re flat chested you can go braless no problem, but if you have very big breasts it’s very difficult to move about without support, which corsets were supposed to provide. A lot of innovative designs with elastic panels and less boning were available in the second half of the 19th century so any woman who wanted to get one should be able to. In addition, if a woman didn’t want to wear corsets, what other options would she have at the time? Brassieres were not commonly available and the ones that did exist were worn in conjunction with corsets, elastic was only invented in the mid 19th century, being braless might be inconvenient for bustier women etc.. Corsets and stays were just normal underwear throughout their time of popularity and men wore them as well.

By the way, if you want to know how credible Abba Goold Woolson and other dress reformers were on the subject of fashion and feminism I suggest checking out the speeches they gave in the 1870s. Just to pick out a couple questionable things, she mentions that mothers with compressed torsos give birth to “inferior children” and is bad for their race, praises Thai women’s fashion but only because “barbarous tribes allow still greater freedom in their attire” and criticizes how “civilized people of the West” clad their women in impractical garments. The way she fetishizes and infantilizes the fashions of Asian countries is frankly uncomfortable to read, like she thinks white people are so special that only white women modify their bodies for fashion, and indigenous women are dumb, but at least not dumb enough to wear corsets. A lot of people involved with dress reform and the Arts and Crafts in general fetishized non-white cultures and European peasantry because of their supposed “primitiveness” and “purity” in opposition to the “degeneracy” of urban white folks. It’s a whole load of problematic Orientalist bullshit that I don’t even want to unpack. In regards to corsetry and comfort, 1870s dress reformers suggested making garments whose weight solely rested on the shoulders, which to me is quite unreasonable because anyone who has worn a heavy coat or something without a belt would know how freaking uncomfortable that is. 

Second off, I take massive issue with this notion that corsets were invented for the male gaze, like, you give men way too much credit for fashion. This is a weirdly pervasive view, people will often instantly label any fashion trend men find attractive “oppressive” and “invented for the male gaze”, neglecting the fact that 1) correlation doesn’t equal causation 2) men could find attractive/fetishize a trend after it has been popularized. Just because men find something attractive doesn’t mean it was made for them and definitely doesn’t mean that feminist women have to stop wearing it. If men decide to collectively fetishize shampoo tomorrow do you suppose women stop washing our hair as well? That’s obviously absurd, so why should it be different for corsetry. Corsets are actually a prime example of a garment fetishized well after the height of its popularity; corsets and girdles used to be functional undergarments but started to fade out of popularity in the 1960s (though never really going away) and began reappearing as counterculture/fetish wear later. Similar fates befell stockings and garterbelts. Before the 20th century, fashion was a very female dominated field, it was one of the only industries where women had a voice. During the time when stays and corsets were invented and popularized, it was women behind the trend and men did nothing but ridicule women for it. The few men who were on board the trend were often deemed effete and called homophobic insults. Literally every Western fashion trend in the 18th and 19th centuries have been satirized by men at every possible turn, it really confuses me as to why people think it was men who put women in corsets if men hated them so much? 

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1770s satirical drawing of women’s fashion, exaggerating the small waist and big coiffure. Notice how the male servant is drawn “normally”. I actually think this sort of satire is insanely misogynistic, maybe that’s a hot take. It stems from men’s belief that fashion, a then mostly feminine pastime, is “frivolous” and nothing of importance, and women who chase after fashion trends are stupid and vain and don’t know better. Excuse your mouth, fashion is a noble pursuit, without fashion human existence would be so boring. It’s not women’s problem that menswear stopped being interesting in the 1840s. I’m going to play the Miranda Priestly monologue on loop now I need to recover.

Also, the author completely neglects the fact that some women liked wearing corsets and even tight lacing because they enjoyed having the fashionable silhouette. The notion that corsets and stays were worn to create a specific, nuanced silhouette rather than to simply make the waist smaller or the boobs bigger is almost unknown to Chinese fashion historians (and a lot of people in the West as well). For example, 18th century stays create a very conical shape, 1890s corsets make the body a rounded hourglass and 1920s girdles flatten the chest. They just, uh, cannot entertain the possibility that corsets and stays were fashion trends and not some tool of patriarchal oppression with deeper, philosophical meaning. It has the same energy as Jordan Peterson claiming that women wear red lipstick to imitate sexual arousal, completely forgetting that some people wear blue or black lipstick; what are they imitating then, poisoned corpses? Sheesh why is it so hard to admit that fashion is for fun and art not just sex.

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The “pigeon breast” shape created by early Edwardian corsets and padding, I think these look cool as hell. 1901 issue of De Gracieuse.

This ties into the bigger problem in the research of Chinese fashion history, which is that scholars love to read deeper meanings into places where there likely is non, while being severely lacking in factual description of fashion trends. Like, I just want to know what common embroidery patterns were used in the 18th century and instead I got lectured on how traditional Chinese patterns were a service to the gods and among the most sacred and important accomplishments of my people and race (yes a lot of Chinese fashion history articles are very völkisch I hate it here).

I really appreciate the Western spirit of experimenting with and pushing the boundaries of the shape of the human body, the idea that you can modify your body temporarily with structured garments to achieve a certain look. It’s so cool and should be accepted/encouraged as long as it doesn’t have permanent health risks (like foot binding did). To some extent you can argue that this was the same spirit that drove Chinese women to bind their breasts, because form fitting tailoring techniques were not available in China (or at least not popular) so women changed their natural bodies to fit their clothes. And to me, personally, it makes sense, because I’ve tried wearing Ming Dynasty robes with a full, modern bra and it really doesn’t look neat with the protrusions. 

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1520s portrait. By flattening the chest, the clothes fit better.

