#my traumatized slutty pretty boy<3< /div>
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okay so theres still 3 days left in this and there are 29k+ votes, ive read through almost all of the tags/responses and have collected some data!! and want to provide some interesting things:
BARBIE STATS
practically 90% of the barbie girls (gender neutral term) did not have a ken doll and the 10% that did tended to have 2 both of with where the "slutty glitter stripper / beach whore" in their own words which i personally think is a serve
transformers x barbie is very common choice by the children suggesting the better alternative to the films
west coast USA is actually barbieland USA
east coast USA is also acutally barbieland USA but this time then also had a shit ton of hand-me-down cabbage patch kids too
there were less babrie knockoffs that i was assuming but most of the ones out there are like a national knockoff (the most common one stated was the mexican off-brand)
though uncommon if a child is given a gimmick babrie that child will either be terrified of it or love it so very much there is no in between
lesbian barbies are the only barbies that matter actually
BRATZ STATS
Bratz kids get INTO IT, almost every response that says bratz mentioned the doll by name, that they adored all media relating to the girls and and overwhelming majority still have the dolls
every Bratz kid has a favorite and there doesnt seem to really be an outsanding it girl but there are lots of opinons
MH STATS
most people where "just out of the doll playing age range" for monster high dolls since they didn't come out until 2011
most of the people that where in that "doll playing age range" when monster high came out had parents who refused to buy "slutty/devilish" dolls just grew up to dress like said devilish sluts
oh boy does the MH fandom have opinons and you WILL know them all
the favored MH dolls seems to be actually having both Clawdeen and Draculaura which as we all know cannot be seperated
POLLY STATS
most polly pocket kids chewed the shit out of them
polly pockets seem like the most common doll used to (re)enact traumatic events, eviromental disasters or be the outlet for childhood worldbuilding aventures (lots of socratic debates on the nature of humanity and inventing dystopian cities of the supernaturally gifted)
mighty max (the 'boy version' of polly pocket) was not as uncommon as assumed it too be and it was not uncommon to have siblings of the opposite binary to mix their pollys and maxes into a large vat in the hallway
polly pockets had the most diverse spread over the world and the only border that i could clearly see was they werent imported to eastern europe nor parts of the medertian
i have an unstatuable desire to follow every lesbian that picked polly pockets because monkey see monkey do or whater (its terminal actually im in love with every lesbian and they all loved polly pocket)
those old enough to rmember the 'tiny ass' orginal polly pockits all had younger sisters that got the non-choking hazard generation and call them "jumbo-pollys"
CPK and BABY DOLL STATS
i may have inserted my personal bias for the CPK brand into the study as most people claimed to be "too young" for them and that by the time they would have been hand-me-downs they where considered "ugly and weird"
a decent number of people had a bunch of CPK but the people who actually likes them are a) not normal about it and b) insane (i am in fact just talking about myself)
still unsure if anyone else had the mini plastic cpk dolls that where actually pretty cute and had lots of fun furnature but the hunt continues
other baby dolls are rather uncommon other than fuckin Baby Born
AG STATS
american girls were and continue to be hella fuckin expensive but a seeming majority of girls in the USA end up with there prefered girl and a just like me
the common alternative for us poor people was reading all of the books and having a prefered girl
the online game(s) isn't a figment of my imagination
the prefered girl tends to align more with the interests of the indiviual and not race / location / age or interests of parental figures
Josphine it THE it girl of AG with americans
Kaya is the horse girl's horse girl
Felicity is a morbid topic it seems
PORCELAIN DOLL STATS
most kids did not own porcelain dolls by choice by did use them as decoration not as toys (a good portion would then become terrified of them dooming many and elizabethian dressed baby to the darkness of a spooky closet or forgotten box in the attic)
eastern europe didnt import most of the name brand dolls at all or until recently so porcelain dolls are more common
ACTION FIGURE/ POSIABLE STATS
bionicles bionicles bionicles bionicles bionicles bionicles bionicles
most boys had action figures didnt mean they where action figure kids
i am an idiot for forgetting how prolific the Lego commnunity is but in my defense i dont consider them human figurines and no i cant explain that but im glad to see fellow lego children are still fellow lego adults (lego fans i love you)
girls who where boys and boys who where girls love Lego (t4l real)
OTHER CONTENDERS
the Ever After High fans are upset that they where left off on purpose because i am spiteful and its the preps answer for the goth majority that is mh domaniance but their decication to a forgotten brand is stronger than my distain
MyScene dolls are WAY more cunty than i remembered
said MyScene dolls belonged to a very specifc subset of the turn of millennium crowd and i can only describe that group as intense
those with the Groovy Girls all had neat grandmothers and are generally pretty cool people themselves
the midwestern USA is full of Betty Spaghetti and thats okay
i betrayed the Strawberry Shortcake clan and may face serious retrubution for it
the La La Loopsy gang is a visocous group and i fear for my saftey
Littlest Pet Shop fans don't know how to read but also own oh so many tiny animal stores its a true accomplish for them
Nikita warned me that every german was going to say Schleich Elves and she was right but also every european also said Schleich
