#of feminism whilst they tried to explain

[hugsandnoregrets]

every succession Sunday I would see condescending posts with hundreds of notes about how if you like or stan shiv you’re missing the point of the character how she’s not more morally upstanding how she’s actually probably the most evil of all mocking her fans for being cringe and thinking she’s a girl boss whilst simultaneously seeing anyone who posted the same shit about any single man on the show get lambasted like

‘oh yeah tom and greg and kendall and roman are also all bad just like shiv’

‘this dumb cunt doesn’t think we have reading comprehension lol what a stupid idiot yes ma’am should we call you teacher lol we only ironically call shiv a stupid dumb cunt who is abusive and just like daddy and worse than everyone it’s IRONIC because duh they’re all awful people lol we just excuse everything the men do because they’re sweet poor baby girls lol soooo girl coded - except that dumb cunt shiv she wears pants and is assertive so she’s more masculine coded than rich men in equally unearned positions of power teehee - uh how dare you apply any morals to the men of the show the show, what are you the fandom police!?’

[tealeavesandthorns]

//I saw Barbie last night and tonight I'm off to see TMNT.

For now I am going to try not to fall asleep and maybe do some writing.

[hekatepoetryxxwriting]

Experiments in Writing: A Critique of Creative Work Within Queering, Feminism, and the Work of Sigmund Freud

For my creative work that I undertook in this module, I chose to focus on the idea of Queering. As well as this, I found myself influenced by the theories and works of Sigmund Freud[1], as well as using several feminist texts, both literary and theoretical, to try and establish a connection between the three ideas within my writing. Due to the essay Freud wrote on The Uncanny[2], he theories and ideas are already heavily tied to gothic literature as a whole, which made connecting him to my work a lot easier. I focused on short stories based upon fairy tales and attempted to alter the narrative of each of the original texts to suit the concept I had come up with. Based upon some of the work from lessons, I used a form of metalepsis[3]within my stories, trying to shift the perception of gender and sexuality within a gothic literate format. I was inspired to take this route by one of my favourite authors, a feminist writer called Angela Carter[4]. Her work in The Bloody Chambers and Other Stories[5] was a major source of inspiration for my work and helped me to develop my writing format and style throughout this module. I chose to focus my work on these theories as I felt that they were somewhat contradictory of one another, and I felt that the juxtaposition of these ideas would help to elevate my writing towards something outside of the usual style I worked in.

For my first creative piece, a short story titled The Wolves in the Woods, I wanted to focus mostly on several of Freud’s most infamous theories. The creative work itself was heavily inspired by a short story written by Angela Carter called The Company of Wolves[6]. I had read this story during college and found the way she addressed gender play and sexuality a fascinating plot device. Not only this, but the way that she would take fairytales that were commonly known amongst readers and adjusted the story to appeal to a wider feminist reading. I agree that a lot of fairytales have subtle sexist undertones that usually place women and men in specific boxes, and I enjoyed reading Carter’s reimagining of this.

Because of the theories I had been researching for the module, I found that writing influences like Carter were juxta-positioned with theories like Freud. One of the main theories I hoped to translate into creative work was the three agents of Freud’s idea of the psyche, often referred to as the ‘id, ego, and super-ego’[7]. As Freud explains, the id ‘contains everything that is inherited, that is present at birth, is laid down in the constitution — above all, therefore, the instincts, which originate from the somatic organization, and which find a first psychical expression here (in the id) in forms unknown to us’[8]. The ego and super-ego, on the other hand, represented the more intelligent side of humans, made of ideas like common sense and cultural norms and opinions taught to children by their parents and the society they live in. This concept of basic instinct versus the laws of society was something I could instantly connect to the gothic literature of Carter, as well as feminism and Queering due to their association with being historically against society’s idea of normal.

When I began to plot out my creative work, I realised that the entire concept of a werewolf was a literary device for man’s inner turmoil between instinct and reason, aka the id and the ego/super-ego. I attempted to flout the tropes of romance writing by presenting a werewolf who, unlike many other fictional interpretations, does not ignore the basic animalist instincts for his love interest. Rather, they compromise, accepting equal shares of idand ego, whilst completely casting aside the rules society sets, therefore ignoring the concept of the super-ego. By casting aside the rules that are hinted at through the story, the protagonist is freed, as shown by the ending of the story being ‘amongst the howls beseeching the night, was a woman’s cries of joy entering the chorus’[9].

Throughout the beginning of the story, the structure of the super-ego is important to the world-building of the setting. Another of Freud’s theories that I used for my first creative piece was the Madonna-Whore complex, which suggests that women either fit the role of the pure virginal wife, or the corrupted succubus. The implication of the theory is that women can only be one or the other, with the Madonna being the ‘preferred’ female archetype. In The Wolves in the Woods I allowed my protagonist to undergo a narrative transformation using the Queering literary device metalepsis. Judith Butler’s point on metalepsis helped to carve the character development in my work through her statement that ‘the performativity of gender revolves around this metalepsis… performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition, a ritual’[10]. Through my first creative piece, I tried to show a progression from a Madonna-like character to someone who embodies the whore, which is summed up by the end of my story in a paragraph ‘She is not the trodden women of the village, with their heads wrapped in silk, hidden from men and from the world. Now she sits upon the lap of the wolf, who stares at her with pupils blown wide, ears open and perked’ [11]and separates her from the other women, transforming her in just two sentences and completing the metalepsis.

However, this is not the only instance of metalepsis in this story. Whilst this is more of a metaphorical sense of metalepsis, the actual idea of a werewolf is a physical form of this literary device. This was another way of connecting the two characters. They both undergo some form of transformation and simultaneously must learn to adapt due to their place in the world. To make this clearer, I used repetition in the way they were described to further suggest the idea that their roles in society were different. These sentences, ‘Lycanthrope: the ability to shift, to transform, to adapt’ and ‘Woman: the ability to shift, to transform, to adapt’ were written this way because they also implied that both Lycanthrope and Woman were ‘things’ rather than people.

A major point to the majority of my stories was taking traditional gender roles within fairy tales and adjusting the narrative around them, which is one of the entire concepts behind the literary device of metalepsis. I did research on masculinity within fairy tales[12]- and gothic literature in general- and found a few feminist articles that discussed how these male characters were influenced by the masculine ideals of the time, and how it affects the narrative of the novels they appear in as a whole[13]. An essay by Alice Neikirk found evidence that ‘Rather than being a mere reflection of societal ideals, these fairytales perpetuate Christian, patriarchal concepts as a means of maintaining the gender hierarchy’[14]. I find that exploring fairytales through Freudian concepts was easy, as a lot of Freud’s theories focused on societal expectations and the way they can shape the human psyche. To an extent, fairytales, including my own, are a prose form of rules and morals set by the society who shares them, usually used as a form of control over children, mainly young girls.

Therefore, when applying psychoanalytical theories to my work, I attempted to subvert some of the typical rules set in fairytales by changing the roles of characters. An example of this is my final story, Eilidh’s Prince, which featured a lesbian romance whereupon one of the characters assumes the role of a man for a brief period. I felt that this was the best choice for the plot because of the symbolism of castration anxiety that is prevalent throughout the story. This is something I made clear when I chose to write the line ‘A fanged rose, a vertical grimace they cower from, lest it bite back’[15]. The idea of castration anxiety[16] is another of Freud’s theories, something he viewed as part of the uncanny. The idea is that men fear castration, perhaps as a punishment for their lust or simply the idea of becoming women, but I attempted to transform this idea by having a woman become a man temporarily, knowing the ‘fanged rose’ was not something she had to fear. I wanted to create a sense of dramatic irony that also came from Carter’s work. One story in particular that inspired me for this was ‘The Erl-King’ where the title character is described as ‘an excellent housewife’[17]. Through this, Carter has transgressed the usual boundaries of gender, and attributes feminine qualities to her male character. I took my version a little more literally and allowed my love interest to dress as a male.

For the other story in my collection, The Fae Prince and The Pomegranate[18], I also had used The Erl-King[19]as my main inspiration. However, unlike my two other pieces, this one was also partially inspired by historical mythology, which is another passion of mine. The mythology I chose to use for my work was the story of Hades, God of the Underworld, and Persephone[20]. Greek Mythology lends itself to fairytales as they could technically be considered a tale of their own time. Not only this, but I find that the nature of the Celtic myth of Fae is similar to the rules of the Underworld according to Greek accounts of Hades and Persephone. The main rule that comes to mind between both is that eating in their respective territories, according to legends, will force the victim to remain there forever. However in doing my research I found that certain myths suggest that Persephone had in face willingly gone to the Underworld, hence her name changing from Kore (meaning ‘the maiden’) to Persephone, which means ‘the bringer of death’[21]. The use of the pomegranate as a way of tying the Prince to the mortal girl and by extension her world was my way of applying both Fae rules and still using the mythology that I had used to construct the story’s foundations.