Conclusion & personal two cents

In my opinion, it was not corsets, stays, breast binders or any trend/garment that was patriarchal but the fact that women were forced to adopt them in order to be considered respectable; it’s the lack of choice and bodily autonomy. Men in power used these garments/trends as tools to police women’s self expression but it was never about the garment to begin with. For example, if you were a Victorian lady who loved to tight lace and wear form fitting, extravagant gowns, you were likely to get slut shamed and called frivolous or immoral, but if you were a fan of the Arts and Crafts and wanted to wear a loose, Pre-Raphaelite inspired reform dress without a corset, guess what, you were still gonna get slut shamed and called immoral. You just cannot win. The only way for a Victorian woman to narrowly avoid slut shaming is to wear a corset just about the right tightness, but also she had to wear outer clothes that are beautiful yet at the same time not flashy or drawing attention to her. That is such a difficult game to play and the rules are not fair, so why don’t we ditch this game altogether and dress however the fuck we want? It, has, nothing, to, do, with, corsets, but everything to do with the acceptable level of femininity and women having agency. People bash women who tight lace or waist train for being stupid and stuck in the past, then turn around and demonize women who choose to present more gender neutral/masculine. Any voluntary deviation from the norm needs to be punished from the patriarchy’s perspective, whether it is in the more feminine or masculine direction, because it is a sign of agency and rebellion against patriarchal assumptions about gender. In my opinion, we need to be careful not to pit women against each other, the braless/not corset wearing “not like other girls” girl against the tight lacing girly girl. We women (and other non cishet men people) need to stick together. Some feminists wear corsets, some feminists tight lace, some feminists wear bras, some feminists don’t wear bras; the agenda is not to police clothing, but to come for the patriarchy’s arse.

Circling back to Chinese fashion history as well, from my personal experience I’ve noticed the strangest phenomenon: the people who call feminine women’s fashion frivolous or unnecessary also tend to be the ones who dunk on 1960s/70s mainland China for not having fashion?? Like, they want people of all genders to only wear practical clothing and ban modification of their bodies with corsetry, makeup, plastic surgery or other such “frivolous” practices, so theoretically mainland China during the Cultural Revolution should be a utopia in their minds, yet they’re somehow suddenly not ok with it and call it authoritarian?? I feel like deep down they still know that fashion is fun and necessary for human entertainment but they could only accept it on their terms, i.e. when women are doing fashion in a way that doesn’t step out of line and show their bodily autonomy. During the Cold War and even still nowadays, mainland Chinese women in the 1960s and 70s get shit for being “too plain” or “not attractive enough”, often with some racism and irrational anti-communist sentiments mixed in, in contrast to women in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and other areas who dressed feminine and were praised for their “oriental” beauty and submissiveness. Both takes are problematic as fuck, and it’s almost as if it had nothing to do with what the women were wearing to begin with, but rather some people’s need to pit women against each other and police the way women dress for their own benefit.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. :))) Here is a final photo dump showing the wonders of fashion made possible by corsetry, enjoy.

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[have-each-others-six]

what your favorite musical says about you because i saw a really inaccurate one of these on tiktok and now of course i have to make one

this is way too long and these are so very random so do not take offense none is meant

hamilton: you had a really good or really bad middle school experience and use this musical and the hype around it to either cope or transport yourself back to those days. i want to apologize for the shit you get from other musical fans because you should be able to like what you like. oh also you really like historical fiction and ya novels.

beetlejuice: you really like alternative music but also really specific indie songs and you don’t have a good relationship with your parents and/or you’re on the cusp of a transitional phase in your life. you use fanfiction as escapism and you have really close bonds with a few people rather than a ton of friends who you’re sort of friends with.

six: yes i have a six tumblr. yes that probably informs this response. you have one really good friend who’s also into six and the two of you scream the lyrics and infuriate all of your other friends who don’t get it. you LOVE found family dynamics in media. you’re either attracted to all of the queens or you want them to be your best friends. you had a pet rock in elementary school.

hadestown: you have a record player or you want one. you’re really good at one really niche style of art and everyone’s always impressed when you mention you can do it. your style ranges from ‘medieval peasant’ to ‘lesbian in a ‘90s movie’. you got into the soundtrack with ‘wait for me’ but get sad when it’s the only song anyone knows off of the album. you own at least three vintage pieces of jewelry.

mean girls: you own way too many pairs of sunglasses. you have watched erika henningsen’s broadway.com vlog so many times you’ve memorized it and know all of taylor’s words of the week. you had a really terrible middle school experience but high school was better and you’re really obsessed with christmas. one time you went to new york and said that you were going to move there but as you’ve grown up you’re very against that idea.

dear evan hansen: honey, are you okay? you need someone to constantly remind you to stay hydrated and you’ve converted your closet into a cry space. you said you weren’t gonna download tiktok and then you did and now you spend approximately 113% of your day scrolling through your for you page. you have all of ben platt’s albums downloaded and you also really like ajr. someone will come into your life who loves you, i promise.

wicked: wicked was the first musical you ever saw and your mind was blown so explosively that it forever changed your dna. you hope that one day you will wake up and become idina menzel. you know all the words to every song but you don’t brag about it. you feel like no other musical can really come close to being as game-changing as wicked was, but you also aren’t a gatekeeper.

waitress: you want to be jessie mueller so badly it physically pains you. you were a very gifted child but the education system saw that and then put so much pressure on you that it drummed all the motivation out of your soul. you played ukulele all the fuckin time when you were younger and now that you’re in quarantine you’ve hauled it out again but you only know how to play riptide. ‘she used to be mine’ makes you ugly cry and you love watching all the different versions.

beautiful: the carole king musical: you are also an immense jessie mueller stan and/or abby mueller stan because you probably wouldn’t have found this musical otherwise. you really like to write and you have one good friend who writes with you. you have a hard time advocating for yourself, and you feel like a loner even in large groups. you’re still not sick of carole king’s music after forever of listening to it over and over again. 

falsettos: you want to go into politics or law and your parents are strict but loving. anytime anyone brings up chess you want to cry. you are constantly singing andrew rannells’ praises and you love christian borle as a dramatic actor. your crush is in some form of youth government and he’s a skinny white boy. for some reason, you like simplistic interior design, but you couldn’t explain why if anyone asked you.

anything goes: you’re a sutton foster lovebot or you loved american history in school OR you’re the leader of the costuming department at your school. you used to like thoroughly modern millie.

again, take these with a grain of salt

[dweemeister]

The Dragon Painter (1919)

Asian-Americans are often sidelined in Hollywood, whether they appear in front of or behind a camera. So when the exceptions come along, there is a tendency to label that actor, director, or writer (or whatever their role is) as – to put it bluntly – as representing all Asian-Americans. I do not know if actor Sessue Hayakawa ever felt that public burden during the peak of his popularity during the silent era, and I hope he never did. During the 1910s and early ‘20s, Hayakawa was a legitimate Hollywood leading man and a sex symbol – the sort of actor that will, on a rainy day and with a sizable puddle of water between the vehicle he is exiting and the sidewalk, have women willingly throw their coats onto that puddle to assure him safe passage. Yes, that story is real.