british 80s girls loved Sindy and the fact that didnt have a smile plastered on
Jem and the Holograms dolls are adored and revered in some cases
FUCKING PLAYMOBIL DOMINATES THE NON-USA MARKETS IM SO SORRY FOR THE DISRESPECT
NOTES ON DOLL CULTURE & OTHER CHILDHOOD THINGS
autistic children love dinosaurs / barbie deserves pet sauropods
autism be damned having pretty dolls overwhelmed the urge to just line everything up, however the alternative was consitently orginizing and growing a collection but not actually "playing in normal terms'' we love just dressing and redressing the same doll 40 times a week and never doing anything else ever
80s babes are all My Little Pony kids, everyone over the age of 29 mentioned MLP and it seems less of a statement on horsegirl culture and more in line with not liking Barbie or baby dolls
post 90s babes where MLP kids for a different reason -_-
most other poor children took what they could and that tended to be a libraby memebership and bratz dolls they totally didnt steal
almnost everyone regardless of anything (age/gender/country/parental intensity) ended up with a barbie even if it was a secert
the furries REALLY LOVE the phrase "i didn't play with humonids" and my friend (the arugement maker) autumn laughed everytime i readed this phrase
having THE PLANE is always the most important thing regardless of doll type its a sign of dedication to the brand and every brand had THE PLANE and it was important (trust me)
if there is a mermaid in the doll line its gonna sell like hotcakes EXPECTUALLY if she has color-changing hair
paper dolls where way more common than i was expecting, i didn't think people played with them longer than a day or so but that may be the point more research is needed
somewhen around 06 there was an empedemic of doll... bungey jumpers
the stuff animal kids are a vast clan and overwhelm the might of any doll clan, the divide and concure method works
CONCLUSION: most people ended up the an assortment mainly from hand-me-downs, a favored doll often had more sway over the personal collection but most liked there stuffed animals more
tune in later to see the winner and how it's probably barbie because we are all barbie girls living in a barbie world
end an argument for me
and for the sake of my data add your region/country, reblogs would help for proving my bias wrong
#i have underestimed the barbieness of this barbie world#i have more notes but im like a day and a half behind
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šššš šš ššššššš, šššāšš š©š³š¬š« š“š¬ š«š¹š. šššš šš ššššššššš, šš šŗš¶š¼š³ šÆšØšŗ š«š°š¬š«. ā šš²š«š®š¬ š©š”šØšš§š¢š±, š š©š„šš²š„š¢š¬š.
PUNCHING BAG, palaye royale. SOFTCORE, the neighbourhood. MAMMAMIA, mĆ„neskin. 1X1, bring me the horizon & nova twins. WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE, my chemical romance. HUSH, the marĆas. THIS IS WHY IāM HOT, kailee morgue. YOUāRE MY TEMPTATION, alice cooper. POST MODERN RHAPSODY, wargasm (uk). DRAMA, jesse. RICH GIRL, gwen stefani & eve. STRAWBERRY LIPSTICK, yungblud. KILL ALL YOUR FRIENDS, my chemical romance. FLOOR 13, machine gun kelly. BLACK SHEEP, palaye royale. IāM A SLAVE 4 U, britney spears. SAVE THAT SHIT, lil peep. IN NOME DEL PADRE, maneskin. SIN, nine inch nails. NIGHT CRAWLING, miley cyrus & billy idol. TURBULENT, waterparks. DONTTRUSTME, 3oh!3. W.D.Y.W.F.M?, the neighbourhood. PARANOID, palaye royale. FAMOUS LAST WORDS, my chemical romance. NEON GRAVESTONES, twenty one pilots. FLEABAG, yungblud. BRAND NEW NUMB, motionless in white. PARANOID, chase atlantic. SEX DRIVE, machine gun kelly. S&M, rihanna. I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE, mĆ„neskin. PRETTY BOY, the neighbourhood. LONELY, palaye royale. HOLLYWOOD WHORE, machine gun kelly. DEVILāS ADVOCATE, the neighbourhood. NEED TO KNOW, doja cat. BAD KARMA, miley cyrus & joan jett. LOOKS THAT KILL, mƶtley crĆ¼e. VAMPIRE MONEY, my chemical romance. SEXY DRUG, falling in reverse. SLOW DOWN, chase atlantic. MR. SELF DESTRUCT, nine inch nails. ANXIETY, palaye royale. DADDY ISSUES, the neighbourhood. IāM NOT OKAY (I PROMISE), my chemical romance. LIVE FOREVER, lil peep. FCK ME, i hate myself because. WHISPERS, halsey. TOBACCO SUNBURST, the neighbourhood. DUMB, pretty sick. SAME OLā MISTAKES, rihanna. FOR YOUR LOVE, mĆ„neskin. VERBATIM, mother mother. BREAK UP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND, IāM BORED, ariana grande. 21ST CENTURY LIABILITY, yungblud. SUGAR, WEāRE GOING DOWN, fall out boy. TEENAGERS, my chemical romance. ALL THE THINGS SHE SAID, poppy. HOT, avril lavigne. GIRLS & BOYS, jesse. BUBBLEGUM BITCH, marina. DR. FEELGOOD, mƶtley crĆ¼e. JESUS DONāT LIKE THAT IāM GAY BUT SATANS COOL WITH IT, lil boodang. LOVE ME, the 1975. POISON, alice cooper. MONTERO (CALL ME BY YOUR NAME), lil nas x. SWIM, chase atlantic. CRYBABY, lil peep. PIGGY, nine inch nails. THE GHOST OF YOU, my chemical romance. REDEEMER, palaye royale. || @rocketfmĀ
#remade his playlist since i've added a bunch of songs since i did it the first time so#my traumatized slutty pretty boy<3#TWO songs with slave in the title.... ok cyrus WE GET IT#roswelltask#ā ā all these fucking voices in my head ā ć ā task ā .#ā ā all these fucking voices in my head ā ć ā tunes ā .#body image tw
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yo I see you posting F1 stuff, my friend who's a big fan says in the last race both Ferraris had tech trouble so they couldn't finish the race (I think), how do u feel about that? aren't u a leclerc stan? I'm not really into sports myself but since they are my friends blorbos I watch it with her, so I decided to stan bottas and alonzo because they are cool š
as a personal tradition i support the mercedes team, these two fashion hoes āļø especially lewis, my rainbow short king
but for starters, the golden rule of formula 1: everyone is a ferrari fan at heart. since charles is talented and obv thee prettiest driver on the grid, ofc i stan. the eyes, the beard, the brows. the moisturized glow. too beautiful to ignore.
