#general gender positivity
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#cw assault#transmisogyny#allegory#the animatrix#the matrix#so a lot of people don't really understand te“rfs” or gcs tbh#or right wing women in general#they're often very aware of how patriarchal violence functions#they're just gender nihilists#they don't think it can be fought only bargained with#and are willing to throw more marginalized women under the bus to secure their own position in the heirarchy#mean though it may be
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there was some Twitter madness recently where someone left a comment on someone's art to the effect of, "Ed shouldn't wear a dress, he's a man!" which I do disagree with on principle, but unfortunately, it brought out one of my least favourite trends in the fandom
so, naturally, I had to write a twitter essay about it. and I already largely argued this in a post here, but the thread is clearer and better structured, so I thought I'd cross-post for those not on the Hellsite (derogatory). edited for formatting/structure's sake, since I no longer have to keep to tweet lengths, and incorporating a couple of points other people brought up in the replies
so
I want to point out that the wedding cake toppers in OFMD s2 aren't evidence that Ed wants to wear dresses. Gender is fake, men can wear skirts, play with these dolls how you like, but it's not canon, and that scene especially Doesn't Mean That.
People cite it often: 'He put himself in a dress by painting the bride as himself! It's what he wants!' But that fundamentally misunderstands the scene, and the series' framing of weddings as a whole. I'd argue that Ed paints the figure not from desire, but from self-hatred; it's not what he wants, but what he thinks he should, and has failed to, be.
(Yes, I am slightly biased by my rampant anti-marriage opinions, but bear with me here, because it is relevant to the interpretation of the scene, and season two as a whole.)
The show is not subtle. It keeps telling us that the institution of marriage is a prison that suffocates everyone involved. Ed's parents' cycle of abuse is passed to their son in both the violence he witnesses then enacts on his father, and the self-repression his mother teaches, despite her good intentions ("It's not up to us, is it? It's up to God. ... We're just not those kind of people. We never will be."). Stede and Mary are both oppressed by their arranged marriage, with 1x04 blunty titled Discomfort in a Married State. The Barbados widows revel in their freedom ("We're alive. They're dead. Now is your time").
But even without this context, the particular wedding crashed in 2x01 is COMICALLY evil. The scene is introduced with this speech from the priest:
"The natural condition of humanity is base and vile. It is the obligation of people of standing ... to elevate the common human rabble through the sacred transaction of matrimony."
It's upper class, all-white, and religiously sanctioned. "Vile natural conditions" include queerness, sexual freedom, and family structures outside the cisheteropatriarchal capitalist unit. "The obligation of people of standing" invokes ideas like the white man's burden, innate class hierarchy, religious missions, and conversion therapy. Matrimony is presented as both "sacred" (endorsed by the ruling religious body), and a "transaction" (business performed to transfer property and people-as-property, regardless of their desires), a tool of the oppressive society that pirates escape and destroy. That is where the figurines come from.
When Ed, in a drunk, depressive spiral, paints himself onto the bride, he's not yearning for a pretty dress. He's sort of yearning for a wedding, but that's not framed as positive. What he's doing is projecting himself into an 'ideal' image of marriage because he believes that: a) that's what Stede (and everyone) wants; b) he can never live up to that ideal because he's unlovable and broken (brown, queer, lower-class, violent, abused, etc); c) that's why Stede left. He tries to make himself fit into the social ideal by painting himself onto the closest match - long-haired, partner to Stede/groom, but a demure, white woman, a frozen, porcelain miniature - because, if he could just shrink himself down and squeeze into that box, maybe Stede would love him and he'd live happily ever after. But he can't. So he won't.
The fantasy fails: Ed is morose, turns away from the figurines, then tips them into the sea, a lost cause. He knows he won't ever fulfil that bride's role, but he sees that as a failure in himself, not the role. It's not just that "Stede left, so Ed will never have a dream wedding and might as well die." Stede left when Ed was honest and vulnerable, "proving" what his trauma and depression tell him: there's one image of love (of personhood), and he'll never live up to it because he's fundamentally deficient. So he might as well die.