Many of Hayakawa’s silent films are now lost and the ones that are extant are either difficult to find (sitting in a vault with obscure/nonexistent home media distribution) or in poor public domain quality (though much credit has to be given to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry for their restoration work). The subject of this piece is The Dragon Painter, directed by William Worthington and released by Haworth Pictures – Haworth was jointly owned by Hayakawa and Worthington and is pronounced by combining the first syllables in their surnames. Haworth was Hayakawa’s outlet to make films that avoided the damaging Asian stereotypes found throughout American filmmaking in the silent era. But as for cultural fidelity to Asian stories, values, and aesthetics, The Dragon Painter feels as if Hayakawa – who shines in the film with a ferocious performance – and Worthington are compromising that fidelity to appeal to general American audiences.

High in the Japanese mountains lives the painter Tatsu (Hayakawa), who spends his days gazing across picturesque landscapes, his hair unkempt, fixated on his artwork. Tatsu’s sanity is not clearly established, as he believes the gods have taken custody of his fiancée, a dragon princess. In Tokyo, the elderly painter Kano Indara (Edward Peil, Sr. in dreadful yellowface) is seeking a student, having dismissed many candidates over the years. One of Indara’s friends, Uchida (Toyo Fujita), stumbles upon the eccentric Tatsu and his paintings. Despite Tatsu’s untamed behavior, Uchida believes Tatsu has the artistry to be Indara’s heir. Thus, he invites Tatsu to Tokyo by claiming he knows the location of the missing princess. Tatsu, of course, follows. Once the backwoods painter arrives in Tokyo, he causes a ruckus at his own welcoming dinner but is calmed as Indara’s daughter, Ume-ko (Tsuru Aoki), poses as the dragon princess and performs a dance. They marry soon after, but their marital status comes at the expense of his painting abilities.

With many outdoor scenes filmed in Yosemite National Park in California, I – as someone with a casual appreciation for the history of the United States’ National Park Service – found myself utterly distracted by the view of numerous iconic features of the park that appear in the film. In the film’s first half, the constant backdrops of Yosemite Valley by cinematographer Frank D. Williams (a then-former chief cinematographer at Keystone Studios, with a credit in The Little Tramp’s debut in 1914’s Kid Auto Races at Venice) challenged my ability to take The Dragon Painter’s claim of representing an “authentic” Japan seriously. Worthington, seeking a sumptuous location, plays up the film’s geographic and cultural Orientalism. The installation of a torii gate in the middle of the Merced River and a Japanese village surrounded by flora that could only be found in Northern California is laughable today. Somehow, The Dragon Painter escaped such criticisms upon its release. But Yosemite, as a United States national park (and the place where the idea of national parks was born), was less than thirty years old in 1918. Generally, in America in the 1910s, there was far less knowledge about the national parks system, even about one of the crown jewels of the National Park Service. Today, with greater knowledge about at the parks nationwide, the film’s backdrops make less sense given one of the film’s central goals to depict Japanese culture.

The film’s cultural Orientalism is no better. With a white director, white screenwriter (Richard Schayer), and based on a novel written by a white woman (Mary McNeil Fenollosa), The Dragon Painter could deviate from its source material – even a minor change or two – to minimize its inaccurate cultural depictions. Worthington and Schayer decline that option. Indara’s household is filled with an aesthetically busy, incoherent, and period-clashing hodgepodge of Japanese art. Ink paintings, sculptures, and other works. It is a legacy of Japonisme, a French term on the popularity of Japanese art in the late nineteenth century following the nation’s forced reopening of trade.

The Dragon Painter goes even further than its set decorations and costume design as the film posits that in order to restore Tatsu’s artistic abilities after his marriage to Ume-ko, Ume-ko must sacrifice herself for him. That development should raise skeptical eyebrows, as no one should lay down their lives for someone else’s art – and predictably, the person who must perform the sacrifice is a woman in love. This angle of a Japanese woman killing herself makes The Dragon Painter, in its second half, a Madama Butterfly narrative. It is not known if Worthington or Schayer were influenced by Giacomo Puccini’s opera and John Luther Long’s short story (neither Puccini nor Long ever visited Japan), but the movie’s depiction of an obedient (if not subservient) wife that will even consider extreme practices to salvage her husband’s career comes from an inauthentic place. Contrast this depiction of a woman to the one in Kenji Mizoguchi’s The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums (1939, Japan), where Kakuko Mori’s life-straining altruism – and numerous female characters in dire straits found across Mizoguchi’s filmography – was based on Mizoguchi’s close relation to his older sister. Unlike Worthington, Mizoguchi frames his film of female sacrifice from the personal, rather than something offhand.

If Hayakawa intended to distance himself from the stereotypical, vehemently racist portrayal of Asians at the major Hollywood studios of the silent era, those intentions are constrained by the financial and production-related realities of The Dragon Painter. Though his and Aoki’s performances are satisfactory, the fact that Edward Peil, Sr. appears in yellowface as Indara contradicts Hayakawa’s goals. How much power Hayakawa had over The Dragon Painter’s production is an open question (as well as how he felt about the final product), but if Hayakawa wished to portray Japanese culture as faithfully as possible, he must have been disappointed at the results. In the 1910s, tension between the Japanese-American community and Hayakawa’s image – exotified romantic roles that nevertheless kept some distance from white women characters – precipitated into the creation of Haworth and Hayakawa’s promises to make films with less problematic Asian depictions. This tension – which also existed with Japanese moviegoers who saw Hayakawa as too Westernized – is almost never mentioned today, as Hayakawa’s reputation has been subject to hagiography for being the lone Asian leading man of silent era American cinema.

For Hayakawa, clashes with his film distributor, economic recession, and the State of California debating the prohibition of property ownership by resident of Japanese descent forced him to leave the United States for Europe, only to return to Hollywood sporadically for the remaining decades of his life. The Dragon Painter, once presumed lost, was rediscovered when a print was unearthed in France. In 1988, a joint restoration effort by the American Film Institute, George Eastman House, and New York City’s Museum of Modern Art brought renewed attention to the film. Six years ago, The Dragon Painter – as one of Hayakawa’s few existing films – was inducted in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, deemed a national treasure, and marked for preservation for posterity.