these days they really wanna traumatize my hottie though, the engine fail is one issue among a hundred. my opinion: give him a working car and proper strategy, i don't support this libra man abuse!!!!!!!!! they hate to see a pretty boy win. heās so unlucky. can't stand to see my curly bae so gloomy </3
charles is so nice though, he comforts us with all kinds of hornyposting. he's either near naked or pulling something incredibly erotic. the real prince of monaco. he could talk french to me all he wants with those dimples.
bonus, the best ever swimming trunks that spell out nothing but the truth:
his sluttiness is a cry for help though. give him ONE (1) NORMAL RACE WEEK, ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i mean unlike bottas and alonso he has a lot more time left to win stuff but maybe he should use his beauty to manifest something istg
#a hot man from monaco just made me act out and i will do it again#formula 1#charles leclerc#f1#mercedes#azerbaijan gp 2022#lewis hamilton#george russell
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hello em i have a request. can u please rate mr harrington's looks/outfits i just feel like u have the best takes and i'd LOVE to know how you'd rank his choices š
this is the single greatest ask iāve ever received. i will be ranking the outfits, not steveās moral alignment or actions in each scene. in order of appearance:
The Introduction
4/10
hair is tragic
steve copied this entire fit from a mannequin in the ralph lauren polo outlet store
would honestly be a 0/10 except for the obvious valiant effort being put forth by his lower half to resist the sexless curse of khaki pants. the devil (st costuming department) works hard but by god steve harrington (joe keeryās body) works harder
nice brown watch that certainly came from a department store
also gains points for being next to nancyās anemic librarian fit, thus looking better by comparison
The Rich Bitch
8/10
thank god he ditched the khakis
hair looks much less demonic
itās a simple look but the sweatshirt rides up when he shotguns the beer
he also gets wet
solid 8 for sluttiness alone
The Whore
10/10
wet
please note that his chest is waxed. keep this in mind.
The Heterosexual
2/10
hair looks like he dipped his head in glue
bold choice with the grey pants. unfortunately that choice was wrong
matching outfits with your comphet girlfriend isnāt as cute as you think it is stevie
you only get points because despite that ungodly pastel stripe pattern the poloās decently fitted and makes your arm look kinda nice
The Dickhead
3/10
glue head pt. 2
at least the stripes arenāt pastel this time
The Cuck
6/10
hair slightly less glue-y
yet another striped polo is peeking out unfortunately
but! itās green and green looks good on him
finally wearing jeans like a normal fucking human instead of weird slacks
pivotal moment in steveās fashion evolution from preppy male model to sexy morally upright king
his morals are stored in the denim
The Final Girl
9/10
an outfit with a character arc to rival steveās own
pretty fucking good hair if i do say so myself!!
itās fluffy!
that shit looks like if you touched it itād be soft... no glue here!
finally not copying from the goddamn l.l. bean catalog
iconic green slut sweatshirt? check! jacket and nikes? check! fucked-up gorgeous face and baseball bat full of rusty nails? check, baby!
looks good on its own OR with some blood on top
overall a very solid look
The Darling Little Drummer Boy
7/10
babe no... please donāt go back to the khakis... they wonāt treat you like jeans do...
not quite glue head but not his best
apparently steve owns a single green sweatshirt, a thousand striped polos, and one very precious christmas sweater
almost makes up for prep-related khaki crimes by being really fucking cute
The Simp
8/10
glue head is DEAD
further evidence that steve harringtonās entire closet is just striped polos
this is his fifth unique striped polo
most of these points are for the sunglasses and the hair
actually all of these points are for the sunglasses and the hair
heās finally let go of the fucking pastels thank jesus
and you canāt see it but he did wear jeans with this fit i just forgot to make sure they were pictured and itās 4:15 am so i donāt feel like going back to remake this collage
cannot tell if this is a lighter blue version of the jacket he wore three times in s1 or if it IS the jacket he wore three times in s1 and the color grading is just that different
either way he loves jackets and i think thatās very sexy of him
The Intellectual
9/10
iāve been waiting for this one... turn it up!
literally invented vests
excellent hair
loses a point for unfortunately introducing steveās SIXTH unique striped fucking polo
i canāt see the collar but i know itās there i know youāre wearing another fucking polo steve you canāt hide from me
canāt decide if he looks gay or just really preppy but either way heās got some repression going on
still a very solid look
The Oh No Oh God It Hurts Iām Looking Away I Canāt Watch This
10/10
yes that middle picture is absolutely to show off the texture of his blazer and not at all me making sure that if i have to see his heartbroken little face then you all do too
anyways i Know that blazer cost at least $100 like i Know that shitās expensive
excellent gorgeous soft-looking hair that someone ought to run their hands through but only people who havenāt dated him for a year while pining after someone else
emotional devastation... but make it unbelievably fucking sexy
stevie baby i know youāre a colorful guy but please wear more black
The Meathead Jock
9/10
aw christ whatever happened to standards?