This hit me from my very first viewing. The scene is devastating, because Ed is wrong, and we know it! He doesn't need to change or reduce himself to fit an image and be accepted (as, eg, Izzy demanded). Stede knows and loves him exactly as he is; it's the main thread and theme of season two!
(@/everyonegetcake suggested that Ed's yearning in these scenes includes his broader desire for the vulnerability and safety Stede offered, literalised through unattainable "fine" things like the status of gentleman in s1, or the figurine's blue dress. I'd argue, though, that these scenes don't incorporate this beyond a general knowledge of Ed's character. Ed is always pining for both literal and emotional softness, but the significance of the figurines specifically, to both Ed and the audience, is poisoned by their origin and context: there is no positive fantasy in the bride figure, only Ed's perceived deficiency.
Further, assuming that a desire for vulnerability necessarily corresponds with an explicit desire for femininity, dresses, etc, kind of contradicts the major themes of the show. OFMD asserts that there is nothing wrong with men assuming femininity (through drag, self-care, nurturing, emotional vulnerability, etc), but also that many of these traits are, in fact, genderless, and should be available to men without affecting their perceived or actual masculinity. It thematically invokes the potential for cross-gender expression in Ed's desires, especially through the transgender echoes in his relieved disposal, then comfortable reincorporation, of the Blackbeard leathers/identity. It's a rich, valuable area of analysis and exploration. But it remains a suggestion, not a canon or on-screen trait.)
Importantly, the groom figure doesn't fit Stede, either. Not just in dress: it's stiff and formal, and marriage nearly killed him. He's shabbier now, yes, but also shedding his privilege and property, embracing his queerness, and trying to take responsibility for his community. In a s1 flashback, Stede hesitantly says, "I thought that, when I did marry, it could be for love," but he would never find love in marriage. Not just because he's gay, but because marriage in OFMD is an oppressive, transactional institution that precludes love altogether. All formal marriages in OFMD are loveless.
So, he becomes a pirate, where they reject society altogether and have matelotages instead. Lucius and Pete's "mateys" ceremony is shot and framed not like a wedding, but as an honest, personal bond, willingly conducted in community (in a circle; no presiding authority, procession, or transaction).
That is how Stede and Ed can find love, companionship, and happiness: by rejecting those figurines and their oppressive exchange of property, overseen by a church that enables colonialism and abuse. Ed is loved, and deserves happiness, as he is, no paint or projection required.
ALL OF THIS IS TO SAY: draw Ed in dresses! Write him getting gender euphoria in skirts! Write trans/nb Ed, draw men being feminine! Gender is fake, the show invites exploration, that's what 'transformative works' means! But please, stop citing the cake toppers as evidence it's canon. Stop citing a scene where a depressed Māori man gets drunk and projects himself onto a rich, white, silent bride because he thinks he's innately unlovable and only people like her can find happiness, shortly before deciding to kill himself, as canon evidence it's what he wants.