In conclusion, I enjoyed using these theories and influences to create my stories. I found that the use of experimental ideas and writing gave me more freedom than the usual styles I had been writing in. Comparing feminism and queering with the likes of Freud proved to be quite a challenge, but I feel that it paid off, as I have been able to create an unusual set of stories heavily inspired by authors’ works that I have long looked up to as gothic fantasy literature with heavy symbolism and use of metaphors and euphemisms that made the stories more interesting.

[1] Martin Evan Jay, "Sigmund Freud | Biography, Theories, Works, & Facts", Encyclopedia Britannica <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sigmund-Freud> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [2] Sigmund Freud, The Uncanny (London: Penguin Books, 1919). [3] "Metalepsis - Definition And Examples Of Metalepsis", Literary Devices <https://literarydevices.net/metalepsis/> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [4] "Angela Carter", Angelacarter.Co.Uk, 2014 <https://www.angelacarter.co.uk/> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [5] Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1979). [6] Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1979). [7] Saul Mcleod, "Id, Ego, And Superego | Simply Psychology", Simplypsychology.Org, 2019 <https://www.simplypsychology.org/psyche.html#:~:text=According%20to%20Freud%20psychoanalytic%20theory,id%20and%20the%20super%2Dego.> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [8] Sigmund Freud, "An Outline Of Psycho-Analysis", 1940. [9]Shannon Hutton, Experiments CW1 [10] Judith Butler, Performative Acts And Gender Constitution: An Essay In Phenomenology And Feminist Theory (Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1988) <https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3207893.pdf> [Accessed 19 April 2021]. [11]Shannon Hutton, Experiments CW1 [12] Alice Neikirk, "...Happily Ever After (Or What Fairytales Teach Girls About Being Women)", Hilo.Hawaii.Edu <https://hilo.hawaii.edu/campuscenter/hohonu/volumes/documents/Vol07x07HappilyEverAfter.pdf> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [13] "Masculinity In Victorian Gothic Novels", Ukessays.Com, 2017 <https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-literature/masculinity-in-victorian-gothic-novels-english-literature-essay.php> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [14] Alice Neikirk, "...Happily Ever After (Or What Fairytales Teach Girls About Being Women)", Hilo.Hawaii.Edu <https://hilo.hawaii.edu/campuscenter/hohonu/volumes/documents/Vol07x07HappilyEverAfter.pdf> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [15]Shannon Hutton, Experiments CW1 [16] Sigmund Freud, "Freud: On Narcissism", English.Hawaii.Edu <http://www.english.hawaii.edu/criticalink/narc/guide5.html> [Accessed 19 April 2021]. [17] Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1979). [18]Shannon Hutton, Experiments CW1 [19] Angela Carter, The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories (London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1979). [20] "Myth Of Hades And Persephone", Greek Myths & Greek Mythology <https://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/myth-of-hades-and-persephone/> [Accessed 18 April 2021]. [21] "Persephone: Goddess Of Spring And The Underworld", THEOI GREEK MYTHOLOGY <https://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Persephone.html> [Accessed 20 April 2021].

[ddagent]

After a horrible blind date, Brienne wishes she could meet a lord or a knight of old instead. When her date follows her, Brienne walks into the road but rather be hit by a car, she finds herself along a dusty road with Ser Jaime Lannister ready to assist her. I am in love with your brain and I NEED THIS FOR MY HEALTH THANK YOU

MY BRAIN IS WEIRD AND OVER-ACHIEVING BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS PROMPT ALL THE SAME! Inspired by these two pictures. 

“You’re being ridiculous, Brienne!”

She didn’t stop to give Hyle an answer. She didn’t even stop to grab her coat from the cloakroom. Brienne quickly pushed past the maître d’ and out into the cold night air. Brienne wrapped her arms around herself, trying to encourage warmth into her body. Stupid dress. She’d spent so much time and money wanting to look good for this date. Stupid heels. She tottered down the pavement; not fast or far enough for her liking. Stupid Hyle. It had all been a bet. 

“Brienne!” 

She ignored Hyle calling her name and continued down the road. She should have listened to her gut; should have been suspicious of all the interest she had been receiving from her co-workers. But Hyle was sweet and didn’t push, and when he’d asked her to dinner, Brienne couldn’t help but say yes. And then, over said dinner, he revealed how much the pot had come to. Hyle had hoped his honesty would encourage her to sleep with him after all. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Gods, what had happened to chivalry? Of not being a damn arse? 

“Will you stop already? I have your coat!” 

Brienne did not stop. Hyle could keep the coat, the rest of her dignity, and the last vestiges of her self-esteem. She would go back to her flat, change out of this ridiculously short and expensive dress, and bury herself in a good book. She’d just bought a non-fiction tome on the knights of old Westeros. Gallant, brave; good, decent men who protected the weak and were honourable to their core. Brienne had never met a man like that. Clearly, they’d all died out in the Long Night. 

“Brienne!”

Hyle had finally caught up to her; he grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Leave me alone, Hyle!”

“Just listen—” 

Brienne used her considerable strength to shove him away. Unfortunately, in doing so, she lost her balance. Those ridiculous heels that Margaery had insisted she buy. She fell backwards into the road; her shoulder taking the brunt and her ankle twisting from under her. Hyle, sprawled out on the kerb, got to his feet to help her up; no doubt hoping his half-arsed chivalry would earn him a kiss and a feel. Neither saw the headlights until it was too late. 

Brienne expected pain. But when she opened her eyes, it was to warm rays of sunlight “What in the Seven?” 

Beside her, Hyle groaned into his mouthful of grass. “What the fuck?”

She sat up, surveying her surroundings with wide eyes. Gone was the King’s Landing strip of restaurants and coffee shops; gone were the road and the car threatening to knock them both down. In its place was a wide-open field and not a soul for miles. Apart from the man on horseback approaching them, however. Where were they?

“Brienne,” Hyle said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he righted himself. “What the fuck happened?” He placed his right hand on her bare leg to steady himself. “Not bad, Tarth.”

“Piss off.” 

She pushed him again, only for Hyle to grab her hand. “Stop shoving me, alright? I’m the best you’re ever going to get. You think anyone else will want to fuck you? At least with me, you’ll get an experience you won’t forget.”

“Yes, because I’m sure it’ll haunt me in my dreams. Let go of my hand, Hyle, or I’ll break yours.” 

It was at that point the man on horseback reached them. Temporarily blinded by the sun, Brienne could only see a silhouette drop from his horse. She could make out the armour that he was wearing, however, and the sword he unsheathed. Fuck. Brienne’s mouth fell open as the man approached. Hyle seemed equally transfixed until the man stopped, cocked his head; not saying a word. 

Hyle, however, did not have that problem. “Listen, buddy, I don’t know what your problem is, but maybe you should get back on your horse and fuck off.”

The man snorted. And, quickly, brought his blade within a hair of Hyle’s jugular. The thick stench of urine permeated the air. “I am not a...buddy. I am a knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and I have found you at the roadside with a lady in great distress.” 

“She’s not in distress. We’re friends.”

“We are not friends,” Brienne spat, only for the knight’s blade to bury further into Hyle’s neck. “But nor do I wish to see his blood spilt, Ser!”

The knight’s sword retreated; returned to its scabbard. “The lady has spared your life. I suggest you run, and run far, lest I decide not to listen to her.”

Hyle’s head jerked between the knight and Brienne. Swallowing, he stumbled to his feet and took off in the opposite direction; his loafers slapping against the dirt road. Brienne wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, or where they were, but she knew she couldn’t let Hyle die because of her. A broken jaw; maybe a busted nose. But not bleeding out in the middle of Seven-knows-where. 

With Hyle out of the way, Brienne could concentrate on herself. Namely, the knight kneeling by her side. She could see him better, now. Dark-blonde hair falling across bottle-green eyes. A beard covering a cutting jawline. Red and gold armour; lions forged into the metal. He was a bannerman of House Lannister; Brienne knew that sigil well. Despite his willingness to slit Hyle’s throat, he betrayed a gentleness, now, as he took her hand. 

“How greatly did that cad hurt you, my lady?”

“Just my pride.” The knight raised a single eyebrow. “I can take care of myself.”

His brow furrowed as he took in her appearance. “But your dress... there’s little material left. Did he—”

“—Gods, no. This is a new fashion in...Essos,” Brienne lied, unsure how to explain the change in fashion and feminism in the centuries since men carried swords and wore full suits of armour. “Thank you, Ser, for your help. It’s very much appreciated.”

“It’s nothing, my Lady. I swore a vow to protect the innocent.”

“Well, thank you.” Brienne used her free hand to pat his arm before rising to her feet. Well, she tried to. It appeared as if she had twisted her ankle in the fall; her joint now screamed in agony as she made to stand. Sagging, Brienne clutched her knight’s arm once more. “My ankle. I can’t get up.”

“There is a maester at my current lodgings. I shall take you to him. Come now, my lady; put your arms around my neck. I shall carry you to my horse.”