I have spent most of this review dragging The Dragon Painter through the mud of my reservations and criticism, but I appreciate the film as a rare example of a leading Asian-American actor and actress (Hayakawa and Aoki were married) given top billing in a Hollywood film. For that reason alone, it deserves to remembered and appreciated in all its representational imperfections.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found at http://dweemeister.tumblr.com/ratings_system (as of July 1, 2020, tumblr is not allowing certain links to appear on tag pages, so I apologize for the clunky spelling-out of the URLs).

For more of my reviews tagged “My Movie Odyssey”, they can be found at https://dweemeister.tumblr.com/tagged/My-Movie-Odyssey.

[docgoblynne]

Working on a Halloween costume. Or regalia for a troubled time. I have always been a fan of Clive Barker. Hellraiser is one of my favorites of his creations. I keep returning to an idea. The Hellraiser Cenobites were crafted closely to the S&M, (apologies if the nomenclature is inaccurate) asthetic. They were visually stunning. I keep seeing new designs that are based on the classic Cenobite visual language. I am always curious about the evolution of an idea. It has been some time, could the idea stand some tinkering. Or how far can you move outside the classic visual guidelines before the influence is no longer recognizable. I am working with some limitations. The design is without make up effects, it is also vaguely martial. The genesis of this design was from a misspelling. Skin Legion. It was presumably supposed to be 'skin lesion'. Original designs were inspired from Wayne Barlowe, who has an art book of the architecture and inhabitants of Hell. Barlowe's Inferno. Very dramatic. I kept rounding back to Roman clothing and a tall collar or fleyed ,(duh) skin of the character. It felt very cerimonial. The Skin Legion, to me, is infantry. A leader leads by example. A giant frilly skin collar says, i am not getting my hands dirty. The design began to look my my old friends, the Cenobites. So I leaned I to the idea. Taking the cut and shape of the Cenobite body suits meets preist cassock, i turned up the color. The name tells you the color pallet. Skin Legion. Reds, coppers, crushed velvets with a brindle pattern. If it does not look like blood it looks like muscle. I threw some white as a tribute to the Cenobites. This project is so much fun, I get.to.make a suit and hang out with old friends in the process. #SeanKDowney #DocGoblynne #costume #papermache #hellraiser #mask #helmet #cenobite #costume #regalia #wip #workinprogress https://www.instagram.com/p/CFU838PFLgr/?igshid=13zx41qn1hs4p

[mto-art]

I'm not trying to start a fight or anything. Your designs are great, it's just that you seem more focused on insulting others(on here anyway). There's no denying Momo and Buuble Girl have pretty risque costumes but they're never really relegated to being "fanservice characters"(male gaze-y camera angles during serious scenes, titty grabs, upskirts, ect.). If I was inaccurate in anything, I apologize. I'll shut up now.

They’re there, especially with momo. And you’re right I just read back like 4 days of posts I’ve made on here and I’m a dick. Gotta try harder not to be but I have 0 faith in the people on tumblr when they come to me with asks that counter a post I made. I gotta try harder at just ignoring shit and rebuilding some faith in tumblr humanity so I’ll shut up about it as well.

[anotherdayinchuckletown]

Happy Halloween, Mr. Wonka!

(A/N: Hello, and Happy Halloween!! Now, Halloween is my favorite holiday, so y’all know I had to whip up a little something for my favorite muse who definitely hates this day with a passion! Full disclosure, this was drafted, written, and edited all in the span of about two hours, so I’m a tad self-conscious… But hey, I was on time! I wanted to give y’all something festive, even if it’s my saddest Wonka piece so far.

Thank you so much for reading, and have an amazing (and safe) Halloween!

-Katherine <3)

_________________

Heavy machinery whirs quietly all around. Some gadgets emit soft clouds of vapor, which float listlessly toward the high ceilings of the Inventing Room like restless spirits. Phosphorescent light filters through the haze, making long shadows dance in the corners of the room. Since the sun has already gone down and factory operation hours are over, the Oompa-Loompas are absent, meaning that there is no music, no dancing—only the droning hum of technology.

An eerie combination, indeed, thinks Wonka sourly. Such a nuisance.

Charlie is preparing to leave for his annual trick-or-treating expedition, and when he asked earlier if Wonka would join him, Wonka had excused himself. I just need to tie up a few loose ends in the Inventing Room, he had claimed, pointedly ignoring his teenage ward’s crestfallen expression. You go and enjoy yourself, Charlie. A boy your age shouldn’t be stuck working on Halloween, of all nights!

The Halloween season is always a busy one for the factory. That much should be obvious, given the long-standing tradition of trick-or-treating. A tradition which allows even kids who normally have nothing to indulge in an overabundance of candy for one glorious night. A tradition which Wonka himself took part in as a child, in his family’s own unique way…

His gloved hands twitch, and he remembers what he is supposed to be doing. Well, pretending to be doing, really. He reaches for the spoon to his right, and stirs the mixture before him with more force than necessary.

The tradition of trick-or-treating expressly demands candy production be at an all-time high for the year. He has already met his surplus production goal, and the sales numbers reflect that this is a wise investment. Things are truly going swimmingly. All things considered, he thinks he should be in a great mood. He should be kicking back and relaxing, instead of throwing together this…whatever this is, just so that he has something to keep his hands and mind occupied with anything but Halloween.

“Milk powder…where is the milk powder?” he mutters to himself as he scans his table of various ingredients.

“Here it is, Mr. Wonka.”

Not expecting any sort of response, Wonka lets out an embarrassingly shrill scream. Brandishing his cane and spinning on his heel toward the source of the voice, he comes face to face with…Eliza Weber, his assistant.

Free hand clutching at his heart, which is now racing faster than a hummingbird’s, Wonka desperately attempts to get his breathing under control. He lowers the cane warily, leveling the young woman and the container of milk powder she offers him with a scowl. Finally, he stretches out his arm and snatches it from her.

The whole time, she has the audacity, the absolute gall, to look completely unaffected by his outburst. “I apologize if I startled you. I did knock.”