introduction of the blue nikes <3
god his hair looked fucking good here
could have gained that final point by using tube socks with blue and GREEN stripes to tie together the shoes and the gym uniform :/
shorts could be shorter but are an altogether appropriate and enjoyable length
fun sweatstain to customize the look <3
The (is there a word for victim of bullying?) Serious Athlete
8/10
the yellow stripe was more fun
still cute though
The Sudsy Boy
11/10
wet
suds indicate that heās washing his hair, presumably with faberge organics. is this why heās being bullied?
steve brings his faberge organics shampoo and conditioner and his farrah fawcett spray to school with him whenever he has basketball practice
steve either has shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray in his backpack at all times, or he has a separate gym bag thatās mostly haircare products
just need to make sure we all know that
excellent freckle showcase
his chest is still waxed. please, i beg, keep this in mind
one of his strongest looks
The Babysitter
10/10
his most versatile look to date
a different jacket than the one(s) heās worn before but it still has the same kind of collar. steve found a jacket he liked and bought it in at least three colors
the whole thing fits So fucking nicely! shirt, jacket, jeans... baby boy is TAILORED
return of the white nikes with the red check indicate that they are his fashion nikes, while the blue nikes with the white check are his sport nikes. interesting.
this fit lasts like 48 hours and steve simply looks sexier as time goes on which is a testament to its quality as well as his inherent power
every new accessory elevates his appearance. roses, nail bat, rubber gloves, blood, sweat, band-aids, bandana, goggles... each element complements the look in its own way!
an overall win
The Chauffeur
8/10
we canāt really see the whole fit but heās not wearing a striped polo so iām calling it a win regardless of whatās on his bottom half
cannot give him a 10/10 though because he might be wearing khakis
red is such a nice color on him when itās not just from his blood
i lied when i said he should wear more black he should wear more colors
that plain sweater absolutely cost $85 or more
hair looks very nice and soft
excellent look!
The Sailor Man
9/10
very precious
absolutely the best hair iāve ever seen
baby boy got highlights for his hot girl summer!
bright colors make his very red lips pop
shorts could be shorter
love the little accents! especially the white pockets and belt
excellent color coordination on steveās part with the blue sneakers (notably different than his s2 blue basketball nikes) and the red bruising/blood
i hope you remembered that steveās chest was waxed. as you can see his chest is now unwaxed. some change between s2 and s3 drove this decision, presumably either his breakup with nancy or the fact that he no longer showers in front of other guys at school. up to your interpretation
shock blanket at the very end is a nice touch so we donāt forget heās traumatized
The Drowned Rat/The Man Overboard
10/10
wet
shorts could be shorter
the decision to purchase and wear a hoodless raincoat is absolutely ridiculous and stupid
however it is also very steve harrington and i value self-expression
The Chick Magnet/The Flaming Homosexual
100/10
what can i even say about this fit?
the absolute best pants heās worn thus far. amazing fit, excellent classic wash. i say this as a former american eagle outfitters associate and the winner of my freshman year dormāsĀ ābest at folding jeansā award
manages to make blue jeans with a half-blue denim vest work effortlessly
bold primary colors make him stand out without being too gaudy
excellent pairing of t-shirt with simple stripes and vest with simple color blocking to create a complex yet cohesive and flattering look
simple brown belt gives the look a put-together yet down-to-earth vibe
hair has only gotten better
still wearing that same brown watch that heās had since the introduction
this man looks like he waxes his chest
this is steve in his final form
thank you for your time
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Part One of Barb Series: Why Barb Died (Character Device Talk)
*Please watch the Betty Draper Francis video first, for extra credit, check out the channelās vid on Jack Dawson and come with knowledge of Beth March*
Happy end of the 2010s! Before I discuss what Barb could have brought to the Party in Stranger Things I need to discuss how as a character she needed to die.
1. Beth March
In one scene in Little Women, the girls and Laurie discuss their ambitions for adult life. Oldest sister Meg wants to marry and have kids, oldest middle sis Jo wants to become a known and successful writer, youngest sister Amy wants to become rich and famous as an artist and maybe a socialite, and middle child Beth wants things to stay the way they are for her, with her loving family at her side. Whatās wrong with this? What the other three sisters have in common is that they are hoping for adult lives which include a lot of change, responsibility, independence (either as a career woman or running a household with little kids underfoot), new experiences, and even new people in their lives (Meg would need to meet a guy to marry and have kids with him, Jo would need to meet people in her professional life, Amy would entertain guests and appeal to patrons). Shy Beth is a talented pianist, vet, and doll collector and is very charitable but she doesnāt seem to want to take the risks it would take to grow as a person and thrive and mature or be noticed for her own merits aside from āAngel of the Houseā and the future looks pretty hostile; so by the end of the novel, Beth has died in her early 20s while sisters lives have changed (Meg married and had children in a cottage while gaining confidence as a homemaker, wife, and mom; Jo sells her writing and meets a professor who wants to start a school where she becomes headmistress after they marry; Amy goes on a Grand Tour of Europe and marries wealthy and happy).