(Also, please don't come in here with "lmao we're just having fun," I know, I get it. Unfortunately, I'm an academiapilled researchmaxxer, and some of youse need to remember that the word "canon" has meaning. NOW GO HAVE FUN PUTTING THAT MAN IN A PRETTY DRESS!! 💖💖)
#OFMD#Our Flag Means Death#OFMD Edward Teach#gender stuff#Togas does meta#god this seems even longer as a semi-proper essay XD#I know this is the piss on the poor website of reading comprehension but please god don't misunderstand me#i'm not saying you can't draw ed (or any other male character!) in a dress or that it's The Wrong Interpretation or whatever#I AM saying this fandom sometimes emphasises feminising Ed to the point of over-simplification and dehumanisation#which certainly feels at least racist-adjacent and definitely misses the point of the show#but mostly I'm saying that THAT SCENE DOESN'T MEAN THAT and I wish people would stop talking about it like something sweet and positive#when it's one of the most miserable and heartbreaking scenes in the show. like. agreeing with ed's depression is a bad look...#my experience of trying to do meta in the last year or so has consisted almost entirely of trying to do#specific historicist analysis or textual close readings#and being met with broad political analyses and overall interpretations of character#like mate..... bless you for engaging but. that is not what I'm doing here. XD#shoutout to the couple folks on twt that mentioned Ed's desires generally or an outtake from the scene#neither of which are at all relevant to my point but thank you for your input
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not to be throwing stones but the way people talk about having a "female" childhood as a default good thing in queer spaces is bonkers. Like the amount of abuse I and many others experienced that was directly tied to that shouldn't have to be minimized as some kind of learning experience. I don't actually think suffering in one way makes you a better person for it. I'm not out here saying No One Ever Had A Happy Girlhood but for many people that shit was traumatizing and doesn't need to be put on a pretty little pedestal nor held up as something that made you necessarily more empathetic/feminist/radicalized because imo that really does carry the connotation that all those things were potentially good for you. Being someone who went through that didn't distinctly or directly make me a better feminist or ally, it made me a very very hurt person.
#this is really just beef with the way people express their thoughts on the experience#idk man i dont think gendered violence or emotional guilt towards children is something to uphold as a net win#and people are in general pressured to spin some positive story out of abuse. why must we do that to an enormous population of people#like nah man my girlhood actively made me a mess of a person. i see some entirely neutral qualities#the message that the shit i went thru was a net good as a man because it makes me a better feminist is like. girl that is not it.#i was about to say the main good thing that came out if my girlhood was comfort with expressing myself via clothes#then i remembered my mother used to berate me constantly and frequently tried to bribe me to wear things/got physical over how i dressed lol#and yes this was all directly tied to me not dressing 'how a girl should'#trauma
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so I’ve come up with 2 types of LGBT+ representation for my own personal reference. if there are academically/professionally defined categories out there, feel free to enlighten me. for now I’m just making stuff up.
thematic rep: the plot revolves around being LGBT+, like the main character is discovering their identity or actively dealing with queerphobia from relatives/former friends/the general public.
incidental rep: characters are LGBT+ and it’s not a plot point or overarching theme, it’s just part of their identity. this character is straight, this one is gay, doesn’t make a difference on a quest to slay a dragon.
#the distinction matters to me for one reason#and that is pride month book displays#let’s not pigeonhole a book into the lgbtq section#just because#one or two characters are not straight cis characters#pride month#should be about accepting orientations and genders#and that means getting in people’s faces#about said orientations and genders#the more subtle representation#belongs in the general collections#with everything else#lgbt#lgbtqplus#lgbtqiia+#lgbtq#lgbtq community#lgbtqia#lgbt pride#lgbtq positivity#lesbian#gay#bisexual#transgender#queer#questioning#intersex#asexual#lgbt representation#books
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glossophobia pride flag
#pride flags#flags#mogai flags#mogai positivity#xenogender flag#mogai#xenogender#disability flag#disability pride flag#mogai label#chronically disabled#disabilties#actually disabled#disability pride#glossophobia#public speaking#phobias#phobia#anxiety#gad#generalized anxiety disorder#mogai coining#mogai blog#mogai term#pro mogai#mogai gender#mogai friendly#mogai flag#mogai safe#mogai community
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really messed up that everyone is all about body positivity until it comes to balding men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! then it's all like "oh just shave it all off, it looks SO much better! don't men know how HORRIBLE they look when they DON'T remove their HAIR! ew so gross!!!!!!!!"
#people are really weird about male body hair in general#like maybe it's a way of doing a bit of a power reversal???#but like. you can't say you're body positive and then immediately diss male and gender non-conforming bodies#especially for things they can't control?????#but the amount of comments in person and online i hear about balding men is so gross#especially considering SO MANY MEN ARE BALDING#listen.#men keeping their hair isn't about you.#IT ISN'T ABOUT YOU.#they aren't trying to “trick” you into thinking they have hair#THEY JUST LIKE THEIR HAIR????????#no one needs to do anything with ANY of their hair unless they want to#period.#anyway.#rant
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just curious, what are the chinese characters for your ocs names? since the romanizations dont convey tone and meaning haha
Here they are!