Brienne couldn’t help herself. She snorted. “You can’t carry me.”

“Oh? Is that so?” And before Brienne knew it, one of the knight’s arms had reached underneath her knees whilst the other supported her back. Brienne found herself gathered in his arms; her face far too close to his. She could see the flecks of gold in his green eyes; the creases around his mouth as he smirked. “I’m strong enough.” 

And so he was. The Golden Lion carried her to his white horse, and for the first time in her life, Brienne felt like a princess. But she wasn’t a princess, or a noblewoman. She was an assistant curator very, very far from home. 

[maychorian]

Paladin Theme Songs

I made a playlist and said I would explain it later, so here I am explaining.

Here’s the playlist. Lock in your guesses about which song goes with which Paladin now. Also, I count Kuron as a paladin, so there are seven songs.

I should also note that these are not necessarily songs the various paladins would choose for themselves. Nor are they particularly cinematic or appropriate for background music in a TV show. The question was what I would pick as the theme song for each paladin, so this is what I would pick.

It’s also kind of early-canon rather than late canon, because that’s where my mind tends to go when I think about these characters. These might not necessarily be appropriate for the person I associate them with at the end of the show, or even near the end. The characters did develop, all of them. They had arcs and resolutions. So yeah, think peak-angst time. Also, some of the songs could definitely apply to more than one paladin. “Hero” by Family of the Year could be for any of the Earthlings, really.

Buckle in for some maychorian meta. I don’t do it very often.

For Lance: Waterbound by The Fretless

These is definitely an early-canon song, from when Lance was homesick and missing his family and wondering if he would ever get home. Also, the theme of water and the Blue Lion, of course. It’s about Lance feeling trapped by his duty, wistful and a little lonely. 

It's I'm gone and I won't be back  Don't believe me count my tracks River's long and the river's wide I'll meet you boys on the other side 

So say my name and don't forget Water still ain't got me yet Nothing but I'm bound to roam Waterbound and I can't get home 

For Kuron: Weighty Ghost by Wintersleep

I got pretty choked up listening to this song and thinking about Kuron. His body was basically stolen before he was dead, and it’s sickening. Worst is how no one even seems to realize that they did that to him. He’s just a bodiless ghost.

Worse is the second verse, which to me is about Kuron just wanting to get rid of the voices in his head and be left alone. And treated like a person. For God’s sake, treat this boy like a person. He is one.

Are you some kind of medicine man? Cut the demons out of my head You can't kill something that's already dead So leave my soul alone I don't need no surgery Take those knives away from me I just wanna die in my own body A ghost just needs a home 

For Allura: Voidfish (Plural) by Rachel Rose Mitchell and Griffin Mcelroy

This is the only instrumental in my playlist, so it’s definitely the most abstract, but that’s fitting, since Allura’s story definitely felt very abstract. But still, close your eyes and listen to this song and think about Allura, and try not to cry or get goosebumps. I hear the emptiness of space, the mystery of magic, swooping and crying noises that remind me of the rift creatures that became bound to Allura and her fate. The beautiful harp of her feminity, the war-like drums of her determination to fight, it’s all there. You can imagine her spreading out through multiple dimensions, making them grow and thrive and shine brightly. And then the fading at the end, with the lonely howl of something unknowable.

For Hunk: Hero by Family of the Year

This is early-canon Hunk, sure, but I think it also holds true through the rest of his story. Even after he accepts the burden of fighting for the universe, he doesn’t want to be a solo hero. He wants to fight with his team. He loves people and bringing them together. That was one thing I liked about the ending, actually, was how Hunk’s food was shown bridging cultural divides and helping the new universe after the fall of the Galra Empire prosper and grow.

And we can whisper things Secrets from my American dreams Baby needs some protection But I'm a kid like everyone else

So let me go I don't wanna be your hero I don't wanna be a big man I just wanna fight like everyone else

For Pidge: Summer Skeletons by Radical Face

To me, this is the ultimate sibling song. Maybe the singer met it about childhood friends, but this is the song that my younger siblings really strongly adopted as an anthem. My youngest sisters sang it at another sister’s wedding rehearsal, crying and shaking the whole time. Obviously not every moment in the song will resonate with every set of siblings, but it’s just a beautiful encapsulation of what it means to be young and free and enjoying each other’s company in the endless heat of halcyon summer, and it makes me think of Pidge and Matt and how close they are. And how much she missed him. And how happy they were to get each other back.

When all we knew wasn't stolen There was nothing real to lose When our heads were still simple We'd sleep beneath the moon You were something That would always be around When regrets were nowhere to be found

Lost out among the trees Our hands scraped the bark You still had bloody knees From your spill in the dark We were both laughing then While carving bad words in the wood We had no need to speak

For Keith: Raging Fire by Phillip Phillips

Tumblr won’t let me add anymore videos, but here’s a link.

Yeah, yeah, maybe it’s a little on the nose for me to pick a song about fire for Keith and a song about water for Lance. Still, this song feels appropriate for Keith, for his passion and the way he begins to open up to those around him. His relationship with Shiro is especially poignant in these lyrics, I think. Especially when he was fighting for “Shiro” in that confrontation at the end of Season 6, begging him to hear him and respond to him and fight against the programming. If only he had managed to save Kuron as well as Shiro. But he tried, he really did.

You know time will give and time will take All the memories made will wash away Even though we've changed, I'm still here with you If you listen close, you'll hear the sound Of all the ghosts that bring us down Hold on to what makes you feel Don't let go, it's what makes you real

For Shiro: Soldier’s Eyes by Jack Savoretti

Here’s another link.

Shiro is a fighter. A gladiator. A champion. He’s a soldier, literally and figuratively. And he never stops fighting. But his eyes are definitely haunted by the things he’s seen and things he’s done, and that’s not something he’ll ever be able to escape, even after he goes home at last.

Cause like the enemies that we are battling I am nothing but a human alien Left with nothing else but to keep wandering Down this path whilst stopping my hands trembling Because I know that I'll be coming home soon And yes I know that I'll be coming home soon with a soldier's eyes

[pamphletstoinspire]

CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS INFORMATION - Part 1

Introduction

"Catholic doctrine tells us that the primary duty of charity does not lie in the toleration of false ideas, however sincere they may be, nor in the theoretical or practical indifference towards the errors and vices in which we see our brethren plunged . . . Further, whilst Jesus was kind to sinners and to those who went astray, He did not respect their false ideas, however sincere they might have appeared. He loved them all, but He instructed them in order to convert them and save them." - Pope St. Pius X, Our Apostolic Mandate, August 25, 1910.

*

O Lord, who art called the Branch, the Orient, the Splendour of the eternal light, and the Sun of Justice, who art that Tree, of whom Thy beloved disciple speaks as the Tree of life, bearing twelve fruits, and its leaves for the healing of the nations, give Thy grace and blessing on all those various states and conditions in Thy Holy Church, which have sprung from Thee and live in Thy Life.

Give to all Bishops the gifts of knowledge, discernment, prudence, and love.

Give to all priests to be humble, tender, and pure;

Give to all pastors of Thy flock to be zealous, vigilant, and unworldly;

Give to all religious bodies to act up to their rule, to be simple and without guile, and to set their hearts upon invisible things and them only.

Grant to fathers of families to recollect that they will have hereafter to give account of the souls of their children; grant to all husbands to be tender and true; to all wives to be obedient and patient; grant to all children to be docile; to all young people to be chaste; to all the aged to be fervent in spirit; to all who are engaged in business, to be honest and unselfish;

And to all of us the necessary graces of faith, hope, charity, and contrition.

Bl. John Henry Newman

Twelve Meditations and Intercessions for Good Friday __________

CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS INFORMATION - Part 2

Be A Catholic Apologist Without Apology

By: Carl Olson

"I’m sorry. I’m really very sorry. I wish I could convey to you how deeply sorry I truly am."

The speaker was a poker-faced Karl Keating, founder and president of Catholic Answers, an apostolate dedicated to the defense of the Catholic Faith. Addressing a crowd of several hundred in central California, he stepped back and paused for a few moments, letting his introductory words settle in.

"There you have it," he said, moving to the microphone, "a demonstration of what so many people think a Catholic apologist does."

The well-received joke played on the fact that "apologetics" is not a common word in the vocabulary of many Catholics. When introduced to the term, more than a few people wonder if it means apologizing for something. As Keating noted, "Some people think that an apologist is someone who travels the country apologizing for being a Catholic."

The Meaning of Apologetics

"Apologetics" is derived from the Greek root word apologia. In ancient Greece it referred to a formal defense of a belief, an explanation or argument for one’s philosophy or religion. The word occurs several times in the New Testament, including sections of the Gospels, seeking to persuade unbelievers of the truth claims of the Church, especially the unique nature of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Standing before a tribunal in Jerusalem, the imprisoned Paul states, "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense [apologia] which I now offer to you" (Acts 22:1). In his epistle to the Philippians the Apostle to the Gentiles states that one of his tasks was to make a "defense of the Gospel." Perhaps the best-known appearance of the word in the Bible is in Peter’s first epistle: "Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15).