The series Stranger Things, on a whole, is a coming-of-age series that borrows from the John Hughes and Steven Spielberg films of that era that captured the joys and pains of growing up, while Joyceās and Hopās storylines borrow from conspiracy thrillers around that era and somewhat from Hitchcock films. All these films captured ordinary people undergoing extraordinary (E.T., North By Northwest, The Goonies, The Stepford Wives) and life altering events (Jaws, The Breakfast Club, Silkwood) that force them to encounter challenges and make decisions they wouldnāt normally make in their mundane lives. Joyce ends up facing a monster with an axe and even makes demands of people who could wipe her off the Earth, the boys have to ride their bikes to evade murderous men in vans and hide a young traumatized girl, Nancy has to learn to create and use deadly weapons and use her skills of sneaking out for something besides sex, Jonathon has to cut his and another girlās hand to lure a monster to their trap, Hop sneaks into a morgue just to slit a dead boyās corpse and find cotton stuffing, Will has to use what knowledge and skills he has to survive another world filled with creatures out to kill him, most of the kids throughout the series have to lie and break laws to save their town.Ā
While the official guide does list Barb as being a varsity softball player and a mathlete and Shannon Purser concurs that Barb would have been the Velma of the group if she lived, there is one big thing that separates the Velmas from the Barbs and Bethās of the world: Velma takes risks, she would trespass private looking property and dilapidated buildings to solve a mystery. Barb is a loyal friend and honest and studious and smart, but sheās ultimately the good girl archetype: cautious, obedient to her elders, predictable, conservatively and femininely dressed, chaste. An archetype that Nancy is trying to flee (not that the alternative of being a girl who sneaks out with her boyfriend to makeout is going to help Nancy at all) to avoid ending up like her mother. Barb has the fangs (talent and means) to be a Party member, she just lacks the nerve to jump and sink those fangs.
2. Commentary on the Patriarchy and the Tyranny of Beauty Standards
Most of the female characters in the series donāt fit the strict criteria of their Reagan era Indiana small town regarding what makes a good woman. Joyce is a single mother who doesnāt come with well-coiffed hair and she appears to be hysterical and is a working mother in a time and place where all these factors would label her aĀ ābad motherā, Nancy is a frank young woman who takes risks and even asserts her sexuality and herself when plenty of people (like the shitheads at Hawkins Post) would prefer her to be a delicate virgin in pastels, El is physically stronger than the boys with her powers and she is very direct in her manner despite her soft-spoken demeanor, Max is a girl who is interested in arcade video games and skateboarding and brightly colored summer clothing and reads her Momās Cosmo cover to cover and is assertive, Erica is an assertive young girl who can talk truth (and shade) to adults and has a knowledge of My Little Pony and Cold War Politics, Robin is snarky and has a style that makes her stand out from most girls in Hawkins and is a teen genius, Kaliās rage and Joan Jett-esque appearance would make the preppy and pastel and autumnal tone wearing residents of Hawkins in Cardiac Care, Suzie has defied notions about girls in science and math and even the Mormon beliefs of her parents by french kissing and dating a non-Mormon boy like Dustin, and Karen despite her appearance of hot housewife perfection is dissatisfied with her marriage and comes close to cheating on her husband.Ā
In contrast Barb is pretty much the most conventional character: she dresses conservatively in ruffles and pink, she is seemingly chaste, follows the rules diligently and worries about getting punished by the Holland and Wheeler parents, and has a more common body type found in cis-gender women (correct me if Iām wrong, hopefully I donāt offend trans pear shaped women) and not often found in the older members of the female cast. But despite Barbās body being common among women in general and specific to her region (the American Midwest is noted for starchy and creamy and fried foods and is historically farming country, where pioneers would find her strong for work in and out of the log cabin and give birth to the necessary amount of children i.e. extra hands for work), the delicate and slender builds of Joyce and Nancy, the classic proportionate and slender grace of Robin, and the leggy and toned image of Karen are closer to the female standard of beauty in the 1980s. In Barbās lifetime (1967-1983), the image of beauty was dominated by leggy, toned, slim, busty women or lean women with minimal breasts: no room for tall, broad, pear shapes like herself. And in 1983, Molly Ringwald wasnāt yet a household name that freckled redheads with dry wit and atypical images could look on with pride. Hell I remember reading a copy of Color Me Beautiful where they recommend that women with heavy hips and small waists (similar features of Christina Hendricks and Shannon Purser) shouldnāt cinch their waistlines, the celebration of Marilyn Monroe pinups with round hips, pillowy thighs and tummies, rounded tushes were long gone by then. Basically Barb being her natural self, was not seen asĀ āfeminine enoughā and combined with her glasses and style (any plus sized or early developing gal can tell you that it is hell to find junior styles that suit your body size and shape) have ruled her asĀ āuncoolā.Ā
There is also that Barb does a lot of things that the boys do: being slightly geeky, a loyal friend, has innocent and wholesome interests, chaste, and is quiet (like Will) but she still gets killed. One can sense that #JusticeForBarb came out of an anger with misogyny in media and society that tells women to be a certain way and punishes them whether they fit a mold or not. Women are still underpaid in the workplace, underrepresented in government, still deal with unequal and toxic relationships, are shamed for being virgins or for having sexual experience (Carol pokes fun at the idea of Barb finding the sex sounds too much and yet contributes to the slut shaming graffiti of Nancy), are told on one hand to look a certain way to attract the male gaze and shamed when they indulge in sexual desire (something Nancy can attest to with her glamorous mother who offers to lend her black heels and focuses on Nancyās beauty before a funeral, the same mom who was angry her daughter had sex), they are either too fat/skinny/busty/flat/frizzy/straight haired/pale/slutty/prudish/dark/feminine/masculine/full-butt-ed/quiet/loud/naive/cynical/smart/dumb/angry/happy, and they deal with a media that sells a very narrow standard of beauty to the point that when they see a drop dead gorgeous actress or model with similar features they feel seen.
Oh Bondage, Up Yours!