Eliza is not only Wonka’s assistant, but she is also Charlie’s teacher. She has only been a part of factory life for a few months, but has already proven herself to be his finest employee. Some of it can be attributed to her height advantage over the Oompa-Loompas, although she is exceedingly petite herself. She is wildly intelligent, adept in mechanical design, and regimented as all get out. In addition, her loyalty and perseverance are unmatched, to the point where it’s a bit unsettling.

“Were you planning to use your cane as a weapon just then?”

Her ability to get on his nerves at times is also unmatched.

He takes in her costume, consisting of a hooped skirt with an apron, tightly-buttoned corset, and short lace gloves. Her hair is pinned into a neat bun at the nape of her neck. “And what are you supposed to be, Nanny McPhee?” he retorts.

“Mary Poppins,” she corrects him, the insult either sailing right over her head or not bothering her in the slightest. “Charlie invited me to go trick-or-treating with him. I’ve never been, so I agreed.”

Wonka sets the powdered milk down hard enough that some of it puffs up and over the sides of the bowl, coating his gloves in the white substance. “Well, isn’t that just peachy!” The smile that accompanies his statement is too pinched, even by his standards.

“Incidentally, that’s why I’m here,” she continues. “He requested I tell you that we’re leaving shortly, and it’s your last chance to join us.”

He lets out a long sigh,  summoning up all the patience he can. “Goodness, I certainly would love to, I’m just so gosh darn busy!” He gestures to the mess on the table behind him. “You know how it is this time of year. You two go on without me, have fun!”

Eliza scrutinizes him. “You seem tense. Do you not want to go because you don’t have a costume?”

Wonka simply squints at her, confused.

“I have a contingency plan, meaning I can throw something together for you in a matter of minutes. Your facial structure bears a striking resemblance to Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands.”

“It does not!” He pouts, not appreciating her sneaking up on him and making wildly inaccurate comments about his facial structure. If he bears a resemblance to any Johnny Depp character, it’s Sweeney Todd, for goodness sake!

She looks at him like he’s taken the wind out of her sails, a small victory. “Very well. I will let Charlie know that you’re busy.”

She starts to leave, and Wonka visibly relaxes, turning away. Except she lingers at the door, and he can feel those eyes on him. Those big, glassy eyes that seem to pierce through him, all-knowing, like a particularly astute goldfish.

“Permission to speak freely?” she asks suddenly.

“Denied!” he responds right on the heels of her question. He is treated to a few moments of feeling the irritation radiate off of her before curiosity gets the better of him. “…What is it?” he asks weakly.

“According to my data,” she explains, “sales are much higher than normal, but it’s nothing to warrant the rate at which you’ve been working the last few days.”

Of course, the woman who handles his accounting would call him out on his lie.

“Therefore, I can only assume this has to do with some sort of personal aversion.”

Wonka feels his skin prickle. Facing her once more, he asks, “What is your point?” The question comes out even colder than he meant it to.

Eliza at least has the decency to shuffle nervously, breaking eye contact in favor of watching the vapor circling up toward the ceiling. “My point is…at the risk of breaching the parameters of my job description…I am a very good listener as well.”

Leave it to Eliza to choose the worst possible time to display some emotional intelligence for a change. The chocolatier stares at her long and hard, choosing his words carefully. “Eliza…why have you never been trick-or-treating before?”

She looks justifiably taken aback. Tilting her head, she says, “My foster parents never allowed it. They believed Halloween was…Satanic.” Wonka nearly blinks and misses the subtle roll of her eyes at the notion.

Wonka thinks that there’s something to be said for her never knowing what she’s missing out on as a kid. Never having that false hope that this year, things will be different. Still, he latches on to his opportunity.

“Well, they’re not here to stop you now, are they?” He grins at her in a way that he hopes is reassuring and not as melancholic as it feels, even though his face is starting to hurt from smiling so much. “Yet, here you are, worrying about me instead, silly! You just take Charlie and get out there, okay?”

Looking anything but convinced, Eliza blinks slowly. “…Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Wonka.”

Satisfied that she will actually leave this time, he turns his back to her again. He does not answer her, nor does he let his expression drop until he finally hears the sound of heels clicking farther and farther down the hall.

Wonka has had his day in the sun. Or, would it be his night in the moon? At any rate, he no longer has need to go trick-or-treating. No need to celebrate the ridiculous holiday at all, for that matter.

He’s all right with that. Sincerely, he is.

Now, to get rid of that mixture he had been working on. He won’t bother tasting it—he can already smell how it is disgustingly, revoltingly, irreparably bitter.

[massivelycrazypost]

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[sadrien]

Do you have any finished stuff you can share with us pretty please? Or long snips???? :D

i looked through my drive and i dont have many things finished. i have about 50 wips, but nothing actually done. 

i do have this chapter of a theater au i started last summer though. (i honestly havent looked at it since then so i apologize for whats probably very questionable writing) i stopped because of how unsure i was about theater in france and wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to write a story with such an inaccurate and americanized portrayal

but here, sans editing, is what wouldve been chapter one of paper stars

[let me know if there are issues opening the read more and ill post on ao3 or something because i know mobile breaks sometimes]

Marinette’s sketchbooks and bags are dumped on the floor, slowly taking over an entire row in the very back of the theater. Nino had asked her if she was moving in, like he doesn’t have a blanket and pillow stored in the light booth.

She doesn’t have to be here, but she’s always liked watching auditions. She doesn’t like having to audition — the thought makes her slightly nauseous — but watching them is always entertaining. It’s fascinating to see how people play their characters when they first audition compared to how they play them opening night. And the song choices sometimes lean towards the more humorous side. She missed the first day of auditions because she had to help out at the bakery and from Nino’s stories, she should’ve been there. Kim auditioned for the part of the fairy godmother, and supposedly, Alix has it on video. Marinette has to see that one.

There are also things that Marinette greatly dislikes about auditions. But at least no one has sang Popular yet this year.

Marinette leaves where she had been sitting with Nino near the front of the auditorium to move back to her stuff. Watching Juleka’s audition gave her sudden inspiration for a costume and she needs to doodle it before it vanishes forever.