Catholic apologetics is the defense and explanation of the teachings, beliefs, and practices of the Catholic Church. Its goal is to remove objections, shed light on difficult or misunderstood matters, and ultimately help win minds and souls for Jesus Christ. Apologetics is the activity of helping people answer the question: "Why should I be Catholic?" It does so by engaging the mind to reach the heart.

Unfortunately, apologetics has a negative connotation for some Christians, including more than a few Catholics. For these people, Avery Cardinal Dulles notes in A History of Apologetics, "the apologist is regarded as an aggressive, opportunistic person who tries, by fair means or by foul, to argue people into joining the Church." As Cardinal Dulles notes, there have undoubtedly been some bad apologists for the Catholic Faith. Apologists can be unduly argumentative, contentious, mean-spirited, triumphalistic, and arrogant. They can offend unbelievers just as easily as they defend Christian beliefs.

The Dos and Don’ts of Apologetics

However, apologetics should not be dismissed because of misuse or misunderstandings. The value and place of apologetics is best judged by looking to the finest defenders of Catholicism: Paul and Peter, Justin Martyr, Eusebius, Augustine, Aquinas, de Sales, Pascal, Newman, Chesterton, and even Pope John Paul II. These men dealt with pagans, Jews, Muslims, Protestants, agnostics, and atheists, adapting their methods and styles according to their audience while never deviating from the truth.

Most importantly, they are saints first, apologists second. They are men of holiness and prayer. A consistent and vital life of prayer is imperative for the apologist, especially since he is often under attack, verbally, spiritually, and, on occasion, physically. Prayer leads to a deeper knowledge of God and truth. "The closer the apologists grows to God in prayer," writes apologist (and president of Ignatius Press) Mark Brumley in How Not To Share Your Faith, "the more intense his hatred of error and his desire that all men know the truth; the more intense his desire to use apologetics to help bring people to the truth."

Knowledge of the Faith is necessary, of course, since the Church’s teaching about Jesus Christ, or the Eucharist, or the communion of saints cannot be defended without knowing something of substance about them. There is much to comprehend about the Catholic Church and her teachings, but the most basic study materials should include the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, augmented by solid works of biblical and theological scholarship. The good news is that publishers such as Ignatius Press, Sophia Institute Press, Our Sunday Visitor and others have been publishing quality works of popular and scholarly apologetics for several decades. Classic texts by John Cardinal Newman, G.K. Chesterton, Ronald Knox, Frank Sheed, and other leading apologists of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century are in print and readily available. Contemporary authors Thomas Howard, Karl Keating, Peter Kreeft, Patrick Madrid, Mark Shea, Rev. Peter Stravinskas, and many others have produced an impressive array of books addressing modern challenges to the Catholic Faith, including fundamentalist Protestantism, secularism, feminism, and relativism.

All Catholics should have some basic knowledge of apologetics since they will all undoubtedly encounter questions and challenges about what they believe. When challenged to explain why and what they believe, Catholics should keep in mind what apologetics can and cannot do.

Apologetics should remove objections or false ideas about Catholicism. For example, when asked why Catholics worship Mary, the apologist should be able to explain that Catholics do not, in fact, worship Mary, but worship God alone, clarifying the nature of "worship" and the role of Mary in the life of her Son and in the Church. Much good can come of simply breaking down stereotypical ideas and misunderstandings that are far more prevalent in American culture than some Catholics appreciate.

Apologetics presents reasoned evidence for Catholic doctrine. Doctrines such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Real Presence of the Eucharist cannot be proven through logic or scientific method, but good arguments can be made that they are reasonable and not contrary to logic, even though they transcend the limits of human understanding. A good example of this are the evidences offered by Thomas Aquinas for the existence of God: they logically show that it is more reasonable to believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing Creator and Designer than to believe that the universe is the result of blind chance.

Apologetics should prepare the heart for conversion through an appeal to the intellect. Peter Kreeft writes in Fundamentals of the Faith, "Remember that the purpose of apologetics is not just to win the head but to win the heart through the head." The goal of apologetics is never to demonstrate the intelligence and wit of the apologist, but to invite others into a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ. In the case of apologists who deal with anti-Catholic Protestants, the goal is an invitation into the fullness of Christ’s Church. Even in the midst of conflict, focus on conversion; while addressing the head, aim for the heart.

Apologetics cannot demonstrate the truth of the Catholic Faith. There are limits to apologetics arguments, no matter how sound and good they are. The hypostatic union and transubstantiation cannot be proven in the way that the existence of gravity or the chemical makeup of water can be proven. Put another way, the apologist has to respect both the reach and the limits of argument and reason while bearing in mind the nature of faith, which is a gift from God.

Likewise, the apologist cannot force, by sheer reason, people to believe. Humans are not calculating machines who crisply process information and then make perfect, understandable decisions. Good apologetics respects the dignity and free will of each person, even when challenging persons to consider serious reasons to believe the claims made by the Catholic Church. Defending the Faith should not be about winning arguments, but presenting truth. As the old saying goes, "Win an argument, lose a convert."

The apologist does not win souls–that is the work of the Holy Spirit. The knowledge of an accomplished apologist can potentially tempt him to lose the humility necessary to clearly understand his work. That work is always dependent on God’s grace. Which is yet another reason that constant prayer and reflection are keys to healthy apologetic activities.

Telling Your Story

One of best apologetic methods is personal testimony. In a recent article in First Things magazine titled "The Rebirth of Apologetics" (May 2004), Cardinal Dulles writes, "The apologetics of personal testimony is particularly suited to the genius of Catholicism. In the act of Catholic faith, reliance on testimony goes out indivisibly to Christ and to the Church through which he continues his mission in the world. Such testimony invites us not only to individual conversion but to communion with the whole body of believers." This thought echoes the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which explains that the sacrament of confirmation gives Catholics "the special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross" (CCC 1303).

The new evangelization promoted and articulated by Pope John Paul II emphasizes the importance of ordinary Catholics sharing their testimonies of faith with others. Dry facts and logical arguments may leave many people cold, but few cannot resist the story of a soul transformed and made anew by God’s grace. In this way the exhortation of the first pope can be realized in the life of every Catholic: "Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence." No apologies necessary.

A Short History of Apologetics

The first apologists were the apostles, who defended the faith while evangelizing, preaching, and establishing the Church in Palestine and throughout the Roman Empire. The two most famous apologists of the second century were Justin Martyr (c. 100-c. 165), a former pagan philosopher, and Irenaeus (c. 130-c. 200), bishop of Lyons. Justin wrote defenses of Christianity for Roman readers, relying on his background and skill in philosophy and rhetoric. Irenaeus was one of the first great theologians of the Church and he used his skills to combat the various strains of gnosticism that threatened the Church in the late second century. His major work, Against Heresies, is a significant apologetic landmark.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) is a Doctor of the Church and is, along with Thomas Aquinas, one of the most brilliant theologians and apologists of the Western Church. A convert from Manichaeism, the African bishop wrote apologetic works aimed at the Manichees, pagans, and the Donatists. His masterpiece, The City of God, is heavily apologetic in nature, defending the Church against attacks from pagans prior to the fall of Rome. Augustine’s Confessions is one of the most famous works of early medieval literature and an example of the power of personal testimony as it continues to touch lives many centuries after it was written.

The Angelic Doctor, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), produced timeless works of scholastic apologetics, including the Summa Contra Gentiles, written to answer objections raised by Muslim theologians. Aquinas wrote that he set about the task "of making known, as far as my limited power will allow, the truth that the Catholic faith possesses, and of setting aside the errors that are opposed to it." Aquinas’s greatest work, the Summa Theologiae, carefully and thoroughly answered objections to the Faith, often articulating opposing arguments more cogently and persuasively than those who held them. Aquinas’s general approach to apologetics was to use the Old Testament in addressing Jews, the New Testament for Christian heretics, and natural reason for pagans and Muslims.

The sixteenth-century witnessed the dramatic upheaval of the Protestant Reformation, creating the need for apologetics oriented towards a host of different non-Catholic Christian communities and perspectives. In addition to many Jesuit apologists, the theologian and bishop Francis de Sales (1567-1622) stands out for his tireless efforts in France to win back Catholics who had embraced the teachings of John Calvin. As a young priest de Sales was responsible to winning back tens of thousands of such Catholics through writing pamphlets and handing them out door to door. Those pamphlets were subsequently published under the title The Catholic Controversy.