*Read this is not a āBarb is a slut shamer!ā piece yes that was shitty but she was a teen girl in a small 1980s town and she ISNāT starting a (paraphrasing Kimberly Nicole Foster quote)Ā āno whores allowed campaignā OR trying to pass a law that demands women keep their ectopic pregnancies to full term*
3. End of Innocence
When Barb died, it marked the end of Nancyās childhood and her needing to grow up. That was the night Nancy went straight from childhood (Barb), teenager (sex with Steve), and then shortly became an adult when she realized that Barb had disappeared. For many women (like myself at ages 9 and 10), the moment they get their period or grow breasts or reach a certain age, marks a dramatic end of their childhood. Suddenly many are told to police their behavior and language around boys, even policing the food they eat or their bodies. There is also extra responsibility and stress, demogorgans being one of them. Nancy is now having to deal with the sorts of issues that adult women dealt with on Mad Men along with scary monsters threatening her town and the fact her parents are not as happy as they look to the world, there is a gap between the experiences of her and Mike, she has a baby sister who probably was conceived to save the marriage, and Nancy canāt confide or trust either of her parents (who are absorbed with their own issues). Now Nancy is making big decisions that Barb, with the sheltering and seemingly close parents, will likely never deal with. Nancy is even taking fashion risks with clothes that are more functional, stylish, show off her figure, and can even withstand flayer blood and exorcising her boyfriendās little brother.
4. A Huge Threat
Barb was intended to be a character that we connected with, someone to be built up somehow. There was a character like this in a movie: her name was Marion Crane. She was a secretary who has been supporting herself and her little sis since their parents died, patiently waiting for her boyfriend to make more money at his job so they can marry and stop sneaking around sleeping with one another, in desperation she steals a lot of money from her workplace, drives to California where she meets a mild-mannered but strange young man who manages a distant motel in the vicinity of a Victorian house where an older woman is croaking about promiscuity, after talking with him over a dinner of sandwiches in his taxidermy themed office, she goes to take a shower and has decided to return to Phoenix to return the money, then a strange figure comes with a large butcher knife in horribly out of date clothes and starts stabbing her to death.
This was from the Hitchcock film Psycho, the forerunner of the slasher genre that dominated the earlier half of the 1980s, and it premiered to shocked audiences in 1960. The meaning of the grisly murder of Marion, a character the audience was following from the beginning of the film, was that Norman Bates was a huge threat and intensified the need for Marionās killer to be brought to justice.
The same thing can be said about the deaths of Benny and Barb, to show how much a threat the demogorgan and Hawkins National Lab were to the townspeople of Hawkins (and the world as a whole), basically such big threats that a little boy can be kidnapped from the safety of his home, a young teenage girl could be snatched up and killed from a suburban swimming pool, and a kindly cook and owner of a local diner would be executed for knowing about a runaway child.Ā
5. The future of Women in Stranger Things
Not all is lost, Barbās death forced the Duffer Bros to take a look at how women were written and treated in their series, and even helped spurred tv viewers (who ordinarily wouldnāt pay attention to social issues) to take a deeper look and interest in how people especially women are treated. For some reason I like to think: Max, Robin, Erica, and Suzie are a way of recognizing Barbās potential within the series and even what viewers saw.Ā
Now stay tuned to where I figure out how Barb could have been beneficial to the party.
#barb holland#justice for barb#StrangerThings#womeninmedia#beth march#betty draper#1980s women#messy#Not A Space For Character Bashing#Role of Women
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All of 'em :D
Oh shit alright, prepare to learn WAY too much about me :p HERE WE GOOOOOooooo!
0: Height - 5ā² 2ā³, short af1: Age - 22 slutty, slutty years and getting bigger every day2: Shoe size - Like, 7 - 7 Ā½? Depends on brand and stuff. I can wear kidās shoes, though :p3: Do you smoke? - Socially4: Do you drink? - Also socially5: Do you take drugs? -Ā ( Ķ”Ā° ĶŹ Ķ”Ā°) 6: Age you get mistaken for - Well, LOOKS-wise I get told I look like a teenager, but when people talk to me they think Iām like 25+7: Have tattoos? - Nope8: Want any tattoos? - So many omg9: Got any piercings? - Lip, both ears are double pierced on the lobe, double helix in my right ear, and a belly ring.10: Want any piercings? - A few more, yeah11: Best friend? - Itās totesĀ @ciphertext-x 12: Relationship status - Single and deeply confused :D13: Biggest turn onsĀ - Intelligence, and biting. Talk dirty to me and leave marks, baby ;D14: Biggest turn offs - Being rude, bad hygiene15: Favorite movie - MEGAMIND16: Iāll love you ifā¦ - You let me be myself around you without judging me17: Someone you miss - My sister. She moved to Colorado and I miss her a lot.18: Most traumatic experience - Tbh Iām not really comfortable saying, but all I WILL say is that I had a really shitty childhood, my mom was neglectful af and my dad was at work too much to know what was going on.19: A fact about your personality - Iām nice afĀ to people and idk why because in my head Iām just mean and salty all the time.20: What I hate most about myself - I let the negative thoughts win too much.21: What I love most about myself - When I do manage to do things, theyāre awesome and Iām always pretty proud of them.22: What I want to be when I get older - An author :p23: My relationship with my sibling(s) - Mostly pretty good, but we donāt talk much anymore :/24: My relationship with my parent(s) - My dad is pretty cool. Fucking crazy, but cool. My mom though, sheās abusive and shitty so I tend to not wanna be around her as much as possible.25: My idea of a perfect date - Something either super chill or super crazy. I love adventure but Iāll also hella take a night in with snacks and a show/movie.26: My biggest pet peeves - People being mean??? Like, my inner bitch is STRONG, but you really donāt gain anything from being an asshole, so why????27: A description of the girl/boy I like - They cute. Thatās all youāre getting :p28: A description of the person I dislike the most - Loud, annoying, stupid.29: A reason Iāve lied to a friend - To make myself seem less nosy tbh30: What I hate the most about work/school - My bosses, always. Theyāre real fucks for no reason.31: What my last text message says -Ā āHeās insideā to my mom because she thought her cat that meows a lot was stuck outside. Quite ominous and weird without context xD32: What words upset me the most -Ā āYou didnāt even tryā because trust me, bud, Iām ALWAYS trying for something.33: What words make me feel the best about myself -Ā āI love your writingā,Ā āYour writing made me feel betterā, stuff like that.34: What I find attractive in women -Ā Physically? Softness, long hair, ability to kick someoneās ass :p35: What I find attractive in men -Ā Tallness, nice smile, ability to be cuddled.36: Where I would like to live - Somewhere that I can feel safe and where the weather isnāt all over the place all year.37: One of my insecurities - My body sucks.38: My childhood career choice - Used to wanna be anĀ archaeologist real bad :p39: My favorite ice cream flavor - Death by Chocolate ;D40: Who I wish I could be - Someone who isnāt so afraid and has their shit together at least a little bit.41: Where I want to be right now - In bed.42: The last thing I ate - Donāt be grossed out, but hot lime Cheetos dipped in nacho cheese :p43: Sexiest person that comes to my mind immediately - Dan Avidan44: A random fact about anything - Iām scared of those blow-up bounce houses and waterslides because of recurring nightmares I had as a kid about them. Same with alligators and crocodilesĀ ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
#about me#personal#hope y'all enjoyed your Robo History Lesson lmao#thinking about some of this made me sad tbh#but all is well#I did have fun with it :p#anon#ask meme thing
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August 2017 Book Roundup
Last month was not a good reading month for me, partially because work and depression make reading hard and partially because the books themselves werenāt that great. Ā There are times when a ton of new, exciting books get dropped and they seem to swing around the spring (people beginning buying for the summer? Ā Beach reads?) and the fall (obviously, in preparation for Christmas). Ā The one book I really super enjoyed was A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor--a tale of sisters getting shipwrecked on an island (with a boy, but heās not super important) and working through the fact that one is borderline psychopathically manipulative and they hate each other. Ā Also, sibling codependence. Ā There were decent books aside from that one, but nothing that gripped me quite as much. Ā (Ratings and mini reviews below.)
Stolen Beauty by Laurie Lico Albanese. Ā 3/5. Ā In World War II era Austria, Maria Altmannās world is turned upside down as her Jewish family attempts to flee. Ā In the process, the Nazis snatch up portraits of her beloved aunt, Adele Bloch-Bauer, painted by the renowned artist Gustav Klimt. Ā As we follow Maria from the turmoil of World War II to her twenty-first century struggle to regain the paintings, a parallel story is told--that of Adele and her relationship with Klimt. Ā While this book was pretty accurate as far as I could tell--Iām no Klimt expert--it could have done without Mariaās story. Ā This is better told in the Helen Mirren movieĀ āThe Woman in Goldā; here itās pretty flat, and distracts from Adeleās much more engaging journey from impetuous young wife to immortalized muse. Ā Mariaās narrative becomes a fairly standard--I hate to say it--World War II story. Ā Adeleās is far more interesting and unique, and the book would have been much better had the author stuck with that.
Severed: A History of Heads Lost and Heads Found by Frances Larson. Ā 4/5. Ā Larson takes on the topic of severed heads, from those captured during war, to those decapitated by royal decree, and those belonging to saints. Ā Morbid curiosity and the recommendation of Caitlin Doughty drew me to this book, and itās both well-researched and quite interesting. Ā I thought it would be largely about the heads lost through the decapitation of living people, like those who would becomeĀ āshrunken headsā and famous people like Anne Boleyn. While a couple of chapters are devoted to such subjects, Larson also discussed people decapitated after death, as well as the topic of life remaining after decapitation. Ā Itās a pretty thorough book, and while some topics were more interesting than others and it was certainly all a bit gruesome at times, I was impressed by the fact that Larson even went into the topic of decapitation in art. Ā Overall, a good read if youāre in the mood for something niche-y.
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter. Ā 2/5. Ā In the 80s, sisters Sam and Charlotte (later Charlie) undergo a horrific event together that leaves their mother murdered and both deeply traumatized. Ā Thirty years later, Charlie--an attorney, albeit not one as controversial as herĀ ādefend any clientā father--witnesses a school shooting, and is compelled to help defend the shooter, a teenage girl. Ā The subsequent events will bring up the truth about what happened to the sisters that night, as well as the truth of who they became after. Ā I really enjoyed this book at first--even though the beginning is quite harrowing and not for the faint of heart. Ā But thereāsĀ ānot for the faint of heartā andĀ āthis makes me actively uncomfortable because I donāt think itās being handled wellā. Ā This might act as a spoiler, but honestly itās a theme throughout the novel and, well... Ā The topic of rape is not handled the way it should have been, in my opinion. Ā Lots of people will feel differently, and Iām sure some will have valid reasons, but I could not get behind this book.