It doesn’t matter though, because as soon as she sees the boy holding her sketchbook in his hand, the design is gone from her mind and replaced with frustration. When she sees the ripped out pages on top of it, her mind goes completely red. “Hey!” she snaps. “What do you think you’re doing with that?!” She snatches the sketchbook and pages away from him.

He blinks in surprise. “I—”

Chloé and Sabrina start laughing. Marinette hadn’t even noticed them sitting back here on her way over. She narrows her eyes and puts her hands on her hips. “Oh very funny, nice job, you three.”

The boy looks panicked. Marinette can’t seem to care, he shouldn’t have been going through her stuff. And he definitely shouldn't have been tearing pages from her sketchbook. “No no, I was—”

“Don’t touch other people’s things!” Marinette scoops up her bags as Chloé and Sabrina continue to laugh. She gives the boy a once over. “You’re friends with Chloé, aren’t you?” she asks, unimpressed.

“Yeah, but—”

“Hmph.” Marinette picks up her other sketchbooks. She’ll go back to sitting in the front with Nino. Away from Chloé, away from Sabrina, away from whoever this is.

“Yo, I thought you were gonna go into your zone,” Nino says as she drops down with all of her bags. He eyes her full arms. “Are you leaving?”

“No,” she grumbles. “Just Chloé being Chloé.”

“Did she try to steal your designs again?” Nino asks, voice dangerous.

“She didn’t.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Sabrina?”

“No, a boy had my sketchbook and Chloé was laughing and he had—” She shakes her head and shoves the ripped out pages at Nino. If she keeps talking she’s going to burst into tears and she is not giving Chloé the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Nino takes the pages from her and twists around his seat. Marinette knows his gaze is sweeping the room and he’s ready to jump out of his seat to fight someone. “Wait hold on,” he taps Marinette’s shoulder, “was it that blond kid who’s sitting next to Chloé and looks a little like he’s going to puke?”

She turns around with a sigh, her eyes immediately landing on the boy. “Yes,” she mutters. “I’ve never even seen him before, but somehow Chloé has her nails inch deep in him already.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t go here,” Nino says softly, as someone steps onto the stage and announces his name. “His name’s Adrien. He’s homeschooled, but him and Chloé are friends. Maybe their families are close or something, I don’t know.”

“Homeschooled?” Marinette whispers back once he’s finished singing and is walking offstage. “Then why is he here? To torment me?”

Nino snorts. “Overdramatic much?”

“This is the drama club,” she points out.

“True. But nah, he auditioned. You would know that if you weren’t half an hour late,” he says pointedly.

“I had to run an errand.” It isn’t really a lie? Saving a cat from a tree could totally count as an errand, right? Ladybug has to save all felines, not just Chat Noir. So she got a little distracted, she really doesn’t have to be here right now. All she’s officially doing is costumes and possibly props and sets if they need any help. Makeup and hair because they always need extra help with those. She loves watching auditions, but now she’s regretting coming. “He auditioned? But I thought you said he was homeschooled?”

“Yeah, he was actually really good. And apparently we’ve got some policy about letting people who don’t have drama programs at their schools to join ours.” Nino shrugs. “The first I’ve heard of it.”

“Probably Chloé’s doing,” Marinette grumbles.

“But he’s a dick?” Nino crosses his arms and sinks back in his seat. “Should’ve guessed it when he walked in with Chloé. Who’s surprised? No one!”

Marinette sighs. “At least she didn’t see any of my designs this time.”

“Uh, well, I mean… Adrien did.”

“So?”

Nino raises his eyebrows and pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Did you not recognize him? Like at all?”

“I mean, he looks a little familiar,” Marinette admits.

“Mar, I honestly thought you were more in the know with this.”

“What do you mean?”

Nino hands her his phone. “Adrien, Adrien Agreste.”

Marinette gasps and takes his phone from him. “The son of my favorite designer?” She turns to look at Adrien again. “Great. Another entitled rich kid.” She flips through the pictures from Adrien’s latest shoot. “Entitled rich child star.”

Nino hums in agreement as the next audition starts.

Marinette debates just dying now. Why wait for tech week when she already has reasons for death? Then she won’t even have to deal with the drama of the cast being announced. She sighs and sinks down into her seat.

Nino ruffles her hair. “Don’t die on me yet, Mari. I can’t deal with Chloé on my own.”

“Fine,” she mutters. “Only for you though.”

She rolls her eyes when Chloé gets up onstage, flipping her hair and taking over the stage with big, large motions. She has the aura of someone who knows they’re good and knows they’ve gotten the part and honestly, it makes Marinette feel a little ill. How confident all of Chloé’s motions are makes her wish she could she could match her. She’s never able to. She can dream.

“Where are all those adoring daring boys?” Chloé sings. “Where's the knight pining so for me…” She looks directly at Adrien and Marinette makes a face.

“Get a room you two,” Nino mutters.

Marinette bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

Chloé tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Shall I not be on a pedestal, worshipped and competed for?”

“Are we sure this wasn’t written for her?” he asks.

Marinette slaps his shoulder and shushes him.

After Chloé, the rest of auditions goes off without a hitch. Aside from Adrien, Marinette has seen almost everyone who has auditioned before, either in previous musicals or in the school’s winter play a few weeks ago— which had been small and nearly fell apart but they got through it and that was what matters. 

“What do you think?” Nino asks as Marinette packs up and tries to figure out how to minimize all her baggage. 

“I think that the drama this year is going to be ridiculous,” she mutters. “That’s what happens when you have a show with a big lead as opposed to a more equal ensemble.” 

Nino rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah maybe not the smartest choice considering our cast.” 

Marinette gives him a look. “You get to hide out in the light booth. I have to deal with everyone backstage.” 

Nino shakes his head. “Rest in peace, Mar. This is going to be a rough one. I can feel it.” 

Ladybug has decided that she has mixed feelings about patrols in the winter. The rooftops are almost always too icy or snow covered for her and Chat to really be on them, and although their suits keep them fairly warm, her face always feels like it’s beginning to freeze. At the same time, it keeps her from getting cabin fever. It gives her a breath of cold, fresh air. It’s a nice escape. Especially after rough days. Or at least, usually it is.

“What’s wrong?” she asks Chat.

He lifts his chin from his hand in surprise.

“Don’t act surprised, kitty,” she says, bumping their shoulders together. “You’re sulking.”

“I’m not sulking,” he murmurs, turning his gaze out to the city.