One of the most unique Catholic apologists was the French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-62). A child prodigy, Pascal underwent a dramatic conversion in his early thirties and dedicated the rest of his short life to defending the Catholic Faith against Enlightenment-era secularism and liberalism. He planned to write a thorough work of apologetics but died before completing it. The fragments and notes for that book were collected and published as Pensées. Full of insight into human nature and psychology, Pascal’s apologetic method was markedly different from the scholastic approach of Aquinas. "I can think of no Christian writer," T. S. Eliot wrote, "more to be commended than Pascal to those who doubt . . ." Essential to Pascal’s perspective was his conclusion that there exist three basic types of people: Those who seek God and find him, those who are seeking God but have not yet found him, and those who neither seek nor find.

The best-known Catholic apologist of the nineteenth-century was John Henry Newman (1801-90), an Anglican priest and scholar who eventually entered the Catholic Church after much study and personal anguish. Newman was a patristic scholar and a brilliant stylist; his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine is still considered to be a monumental work on early Church history, as is The Arians of the Fourth Century. But his greatest work of apologetics was his autobiographical Apologia pro vita sua, written in response to accusations that his conversion to Catholicism was a cynical and self-serving sham.

A blossoming of popular apologetics occurred in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries, led by English lay men Hilaire Belloc, G.K. Chesterton, and Arnold Lunn and priests Ronald Knox and Martin D’Arcy. Chesterton (1874-1936), a former agnostic, is notable for his prodigious output, continued popularity, and recognizable style. Frank Sheed (1897-1982), a former lawyer, founded both the Catholic Evidence Guild and the publishing house Sheed & Ward and wrote numerous apologetics works, including the classic Theology and Sanity.

Fr. John Francis Noll (1875-1956) founded Our Sunday Visitor in 1912 in an effort to fight the socialist, anti-Catholic periodical The Menace. He soon published a number of popular apologetics and catechetical texts, including the famous Father Smith Instructs Jackson, and established OSV as a leading Catholic publisher in the United States. For several decades in the mid-1900s Bishop Fulton Sheen very effectively used television and printed media to defend and explain Catholicism, reaching numerous non-Catholics.

Apologetics were popular in the decades leading up to the Second Vatican Council, but the 1970s were a low point for both popular and scholarly defenses of the Faith. The 1980s saw a resurgence of popular apologetics, often called the "New Apologetics," led by priests Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Fr. Joseph Fessio,, Fr. Peter Stravinskas, and Fr. William Most, and lay men Karl Keating, Peter Kreeft, Scott Hahn, Patrick Madrid, and others. Publishers including Our Sunday Visitor, Ignatius Press, Emmaus Road, Sophia Institute Press, and Ascension Press have produced dozens of apologetics texts in recent years, some of them classic works from previous eras and others the works of contemporary writers.

In a recent interview with IgnatiusInsight.com, Karl Keating reflected on his twenty-plus years in apologetics: "For many years Catholic Answers was a one-man operation. Today there are dozens of apologetics groups, some regional and some national. So apologetics is much more widely done than a quarter century ago, and the stigma that used to be attached to apologetics has largely been overcome." No need to say, "I'm sorry"—apologetics are alive and well.

From:  www.pamphletstoinspire.com

[swinstudenteryn]

Week 7 - Social Media Governance and Harassment  

This week we focused on social media governance and what that means in relation to digital citizenship. Social media governance is the monitoring of social media platforms to understand the risks associated online and they ways that these risks can be minimised (Flew, 2015).

Harassment and gaslighting whilst online is something which most people have sadly have become accustomed to due to it huge presence online. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser tries to convince someone that they are going insane or not remembering events correctly eroding “their sense of self and sanity”(Gleeson 2018). 

Online harassment has become a prevalent thing in society as we know it where more often than not female internet users are being targeted with hateful messages in regards to race, death threats, gaslighting and even receiving explicit images on their social media platforms which may explain why feminism is becoming more and more evident online (Francisco & Sydney 2016).

As far as harassment is concerned the majority of women online have experienced or become victim to the harassment of men online whether it be for voicing their opinions or disagreeing with someones behaviour as Fernandes experienced first hand (Francisco & Sydney 2016).

Although online harassment occurs daily as Fernandes discusses there is not much police can do about the matter as the perpetrators can only be arrested on suspicion of harassment whilst it is investigated, leaving the majority of the responsibility on the social media platform to remove the accounts which are being used to send the abuse which as discussed by Fernandes only does so much as new accounts can be easily made (Francisco & Sydney 2016). 

In previous cases the police don’t like to get involved with online issues telling the victims to simply remove themselves from the platform rather than dealing with the problem, creating the opinion that there’s "no support for women at all, from the police or anyone else” (Francisco & Sydney 2016 paragraph 24); in the cases where the police do get involved it tends to cause a large backlash against the victim from the trolls” and often the investigation gets been completed by the individual being harassed as they are not seen as a priority to the police (Francisco & Sydney 2016).

In a world where social media and technology is so widely used and important it is so disturbing and disappointing that there is such a lacking police presence and monitoring of online activity therefore no consequences for online abusers. 

References:Flew, T., 2015. Social media governance. Social Media+ Society, 1(1), p.2056305115578136.

Francisco, SLJCW in S & Sydney, EH in 2016, ‘The women abandoned to their online abusers’, The Guardian, 11 April.

Gleeson, J 2018, Explainer: what does ‘gaslighting’ mean?, The Conversation.

‌

[valakobama]

Giving Visibility to Women to Better the Movement for Racial Justice

America has a long history of relying on the fruitful labor of women, whilst simultaneously rejecting their existence. The roots of this dismissiveness can be traced to the very systems and values that this country was founded on and are upheld by this country: capitalism, racism, ableism, the patriarchy, to name a few. Yet, it remains to be a surprise to many when this oppression is brought to light in the context of existing oppressed groups, specifically black people. There was a sentiment that was expressed during the class discussion of Black Feminism that centered around the fact that it is common to view infringements on one’s multiple identities can be a attacked only one at a time. This mindset is harmful but unfortunately has been the tone set by preceding movements organized to better the conditions of black Americans in regards to dealing with the oppression of identities besides race. It is important to make note of the very issue that oppression is not only limited to the traditional actor, the rich white male, but can take many shapes and forms, which is inclusive of those who are traditionally stigmatized to a certain extent. It remains, though, that black women have historically always been the ones to take up the laborious task of effectively organizing for their interests, yet their efforts have constantly been appropriated for a man to occupy the leadership positions and they fade into the backdrop. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin is a very good example of this sentiment in the sense that while it is a beautifully composed narrative of the troubles of being a black person in the US, there is a noticeable lack of women in the book which is strikingly similar to the previously explained themes of black women lacking visibility.  It signals that the pattern of  denying black women roles in which their efforts can be attributed back to them, is rare in terms of history; but can be beneficial in finding successes through unity. Black women should not have to resort to infrapolitics within the movement for black lives, as movements like the black feminist movement arose to show that women’s rights are everyone’s rights, therefore need visibility to maintain an inclusive movement.

As it is rather unsurprising that black women have been left out of discourses that apply to their identities as black and women, in The Fire Next Time  it can be argued that the

illustration of the experiences of a black woman are minute but also relegated to traditional gender roles. This statement is divisive in a sense, but it also holds a lot of truth when considering that there are very little instances, in comparison with the various mentions of the black male experience, where the reader will find Baldwin take the black woman’s experience into account. This is not to say that there is no mention of women at all in the book, but that their roles besides being caregivers and needing protection are not simply enough. Take the meeting with Elijah Muhammad into account, where he is cognisant of the division in gender when he is at Muhammad’s house.Upon arrival to the residence, he notices that the women are sitting on the opposite side of the room and playing with a baby and the men are sitting with him having a discussion, until Muhammad walks into the room. He mentions how Muhammad acts a little flirtatious towards the women and they are responsive to it. The way he portrays this is interesting because while it is evident that he is knowledgeable of the simplistic role of the woman in the Nation of Islam, he doesn’t really expand on the experience as a . This is in stark contrast to the time that he spends expanding on the tumultuous experience of being a young black man. It is interesting to compare his dear regards for his nephew, in his letter My Dungeon Shook, where he takes the time out to speak on the transitional experiences of growing up as a black man, but he doesn’t pay much mind to the women that exist around him,  what he does tell him to do is reiterate the amount of love his mother and grandmother have for him. This is a constant theme throughout the book, in which the portrayal of women in this book are loving but also somewhat patronizing. One could argue that it could be that there is a difference in experiences, that the absence of the female characters could be attributed to the fact that men had more visibility to Baldwin. That lack of visibility, however, does not reflect on the amount of agency practiced by black women in the past.