The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman. Ā 2/5. Ā As a young girl, Lilly is sold to the circus by her mother. Ā She hasnāt even had much experience of the world, locked away by her parents to keep her albinism a secret. Ā In a parallel timeline, 20+ years later, nineteen-year old Julia learns that her estranged mother is dead, and she has inherited the family horse farm. Ā Returning home, she stumbles across Lillyās story, and becomes wrapped up in the mystery of what happened to her. Ā Obviously, this story is interesting--but I think it might be time for me to stop trying these parallel narrative historical fiction novels. Ā They just arenāt for me. Ā Furthermore, the simplicity of the writing and the characters was off-putting. Ā It felt like I was reading about Lilly and the Good People versus Cartoon Villains.
Happiness: A Memoir by Heather Harpham. Ā 3/5. Ā Upon finding out that she was pregnant, Heather Harpham soon realized that her boyfriend, Brian, loved her but wasnāt sure about the idea of fatherhood in his forties. Ā She went through her pregnancy alone, gave birth without him--but things became even more complicated upon the discovery that their daughter, Amelia-Grace, had a blood disease that would quite possibly kill her before she hit thirty. Ā āHappinessā is the story of not only Amelia-Graceās treatment and the fight for her life, but Heather and Brianās journey towards finding each other. Ā Itās at times frustrating, as many memoirs are; I really donāt know that Brian and Heather are people I would identify with if I met them, and some of their decisions were... questionable. Ā But the writing is lovely, and I really felt for what was an incredibly human story. Ā Itās a well-done memoir.
A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor. Ā 4/5. Ā Shipwrecked with her sister Henri and a virtual stranger, Alex, Emma has little hope of being found or rescued. Ā Complicating matters of survival is her fraught relationship with Henri, ruined by recent events. Ā Parallel narratives tell the story of the three teensā attempts to survive, while also revealing what happened between Henri and Emma. Ā This book is extremely gripping and interesting, and while there is a romance that largely serves to develop Emmaās character, the crux of the story is her relationship with the magnetic, manipulative Henri. Ā Henri is the kind of character you love to hate, and so is Emma in a way. Ā Their codependency was extremely compelling, and while a couple of the laterĀ ātwistsā werenāt the strongest, they didnāt dull my interest in the sisters and what happened to them.
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen, 3/5. Ā This book is a collection of essays on women who Petersen--someone who got her doctoral degree on celebrity gossip, essentially--terms asĀ āunrulyā for a variety of different reasons. Ā Petersen, who wrote for Buzzfeed, does know how to write a thinkpiece, and in an engaging manner. Ā Itās definitely a quick, fun read. Ā Nothing she says here reinvents the wheel if youāre already engaged in feminist theory, but most of it isnāt actively wrong and itās good to read. Ā But she does write as a straight, cis, white woman (as she acknowledges). Sheās conventionally attractive; she isnāt fat. Ā So there is a part of me thatās likeĀ āugh, I wish someone who could speak from personal experience about what sheās writing had written this bookā. Ā Sheās not even old, like Madonna (the subject of her āToo Oldā essay). Ā But thatās not really something Petersen can help. Ā What she can help is the manner in which she overlooks the ridiculousness of Caitlyn Jennerās political views, barely mentioning them in theĀ āToo Qu**rā essay. Ā Really, Petersen acknowledges that Jenner doesnāt embody that label; so why not discuss another woman like Laverne Cox or Janet Mock over Jenner? Ā And I know sheās capable of criticizing her subject, because she does so in the aforementioned Madonna piece (though she doesnāt get into exactly how problematic Madonnaās rearing and presentation of her black children has been; thatās not the point of the piece). Ā The Lena Dunham piece is similarly shortsighted. Ā She doesnāt discuss many of the reasons why lots of people--including many feminists--hate Dunham. Ā She doesnāt get into her racism, her troubling discussion of her relationship with her sister. Ā If Petersen didnāt want to get into these issues, there are plenty ofĀ āunruly womenā who coincide with her topics and arenāt loaded with ugliness, for lack of a better term. Ā So while I liked the book--it could have done with more women of color, by the way--a couple of the essays I side-eyed.
The Devilās Lady by Deborah Simmons. Ā 4/5. Ā When Aisley de Laci (yes) is forced to marry--but given the option to choose her husband--she chooses Piers Montmorency (yes) otherwise known as the Red Knight (YES). Ā Fierce and mysterious, Piers is said to have a made a pact with the devil, and doesnāt allow Aisley to see him in the light. Ā If you think this means they have a lot of sex in the dark, fuck yeah it does. Ā This is a classic sort of romance novel, made better by the fact that the heroine has a lot of agency in terms of her sexuality for a romance novel written in the 90s, and the guy isnāt a total douchebag. Ā He kind of is at first, but heās not put in the best situation so.... Ā One of the most appealing parts of the story is dealt with in a manner that was way too easy for my taste, and the ending was all a bit rushed, but that wasnāt the point. Ā The romance was. Ā And it was good.Ā
Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta. Ā 2/5. Ā After an attempted escape from their guarded city, Faris is left alone, her love murdered and her sister enslaved. Ā Desperate to free her sister, she enters into arrangement with the kingās executioner and a the Princess Bryn--who wants to become queen--to slip out of the kingdom and transfer magic and honestly thatās all I got because this world was so badly explained and constructed. Ā It was one of those worlds that naturally doesnāt appeal to me, where magic is a substance and you can, like, put it in your body with a syringe? Ā Which made me think of an addiction plotline on the rise and addiction + magic is something I hate and even if I did understand this world, which I didnāt because the writing didnāt explain it to me, I probably wouldnāt like it. Then there were little things, like the kingās executioner being a teenage boy (was there... not someone a little older) and Faris streetfighting~ to earn her keep. Ā Cliche.
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