Ladybug arches an eyebrow. “You’re something.” In the months she’s known him, she doesn’t think she’s ever seen him so…reserved. So quiet and still. She doesn’t think she likes it very much.

Chat sighs and leans back on his hands. “It has to do with my civilian life, do you really want to know?”

She weighs the pros and cons quickly. “If it’s bothering you, then yes.”

“I just…” He groans. “I had a chance today. I met some new people and I had a chance to make friends and I—” He laughs bitterly. “I majorly screwed up. And they all hate me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Ladybug says quickly.

Chat runs a hand through his hair. “I did. One person yelled at me because— I mean, she had the right to. But it wasn’t only that. It was one of the people I knew before them, my friend who actually was the reason I was there. I don’t think they like her very much. And…I don’t think they want to give me a chance because of that.”

Ladybug scowls. “That’s bullshit.”

“It’s really not,” he mumbles. “My friend did something today and I… I hadn’t seen that side of her before. Either that or I was too blinded by the fact that she was one of my only friends to notice.”

Ladybugs hums. She can't entirely relate. She's always been surrounded by friends, she's lucky that way. Nino and her have been following each other around since they were in diapers. Even if they’ve only reconnected this year after a few years of barely talking, she’s never been without countless people she could consider her friends. “They shouldn't be judging you solely on your other friends,” she decides.

Chat looks down to his hands. “I know but… Even then, I should have explained myself better today instead of just…letting things happen to me.”

She can't imagine Chat being the type of person not to take action. Is he really so different underneath the mask? “You made a mistake,” she says after a moment. “You just admitted it to me, so admit it to them. And if they're worth your time, they'll understand and forgive you. If not—” She shrugs. “If not, you have me.”

He stares at her, greens eyes wide in surprise. “I do?”

How off guard he is almost hurts her. “Of course you do, kitten,” she promises. “We're partners.”

“Partners,” Chat repeats softly.

“Always.”

Marinette can say callbacks are her favorite part of auditions. The dance auditions can be entertaining and the tensions for callbacks can be terrifyingly high, but there’s something about callbacks that’s just so appealing. The way people grab onto roles and firmly plant their feet in them as if to shout ‘this is me and I’ll prove it to you’. A defiance, a determination to earn the role. To take the role as their own and breathe life into it.

Callbacks are when Marinette can really begin to see a show coming to life. The life will fade out for a few weeks after the cast is announced. The flame flickers and dims. And then the actors will find themselves again and the production will burst into light.

Marinette hates auditioning. She misses it with a burning passion.

She watches Chloé dominate the stage like she does every year. Personally, she thinks that Chloé is a little too…loud and present for the role for Cinderella. She’s missing something soft and gentle. But Marinette and Nino sit hidden in the back — technically they aren’t supposed to be here — and make quiet notes to each other. Chloé is getting the role.

Adrien is…frustratingly good. He’s maybe a little too withdrawn at the moment, he hasn’t entirely figured out how to project properly, but he falls into the role of Prince Topher with such ease that it’s a little unsettling. He so easily plays innocent and naive, unexposed to the world around him. It makes Marinette’s blood boil.   

Both her and Nino are keeping running lists of who they think will get what roles on their phones. Whoever gets the most right has the buy the other Starbucks before rehearsal every Monday. Neither of them even have to be at Monday rehearsals for a while, but neither of them have anything better to do. So they’ll be there with their expensive and caffeinated drinks goofing off while everyone else is trying to learn music.

Okay, well, Marinette will work on making the costume book and Nino might play around with some lighting ideas if he’s allowed up in the booth. Other than that they’ll just be goofing around.

She watches Adrien and Chloé read lines together with a scowl on her face.

“How long do you think they practiced together,” Nino whispers to her.

“How much do you think they spent on acting and vocal coaches?” she whispers back.

Nino snorts and switches one of the names on his cast list.

Marinette sits back and tries to enjoy the rest of callbacks. She feels a twinge of anger whenever Chloé or Adrien are onstage, but mostly she can relax and doodle. She soaks in the atmosphere of the auditorium. Something about theater that has been missing from her life since last year’s show ended. The play doesn’t have the same feeling, it’s more relaxed and taken less seriously and is honestly kind of a joke. The musical— it’s an experience that she can’t figure out how to recreate.

She sighs when callbacks end and snap her back to reality.

“You good?” Nino asks. “I can grab some stuff for you if you want.”

“It’s okay,” she promise.

“You’re walking—”

“So are you,” Marinette points out. “In the other direction. Don’t worry, I carried it all the school, I can get it home.”

Nino laughs. “Don’t doubt it, my dude. See you bright and early for physics.”

She groans. “Don’t remind me.” She stays in her seat, finishing her last design as the auditorium clears out. She glances over it again before groaning and drawing an x through it.

“It’s too late for this, Tikki,” she murmurs as she gathers up her bags.

“Get some rest, Mari,” Tikki coos. “It’s been a long day and you didn’t get much sleep with the long patrol.”

“Nothing new,” Marinette says with a smile. “I’m used to it.”

“You still deserve a full night’s rest,” Tikki says, nuzzling Marinette’s cheek. “Crooks and criminals be damned. Let’s get home.”

Marinette rubs her arms as she steps outside. Tikki zips into her purse as Marinette shivers. It was way colder than she remembered it being. Tiny snowflakes fall to the ground. And her jacket was sitting on her bed where she forgot it this morning. Fantastic.

“Hey.”

Marinette tenses and looks away as Adrien steps up next to her. If there’s anything she doesn’t need tonight, it’s him.

She can feel his eyes on her. On her and on her bags. She doesn’t want to be judged right now.

“I…I just wanted you to know,” he says softly. She doesn’t want to listen. “Your sketchbook— I didn’t rip it. I didn’t even mean to look at it. I was trying to see if I could fix it.”

Marinette turns to look at him in surprise. He…what?

Adrien is staring out into the street, watching the snow. “I’ve…never been to school before,” he admits. “I haven’t had many friends. This is…kind of new to me.”

Marinette doesn’t know what to say to that. All of the anger that she’d felt has just bubbled up and evaporated and has been replaced by…something else. Something kind of empty and confused.