Looking at the actions of black women through an infra-political lens may be helpful in understanding the not visible but powerful roles that black women have played in the movement for black lives. As discussed in class, infrapolitics was introduced as a concept of examining resistance tactics of oppressed individuals acting within their means, which often was a method used by women who were confined to repressive jobs and could not participate in other organizing methods. Robin D. G. Kelley’s We Are Not What We Seem explains the spaces dominated by infrapolitical action as, “the social and cultural institutions and ideologies that ultimately informed black opposition placed more emphasis on communal values and collective uplift than the prevailing class-conscious, individualist ideology of the white ruling classes.” This draws on a sentiment voiced during our class about the women’s era, in that the organizing model that these working class women embodied focused on what could be done in the confines of their positions rather than a traditional model that had centralized authority. Black women looked for more reform, rather than political rights. They did not seek to overturn hierarchies because they were barely recognized because of persisting gender roles. Although there was a move to during the progressive era to tried to change language from strict gender roles. Another common theme during this period was the aspiration of a level of respectability to achieve racial equality, which was gained significant participation by black women. While there were many black men that championed this ideal and created the “Talented Tenth”, women adhered to this hierarchy but also took the ideal a step further by using the idealism of respectability as a motivation to promote the theory of racial justice through furthering education. This is a widely touted solution to many problems, that was championed by women by the likes of Anna Julia Cooper and the motives were to get an education, move to south, challenge respectability politics (unfortunately not the level they were perpetuating) and challenge white womanhood morality through different representations of womanhood. While this provides an opportune framework for upward mobility, it was arguably limiting to those who did not have the resources to pursue this course of action. This was also  inherently exclusionary of the working class women who were already organizing within their positions of marginalization and disregarding to the contexts in which they already existed within, whether it was class, family life, geographical location, etc.

This exclusionary behavior has persisted regardless of recognition of the exclusionary themes that have existed in organizing in the movement for black lives. While the root of problem could be attributed to being socialized in systems that inherently oppress people. In attacking this issue, one can draw from Audre Lorde’s Age, Race, Class, and Sex to understand that without able to acknowledge that relying on traditional lines separating certain identities is weak, there is an inherent discord in a resistance movement. Audre argues that rejecting difference denies one the ability to be able to be apart of an effective movement that is inclusive of all because it is led through the perspective of the higher ups .  This is true for the many walks of lives that are covered in the movement for racial justice in the US, because with a traditionally male leadership, it has shown that many of the interests of women were disregarded. It can be argued that while using this perspective provided more unified and streamlined framework  to draw objectives from, but is exclusionary of the many people that benefit from this movement.

It is imperative that to continue an effective movement for black lives, that there is a move to be more inclusive not only of the laborious community of women that have been building the movement since the beginning. Black women have gone on to create more inclusive spaces and movements, such as the Black feminist movement and the womanist movements to organize. However if these perspectives are not recognized on a leadership level,

[cherylstiredthoughts]

What Choice do I have?

Reconsidering the notion of the ‘choicesoise'.

Cover Image

Do women really have choice? The conceptualization of ‘post-feminism’ reflects a new form of ‘new-traditionalism’ according to Probyn (1997) in which the home is no longer the only site of the feminine life, but one of the many choices she must make. Conceptualizing the term ‘choicesoise’, Probyn goes on to elaborate that feminist women who do not make their own choices are problematic.  

However, this is a very privileged position to take. Choices need to be available and accessible before people can make them. There may be a lot of ‘female-centered’ television media in which the female is making choices between home, career, love lives, studies, and more. However, what these mainstream shows tend to show is a world in which the social structure did not need to change. It is simply the ‘mindset’ of women that needs to. They just need to be more confident, more educated, more whatever. It does not denote that a patriarchal structure needs to change. Furthermore, these shows indicated bz Probyn often feature a very narrow understanding of ‘female’.  

What the shows Probyn cites as ‘female’, for the most part, tend to be white, educated, middle-class, heterosexual, cis women living in urbanized spaces of the western world. Women of these profiles, tend to have far more ‘choices’, which means, they have the ability to make choices rather than have choices made for them. Hence, I really liked the term ‘choicesoise’  by Probyn. This portrayal of a world through which women have choice to even start making them is one that ignores the multiplicity of realities through which many people do not have the choices available to them in the first place.  

Reading this text, I felt the new Netflix series, ‘The Maid’ is a very apt counter-story to the notion that new-traditionalism is the reality of post-feminism. In the story, Alex, a young mother to a three-year-old, finally leaves her abusive alcoholic boyfriend, Sean. That is only the beginning. The series follows her struggles securing a job, finidng a place to stay, caring for her child whilst being subjected to scrutiny by social workers and policemen, and her dreams to continue her studies. Amid her struggles, her mother, Paula is also a major consideration and source of stress for Alex in deciding where she would live, if she would continue with her studies or not as Paula needed mental healthcare while also dealing with emotionally partners of her own.  

Sure, Alex is constantly in search of a ‘stable home’ but I do not think that her search for this is like Probyn’s understanding of women choosing the home as an ‘unchanging site of love and fulfillment’. Rather, Alex’s search for a stable home was tied to her need to protect her child amid the trauma she learned from having unstable homes as a child (in the series she was forced to unlearn many relationship habits she adopted from her mother’s relationships with multiple abusive partners). In this sense, Alex’s domesticity is not a representation of a choice. Her decision to reunite with her partner at one point is also not a choice. She is trapped in a web of oppressive social structures and realities, and she does not have the luxury of choice. However, what I found feminist of the show, is that it does not shame her for the choices she makes. It explains the choices she makes, even if us, the viewer, think it is a terrible decision. In the first few episodes, when she was living in a shelter, she made a new friend who later checked out to return to her abusive partner. Alex asked the caretaker of the shelter why anyone would do that. The caretaker kindly explained that many people take years to unlearn their abusive situations and leave for good, stating that it often takes many tries before they feel they can finally leave. Especially amongst women who were financially and emotionally dependent on their partners.  

Therefore, it is not about having choice or making choices that makes one a feminist. One is a feminist when choices of another woman is not judged/ undermined but rather given the space to be understood. Choices of home and career and everything else should be understood as a privileged because not everyone is given access to such choices in the first place.  

References

Probyn, Elspeth (1997) New Traditionalism and Postfeminism: TV Does the Home in: C. Brunsdon et al. (eds.) Feminist Television Criticism: A Reader. Clarendon Press. 126–38

[harapirena]

BOOK REVIEW  : Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire by Leslie Peirce 

co-authored with @gevherhans

Haseki Hürrem Sultan (or Roxelana) was catapulted into the history books after she became Sultan Süleyman’s concubine & his favorite. She would eventually become his chief consort - his haseki, a title created for her position as chief consort, but unequal to that of the sultan. Her true name is lost to history; however, she was renamed Hürrem - a name that she used to refer to herself for the rest of her life. Captured & enslaved as a young woman, Hürrem was ultimately brought to the imperial harem, an institution Peirce thoroughly examined in The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire. Going against the tradition of one son per concubine, Hürrem would remain in Süleyman’s bed & would give birth to six children, five of them sons; her son Selim would become sultan after Süleyman’s death.

Despite its interesting subject matter, Peirce’s Empress of the East: How a European Slave Girl Became Queen of the Ottoman Empire is a terribly written & biased piece that lacks structure, neglecting to include important information at logical junctures. More alarmingly, she distorts & exaggerates historical fact to embellish her subject’s power & influence, caters to fans of the ruthless second wave feminism trope, & ultimately tries to spin history into a fairytale rags-to-riches story. In the attempt to exonerate Hürrem & frame her as a heroine worth rooting for, Peirce presents her as far too brilliant, far too powerful, & far too perfect. Peirce’s Hürrem can do no wrong; she is intelligent, politically aware, & a keen manipulator of circumstance, but at the same time indisputably innocent of charges leveled against her - not even to ensure one of her sons would take the throne. Conversely, those who stood against Hürrem’s success like Mahidevran, Ibrahim, & Mustafa are consistently painted in a far more negative light. Their importance is watered down, their merits are downplayed, & their figures presented dismissively order to serve the narrative & make Hürrem look better.

When compared to her academic work, Empress falls flat on itself. While the prose is easy to read, Peirce’s writing falters as she attempts to write for a general audience. Rather than providing a scholarly analysis backed up by historical evidence, she favors a biased narrative that relies heavily on speculative “imagining”, value judgments, & tenuous yet sweeping claims. Her use of romantic & idyllic language drags down her writing rather than lift it up, & uncritically attempts to frame Hürrem & Süleyman’s relationship as a love story. The concluding statement of the introduction provides no better example of Peirce’s modus operandi, in which she asserts the Ottoman Sultanate’s survival was largely “bolstered by the reforms she introduced”, a process “generated along with the Ottoman empire’s greatest love story.”

This language is typical in the book. Peirce forces the reader to see the Ottoman world through her lens & adopt her wishful imagings, instead of allowing them to form their own views & imagine independently. Her “speculation” includes comparisons that make little sense, all the while implying that Hürrem “must have thought” of such things herself! Peirce notes that women forced into sexual servitude may not have viewed their status positively, yet at one point abhorrently tries to justify it because of the “compensations” - that these women “must” have known they probably wouldn’t have had easy lives or happy marriages in their homelands, & would be comforted that, even as palace slaves, they could at least live in the lap of luxury: “An emotionally & sexually fulfilling marriage had not necessarily been in store for them in their hometowns & villages. The common practice of arranged marriage could saddle them with husbands who were unattractive, considerably older, or even brutal. Mostly peasants, they were more likely than not destined for a life of daily toil - perhaps poverty - early death. The dynastic family to which they now belonged at least kept them in luxurious comfort - good health.”