Their approximate meanings are heaven-bestowed or sent by the heavens for tianci and bountiful growth of thankfulness or gratefulness over time for xieran
Let me know if these don’t seem quite right, I did make up xieran’s name and I do not have much experience choosing Chinese names lmao
The two of them share a last name but I don’t know about the last name yet
#oc stuff#tianci and xieran#tianci is maybe like 3-4 years older than xieran I think#I have several thoughts about Chinese names#namely the fact that Chinese names can be gendered and sometimes similarities in names within a family are also based on gender#e.g. I share the same middle character as my sister: yong#while my brother and all the boys in my brother’s generation share the middle character xiang#my brother is xiang yuan my cousin is xiang bing#and Chinese names aren’t always corresponding to gender but it’s the meaning associated#my mom used to be mistaken by name for a guy pretty often apparently#my name yong qing has characters that mean beautiful singing and bright/sunny#like. it’s not explicitly gendered but by meaning it’s implied#the relationship of tianci and xieran’s names are a sign of their positions within their family#tianci is bestowed by the heavens and beloved and people are thankful for him#whereas xieran is expected to be grateful and appreciative to the things around them and the life they’ve been granted#it plays into the expectations for each of them and their relationship to self worth
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Just a quick reminder:
IF YOU MAKE GRAND, SWEEPING STATEMENTS ABOUT HOW MEN AS A COLLECTIVE ARE TERRIBLE AND AWFUL, YOU ARE NOT A FEMINIST; YOU'RE A FUCKING BULLY AND YOU DESERVE TO BE PUNCHED IN THE FACE
Stay the fuck away, terfs: This user is nonbinary
#my post#feminist#feminism#terfs dni#terf unsafe#terf so unsafe that I'll report you if you engage with this post#nonbinary op#men#gender equality#men positivity#love for men#do not generalize#men deserve love#don't be an asshole
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I hope everyone with a para who struggles with their identity has a great day
#and pride month#but this refers to identity in general as well as secuality and gender#quill projects#remus my beloved#jon my beloved#madd#immersive daydreaming#maladaptive daydreaming#paraportal#madd positivity
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well lots to think about there
#I think...#it's good to come right out and say that turning back the clock is not the solution#i think that's accurate#the idea that you can have women kind of emerge as serious players in the last couple generations and then just snatch it away#not only is it cruel it's patently ridiculous#that said some of the concluding bits#I don't know#I wonder#is there an appetite for that kind of irenic posture?#it seems hard for one to adopt that yes-also posture you can be interested in women's liberation and also acknowledge this other problem et#he says something about how when you look at the 'traditional' way of thinking about gender issues and the traditional direction#you can't be surprised if all you have to offer men is to tell them how horrible they are or just to sign them up as allies#they just look elsewhere#i've felt that way about it for a long time#i've spent my whole life hearing about what utter garbage men are from every corner#not in the least from women telling me all the things Men have done to them#there's just no possible coherent response i can imagine#i've been increasingly worried as my sons get older that all i really have to offer them is an admonition not to be a rapist#and perhaps more broadly to get out of the way of women#this is the feeling among all the academics i know#put your tail between your legs submit smile no matter what they say about you and they do say some hurtful things and laugh#or else#again#this non-starter solution to just become some wild misogynist provocateur#I guess the stated goal of this guy's work isn't so much to establish solutions as it is facts#I do wonder what the solution could be#i sympathize with the desire to check out#oh I also cannot imagine any kind of positivity about fatherhood that would land or ring true or anything like that#however essential they find the presence of fathers to be#but that's another discussion
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Pansymasc / pansygender / pansyfem
Pansymasc: a gender related to being masc and pansies, or being a masc Pansy .
Pansygender: a gender related to pansies, or being a Pansy.