Adrien sighs and unzips his jacket, pulling it off and holding it out to Marinette in one smooth motion. She hesitates and just stares at it for a moment before putting down her bags and taking it from him, their fingers brushing as she does.   

She puts it on and pulls up the hood, surprised to find that she can no longer see.

“Uh…” Adrien bursts out laughing.

Marinette pushes back the hood with covered hands. The jacket is far too big, coming halfway down her thighs and making her look like she’s swimming in it. And his laugh makes her fill with butterflies and her heart feel like it’s going to explode. It’s infectious, and she finds herself laughing along with him.

Adrien sighs and smiles, motioning to the car that just pulled up to the school. “I’ll see you at rehearsal.”

Marinette doesn’t even react, she just stares at him as he walks away. Until she realizes that she really needs to respond. “Yes! See yo— rehear- rehearsal. Rehearsal see you… You…” She presses her hand to her forehead. “Ugh, why am I stuttering so much?”

Tikki flies out of her purse, giggling. “I think I know why!”

“I—!” Marinette blushes and buries her nose in the collar of Adrien’s coat.

Tikki nuzzles Marinette’s cheek. “Let’s get home before the snow gets through his nice coat.”

Marinette gathers up her bags and smiles to Tikki. The coat is helping keep her warm, but Adrien’s laugh warms her more. “Yeah, let’s go.”

[retailrepublican-blog]

ASOS: CAN FAST FASHION BE ETHICAL?

             The only way to shop without the stress of overpopulated stores in London is to shop online, without the hustle of going on the crowded tube just to be shop in a sea of people. Being plus size girl It doesn’t make it easier to shop online, shops such as Asos, Missguided, Boohoo, and New Look are popular amongst plus size women because of they vary in size. Asos remains to be an absolute favourite amongst curvy woman.

Commonly with fast fashion, its number one priority is to sell more in faster time, which  means that its the only thing the company cares about, so  ethics and environment responsibility is questionable. Here’s the deal: as Millenniums, its important to find out how a brand you support works; is it socially responsible?

This is me in a head to toe outfit from Asos to prove that i am a loyal customer who is searching answers

The website itself  provides information on its responsibility scroll to the on the bottom of the page, under ‘MORE ABOUT ASOS’ à ‘COORPERATE RESPONSIBILITY’

      This is what should show up…

 Basically, the article speaks about how the brand has integrity, meaning the business is pretty transparent, so costumers can see that the brand is a responsible company who minimize negative effects on society ( people, animal, environment). What’s refreshing is that bellow the article, the page provides readers with more information about the products, business, community, and customers. So everything stated on the site tells readers that Well it is pleasantly surprising!

  “WE BELIEVE THE WORKERS IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN SHOULD BE SAFE AT WORK, FINANCIALLY SECURE AND RESPECTED BY THEIR EMPLOYERS. WE ARE COMMITTED TO BEING A RESPONSIBLE RETAILER, WHERE EVERY WORKER IN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN IS PROTECTED.“ -ASOS

 Asos even has an Eco Edit selection on the webpage, which is basically a green room which houses ethical fashion brands who have been selected. Which shows how the retailer is committed on being eco friendly.

On the  other hand, towards the end of 2016 an article on Asos emerged, The Real Cost of Asos’s Fast Fashion  which basically spoke about how Asos treats their worker like machines, like how workers aren’t recommended to not use the toilet or even drink water due to the much work that needed to be done in a short time.  Retails Gazette spoke about how the retailer is allegedly underpaying temporary workers wage  . Another shocking news report is one from The telegraph,  which says that Asos employs child refugees , which speaking of are paid pitiful wages under terrible working conditions. 

"IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO A SYRIAN, THEY WILL THROW HIM AWAY LIKE A PIECE OF CLOTH." TELEGRAPH

Logistic from the firm, said that some of the allegations are either inaccurate or misleading. He tells readers that Asos deeply cares about its workers and has positive works in the industry ‘like the 50 different learning and development programmes offered, free mental health support and awareness training, subsidised food in a newly renovated canteen, or the £3 million spent on a cooling system to keep the temperature down during the summer’                                                

Does the brand design to reduce energy and water use?

Based on the limited information provided on the website, the retailer takes an interest in solving its environmental impacts. It plans to ‘continuously improve our environmental performance. Thus, measure and cutting carbon footprint to meet our published objectives and targets’ . The past few years Asos has reduced its use of energy, making it more efficient, with that, decreasing the carbon intensity of its business operations, and focusing itself on finding a renewable source of energy. In one year Asos managed to cut off 19% of carbon use since the previous year.

The brand has quiet a list of social influences on the media on promoting equality, environment, body equality, and many more. DESIGN ACTIVIST. Indeed, it is. Design activist is promoting ways design can leave a positive impact on more of a sustainable way of living. In 2009 the brand introduced a line of clothing inspired by African fashion, a company was then build in Kenya, where project pipeline started. To begin with, the workers were treated well and they came from mostly an unfortunate background. The land was dry and lacked rain and therefore water.  The company then focuses itself on providing access to drinking water which included removing a barrier for a pipeline.

 After the pipeline project from Asos

 ·       Furthermore Asos created The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan, which is a non profit recycling and waste organization, who’s task is to assess clothing production on its lifecycle and finding ways to make it less wasteful. Thus, there is also sustainable sourcing training program to inspire and boost the sustainable fashion on the label and to improve its industry developments on sustainability. Lastly, ‘Increase customer engagement by redesigning The Green Room website to promote the stories behind the featured ethical and eco conscious brand’

  Design for ETHICAL PRODUCTION. Asos, expresses that ethical trading is very important (judging by the amount of the feature on the web), especially workers who are assigned to the supply chain. The company addresses that it is committed to ensuring ‘ensuring that our manufacturers operate in a way that respects workers' rights, maintains safe working conditions, upholds local employment law and protects the environment and animal welfare’. To support its commitment the company tries to ensure that the production team has a good worker-management relation, works securely, improving health and safety standards, daily factory checkups, and making sure the wage is fair. It also has strong refutations against child labour, migrant & contract worker policy, ethical code, modern slavery statement, and human rights statement.

                                         DISCLAIMER!!

***To clarify this post does not have any mean to create scandal or humiliate the company, this is purely research and my own opinion. Once again, I apologize for my choice language if it offends anyone and if some of the facts presented is not accurate***