Of course, no one knows what Hürrem thought during certain events; suggestions that she would have connected herself to other women in history, or compare the converted Ayasofya to her own experience, do not belong in a biography. Peirce can speculate - draw conclusions based on the facts that she has. However, she can’t lead readers to imagine that Hürrem ever thought of what architectural endeavors she might take on should she succeed with Süleyman, sympathized with Anne Boleyn, or compared herself to Gürcü Hatun (a Christian-born consort beloved by a Muslim ruler) - Byzantine royals like Eirene; that Süleyman instructed her in the art of war, tutored her as a diplomat, or gave her a say in how the design of the new palace harem, especially whilst Süleyman’s mother Hafsa was alive. There’s no evidence for any of these things. Such fanciful scenarios are better suited for a work of historical fiction - & considering how Peirce omits pertinent information she herself described in The Imperial Harem to suit the narrative, she might as well have written a novel!

Empress gives the impression that it was by marrying Süleyman that Hürrem became a “queen” & obtained the stature that she had. However, this is not the case. Although Peirce mentions that noblewomen married Ottoman sultans in prior centuries, she neglects to inform the reader that because royal wives were barred from having children, they were not as powerful as their slave counterparts who did. “Women without sons were women without households & therefore women of no status,” she summarized in Harem. Because the Ottomans granted greater prestige to women who bore a son over a childless one, limiting reproduction limited access to political power: “Royal wives were deprived of this most public mark of status [the patronage of public buildings], presumably because they lacked the qualification that appears to have entitled royal concubines to this privilege: motherhood. The suppression of the capacity of royal wives to bear children is an example of the Ottoman policy of manipulating sexuality & reproduction as a means of controlling power. To deny these women access to motherhood, the source of female power within the dynastic family, was to diminish the status of the royal houses from which they came.”

Peirce gives the example of Sittişah (Sitti) Hatun, who married Mehmed the Conqueror. She describes Sitti’s wedding to Mehmed, an event surrounded by great pomp & circumstance. However, she neglects to inform the reader that Sitti’s marriage to Mehmed bore no children. Franz Babinger writes that although she had wed to the great conqueror himself, the childless Sitti was ultimately powerless & died lonely & forsaken. As Peirce explained in 1993, unions such as that of Sitti & Mehmed were largely symbolic & strictly political in nature: “Although their careers as consorts of the sultans often began with the ceremonial of elaborate weddings, royal brides were ciphers in these events. What counted was the ceremony itself & what it symbolized: less the union of male & female than a statement of the relationship between two states. The function of the bride, particularly in view of the non role that awaited her as the sultan’s wife, was to symbolize the subordinate status of the weaker state.”

There is no question that Hürrem & Süleyman’s marriage rattled Ottoman society. Nevertheless, it is alarming that Peirce, who once authored a seminal work on the structure & politics of the harem, omits the fact that it was motherhood & not marriage that empowered a woman in the dynastic family. Such gaps in knowledge might lead those previously unfamiliar with the Ottoman harem to believe that marriage made Hürrem a “queen” & gave her political power, going so far to describe her & Süleyman as a “reigning couple” at one point. (Bizarrely, she does discuss abortion in Empress, yet avoids writing about dynastic family politics beyond mentioning “political planning”.)

Far more perturbing is Peirce’s insistence that Hürrem did more than she actually did for the empire. She claims that it was Hürrem who played a pivotal role in “moving the Ottoman Empire into modern times” & allowed the sultanate to survive through reforms she introduced. While she certainly paved the way in some regards for the women who followed her, Peirce overestimates Hürrem’s impact on the history of the Ottoman empire. There are other influential figures who helped preserve the sultanate, other forces that allowed it to flourish. Furthermore, Peirce downplays external factors that allowed for Hürrem’s ascent in the first place - namely the absence of a valide after 1534, not to mention Süleyman’s lasting infatuation for her - in favor of emphasizing her purportedly “unique” qualities of endurance, intelligence, & being a survivor.

Peirce goes on to anachronistically frame Hürrem as a feminist figure. In one passage, she describes her as a “forward-thinking equal opportunity employer” who “challenged women’s etiquette” because she wanted a female scribe for her foundation. Peirce’s language suggests that it was Hürrem alone who bolstered women’s opportunities, yet she does not present any evidence that Hürrem introduced or influenced any social or political reforms for women of the time. Yet perhaps most erroneous is Peirce’s claim that credits Hürrem with the start of “a more peaceable system of identifying the next sultan”. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Following their Hürrem’s death, her sons Selim & Bayezid became entangled in a civil war that ultimately ended with the deaths of Bayezid & his children. Even in the absence of prolonged violence, subsequent secession crises of the sixteenth century were resolved through the execution of the new sultan’s brothers, including infants. It was only with the ascent of thirteen-year-old Ahmed in 1603 that this tradition was set aside for dynastic concerns, although the practice of fratricide did not cease entirely.

When Peirce isn’t falling over to frame Hürrem as a wonder woman, she dismisses those who stood in opposition to her ascent, such as Mahidevran, Süleyman’s previous consort & mother of his firstborn son, Mustafa. Peirce takes a dim view of Mahidevran, presenting her as a jealous woman who needed to be reminded of her duties as mother of a prince. She is depicted a woman worried about losing a man’s favor, rather than a woman who, by all historical accounts, was deeply concerned for her son’s future. Early in Süleyman’s reign, the ambassador Pietro Bragadin reported that Mustafa was his mother’s “whole joy” at their residence in Istanbul. Later, the crucial role Mahidevran played in supporting her son at his provincial governorships was detailed by visiting diplomats. In 1540, Bassano noted her guidance in “[making] himself loved by the people” at his court in Diyarbakır. Mahidevran’s efforts to protect Mustafa, as well as the bond between mother & son, were observed by Bernardo Navagero in 1553: “[Mustafa] has with him his mother, who exercises great diligence to guard him from poisoning & reminds him every day that he has nothing else but this to avoid, & it is said that he had boundless respect & reverence for her.”

Ibrahim Pasha is another figure disparaged by Peirce’s negative bias. A friend from Süleyman’s youth who quickly ascended to the rank Grand Vizier, Ibrahim was not only a skilled & cultured diplomat admired by his counterparts in Europe, but a talented administrator & commander. Eric R. Dursteler writes, “During this time, by all accounts, Ibrahim ruled the day-to-day affairs of the empire effectively. Süleyman seems to have been content to give Ibrahim nearly unlimited power & autonomy in running the Ottoman state, & all matters of any significance passed directly through his hands. […] If Ibrahim’s initial ascent was due to his personal ties to Süleyman, in his years as grand vizier, he proved himself a capable diplomat & an effective political & military leader. In 1524, Süleyman sent Ibrahim to Egypt to restore order following an uprising led by a rebellious Ottoman official sent to rule the earlier conquered province. Ibrahim reorganized legal & fiscal institutions, punished mutinous officials & subjects with severity, established schools, restored mosques, &, by all accounts, restored peace & order to the region.”

Conversely, Peirce describes Ibrahim as “dispensable”, implies that he was holding Süleyman back from achieving his greatest accomplishments, & states “other minds were better suited” to administer the empire as Grand Vizier. When comparing her portrayal of Ibrahim to that of Rüstem Pasha, Mihrimah Sultan’s husband - & Hürrem’s son-in-law - Peirce’s bias becomes clear. She fawns over Rüstem while being completely dismissive of Ibrahim.

Finally, there is Mustafa: the son of Hürrem’s rival Mahidevran & Süleyman’s oldest living son. Empress paints Mustafa as a brat, calling him “a proud child whose sense of entitlement was apparently both acute & insecure.“ Peirce recounts an ambassadorial report describing the young prince’s jealousy over his father’s relationship with Ibrahim - a story she previously featured in Harem: ‘The sultan sent İbrahim the gift of a beautiful saddle for his horse with jewels & all; & Mustafa, aware of this, sent word to İbrahim to have one like it made for him ; [İbrahim] understood this & sent him the said saddle, & said to him, ‘now listen, if the sultan learns of this, he will make you send it back.”

Peirce’s two treatments of the same story is telling. In Harem, the account illustrates “İbrahim’s kindly patience in soothing the child Mustafa’s jealousy of his father’s affection for his favorite”, with Peirce noting that the relationship “seems to have consolidated” over time - particularly with the emergence of his half-brothers as a greater threat. In Empress, on the other hand, Peirce only concludes that such incidents “may simply reflect a jealousy on Mustafa’s part of anyone close to his father” without mention of the relationship improving, nor of Mustafa recognizing his true rivals to survival.