Pansyfem: a gender related to being fem and pansies, or being a fem Pansy.
Made with inspiration from the xenogender creator (link in pinned)
#xenogender creator generator#mogai blog#mogai friendly#mogai flag#mogai heaven#mogai identity#mogai gender#mogai pride#mogai label#xeno coining#mogai terms#xenogender#xenoidentity#xenogender flag#actually mogai#mogai coining#xenogender safe#xenogenders#xenogender community#mogai positivity
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The patriarchy rewards (a) men, and (b) people who fit into the roles in society determined by their genitals at birth.
Trans women/transfemmes are neither of the two. Therefore, the patriarchy punishes us the most.
#transgender#trans#trans feminine#trans girl#transfemme#demigirl#patriarchy#fuck the patriarchy#gender#gender dysphoria#gender traitor#genderqueer#gender issues#feminism#trans feminism#intersectional feminism#men#i think that what makes men and cis people in general afraid of us is the fact that we could have been in positions of power based on#gender and yet we reject toxic masculinity which is what keeps men in power
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Oh right, I just remembered! I was thinking about boy Shiv again earlier, how I feel like he'd have a combination of Stewy's attitude + Ewan's beliefs + Roman's pesky little brother-ness, and it occurred to me that perhaps he and Kendall could have a kind of Charley and Frank (of Merrily) thing going on with them promising to run Waystar together someday and change the world but it all falling apart as they grow up and keep getting put in the ring with one another.
#i think shiv would be the more overtly 'rebel' son while kendall ends up being more dutifully protective of logan (and his own position)#and maybe to complete the merrily idea roman is a girl here and the mary flynn of the trio#(i do still see tom as generally the more frank shepard type but ykwim)#succ gender fun#shiv roy#kendall roy#merrily we roll along#succession
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I'm wasting time by drawing my fursona (s)!
DJ/Spot (left) is a Cheetah, Theory (middle) is a snow leopard, and Light (right) is a Bunni.
(Fun fact: One time I had a Crocodile fursona. It didn't last very long, but maybe I'll redraw her sometime.)
Actually thinking about going on a spree because I had a few AJ looks that I'd like to Oc-ify :3
#light's spot#my art#oc#wip#sketch#Theory#Theory the Snow Leopard#Spot#DJ Spot#Light#legit like...#idk symbolism rant here:#my nicknames for a lot of my life from my fam was bunny/kitten#so like of course this is how my fursonas turn out#but in general#DJ was my second fursona technically but she's one I really vive w/#cheetahs have a lot of anxious energy but only need one positive force to keep going#plus she was yet another momemt in which I realized Gender isn't like#a strict code or smth#cuz I put this girl in blue and black and forgor that that's not 'usual little girl behavior' in a animal childrens game lmao#Theory is the new redesign of my first fursona and she's pretty poggers#he's a good show of my improvemrnt over the years#plus I designed them from the start w/ the subtext of being displaced from the world around them#ex. a Snow Leopard who's aesthetics and colors were influenced by a society in the desert#plus uhhh#non-skinny animal that thrives in cold and is both chunky and cute? yeah it boosts my self-confidence a lil#and of course Light#who's more of a fursona of a persona (so me thrice removed)#but Bunnies have always been animals I heavily associate with#and Chimkin designing my persona a bunni form just kinda solidified a third fursona!
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photophobia flag
#pride flags#flags#disability flag#disability pride flag#osmophobia#phobias#phobia#mogai flags#mogai positivity#xenogender flag#mogai#xenogender#mogai label#mogai coining#mogai blog#mogai term#pro mogai#mogai gender#mogai friendly#mogai flag#mogai safe#mogai community#xenogender community#xenogender coining#xeno#xeno coining#xeno flag#anxiety#generalized anxiety disorder#disabilties
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I am fucking addicted to AI videos I took my video and made this
#gurl#transgurl#trans is beautiful#cute tgirl#trans positivity#trans pride#tgirleyecandy#gender fluid#trans#ai art generator
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