Whenever Peirce describes Mustafa’s intelligence & his worthiness, she emphasizes that these are the opinions of his contemporaries. It’s as though she wants to disagree, but can’t because historical evidence only points to Mustafa being how he is remembered to be: an intelligent & a worthy heir to the throne. Mustafa was the clear favorite among the people & the army. In Harem, Peirce notes that “Mustafa was universally desired to follow his father to the throne” according to Venetian reports in 1550 & again in 1552. He was more popular than Selim or Bayezid, Hürrem’s living sons who were contenders to the throne. Mehmed, Hürrem’s firstborn, could have been a match for Mustafa had he lived longer, but in the absence of evidence this is mere speculation.

Mustafa’s execution did indeed stain Hürrem’s name. She & Rüstem Pasha were blamed by contemporaries for orchestrating the downfall of the beloved heir apparent. Peirce predictably sets out to clear Hürrem’s name & exonerate her of involvement in the tragedy, but instead of focusing on a lack of hard evidence, she illogically places blame on Mustafa for his own demise. Writing that previous historians studying the topic “largely failed to consider Mustafa’s part in the affair”, Peirce points out the prince’s popularity & that people were already hailing him as “sultan” - something Süleyman would undoubtedly find threatening. Perhaps Mustafa was the victim of his own success, but it would be deeply unfair to blame him for meriting praise & adoration from others, which could only be earned through excelling in his princely duties.

Had Mustafa won the throne after Süleyman died, Ottoman tradition would dictate the deaths of Hürrem’s sons - even Cihangir, said to be fond of his eldest half-brother. According to Navagero, Süleyman reminded Cihangir of this reality, warning his son that “Mustafa will become the sultan & will deprive [you & your brothers] of your lives.” Per the Ottoman practice of institutionalized fratricide, someone would have to die.

Beyond the fact that her sons would face near-certain death had he ascended the throne, a victory for Mustafa would deprive Hürrem of power, leaving her to face the fate that had befallen Mahidevran after her son’s death: destitute & cast aside. As Thys-Senocak explained in [book:Ottoman Women Builders: The Architectural Patronage of Hadice Turhan Sultan|514467]: “Unlike her European counterparts, the prestige & political legitimacy that an Ottoman valide possessed was derived from her position as the mother of the reigning sultan, rather than through her position as the widow of the deceased sultan […] Once the father of her son was dead, the valide’s sole source of power & legitimation was through her son, the reigning sultan.” If Mustafa took the throne after Süleyman’s death, Hürrem would have lost not only her sons, but also her status.

The fate of a mother was thus closely bound to the survival of her son. It was not only a mother’s duty to ensure that her son was a contender to the throne, but through his mother’s influence that he survived. A prince’s mother was his mediator, his guardian, his most steadfast ally; it was she who sought to safeguard him from potentially hostile forces, including his own father. While imperial lalas (tutors) ensured that a prince was prepared to take the throne, it was the mother who acted as “an effective agent for her son through her connections with the imperial court, her wealth, & her status as a royal consort & as the most honored person at the provincial court after her son.”

Hürrem, however, did not accompany her sons to their provincial governorships to fulfill the principal role of a prince’s mother. Once again bucking established practice, she remained in Istanbul with Süleyman during this time save for the occasional visit.

Herein lies the irony of Peirce’s Hürrem. Only remotely involved with her sons’ provincial careers, painting Hürrem as an innocent flower who never intrigued at court would mean she did nothing to protect, promote, or prepare them at one of the most crucial points of their lives. If she did not have a hand in anything, whether at sanjak or in Istanbul – not even to eliminate their biggest competition – what did Peirce’s Hürrem do to ensure her sons’ success and survival? It is only in the epilogue of Empress that she briefly notes Hürrem’s involvement in ensuring one of her sons received aid he might need. Nevertheless, in the quest to exonerate her subject, Peirce inadvertently makes it seem Hürrem neglected her chief responsibility as mother of the sultanate’s heirs. Even with multiple sons and no precedent to follow, one would think she would’ve done anything to help or protect them – and by extension, herself. Yet Peirce provides no evidence or examples of Hürrem’s involvement in educating or preparing her sons for rulership.

Ultimately, Empress of the East only does Hürrem a disservice by presenting her as a proto-feminist, empowered heroine rather than a complex, controversial historical figure. Peirce embellishes and exaggerates when it suits her narrative, just as she painstakingly aims to clear her subject of alleged wrongdoings. But this approach backfires when one considers the book as a whole: rather than a mother and a politician who understood the importance of protecting her sons and readied them for the throne, Peirce gives the impression Hürrem did little to advance their interests – despite the allegedly large clout she had as “queen”.

[cinematicquack]

Contemporary Hollywood Cinema - Screening Journal

Week 4 - Women and Femininity

Wonder Woman has many shortcomings; from the superficial representation of femininity to the performative activism. I get annoyed at the simultaneous too much and too little feeling this film has; how it attempts to be feminist, and yet fails to be so; how it attempts to be diverse in cast, yet gives people of colour very little character. I enjoyed Hilary Radner’s unique perspective, being someone who grew up with very little influence from popular culture, she offers an interesting insight into feminism in cinema, which can be applied to Wonder Woman, in particular, Neo-feminism. In Wonder Woman, we are shown what would seem on the surface to be an “empowering” representation of a female character. Diana is strong, intelligent, and seemingly independent. And yet, under this surface, this isn’t actually empowering. Her strength and her intelligence are the only way she is able to be accepted by male characters; these traits make her more “masculine”, and therefore, equal to men. Her intelligence is also quite redundant. Despite how educated and smart she seems, she still needs other men to guide her and explain the world to her. You could retort to this by saying Diana is an Amazon and therefore has no knowledge of the outside world. However, I still find it repetitive how many times Steve or the other male characters must control he, almost speak to her like a child. This leads onto how Diana is not really independent, the male characters, especially Steve, hold her back, but she also relies on them to help her reach her goal of getting on the front-lines. All of this relates back to the almost performative feminism which Neo-feminism, which many have dubbed “lipstick feminism”. I’m unsure if this was the same Neo-Feminism that Radner was discussing, as I found myself unclear on her idea of neo-feminism, but I feel my point still stands. I also found the Fandor video ‘Why Do Action Heroines Do This?’ brought up an interesting point of discussion. Hollywood is attempting to have more female representation in action films, and yet the female character’s produced must have masculine coding like strength to be seen as equal. However, they also must counter this masculinity through extreme feminine coding, that of sexuality. This video highlighted how females must use this strength in a sexual way, this allows male audiences to not feel threatened by these more “powerful” women. Female action heroes are more or less the femme fatale trope, but with more concrete morality. 

Similar to last week, I discussed with my cis, straight, white, male brother to understand his perspectives on how females are represented and coded in Hollywood. He pointed out how the majority of female protagonists must have the “ideal body”. Male audiences expect a fit, sexual yet vulnerable woman, and if they do not get this, it is less likely they will enjoy the film. I then discussed with him what phrases he would associate with women’s cinema. He highlighted many tropes; a working woman will be absorbed by their work, and must let go in order to find love or achieve their goal; a woman who wears glasses isn’t pretty and must be maked-over to gain love; a woman is a prize to be won in a love-triangle, and the woman must be hard-to-get in order for the male audiences to experience satisfaction, again reinforcing the idea of women being a prize for men. I thought my brother was very candid in his responses, he is a fan of action films, and yet was able to point out the issues of female representation, I’m glad I raised him right!

It was interesting to discuss with my peers about the tropes of the chick-flick which are present in Wonder Woman. It slightly feels like the filmmakers cherry-picked tropes which would appeal to female audiences as if by doing so, they would gain that demographic’s praise - they were wrong! First of all, Diana goes through a make-over scene in order to fit into society. We also experience the ‘ball’ trope, where again, the socially-awkward character must become pretty, to the shock and joy of many male characters. We can see these tropes occur in many other genres besides the chick-flick too, in fantasy with Harry Potter, in the teen rom-com Clueless, in the comedy-drama The Breakfast Club, and even a male make-over in Mrs. Doubtfire. In Wonder Woman, these makeovers are so Diana can fit in, and yet her outfits are immediately removed when she must be more strong, more masculine. To me, this all feels like performative activism, in the sense that this film tries to appeal to women, yet immediately retracts any portrayal of high-femininity, in order to favour the more masculine coding I have already discussed.

In our class tutorial we discussed the “ideal body” that most female protagonists must have. In Wonder Woman, it is clear Diana fits this ideal. She is presented as fit, strong, dexterous, smart and sensual. She has some comedic moments, yet they are mainly caused by mens’ inconsiderate and prejudice towards women. Compare this to the character of Etta, one of the only other female character which has important dialogue. Etta does not fit this “ideal body”, therefore, she is not allowed to be strong, smart or sensual. She is instead a device for comedy. Unlike Diana, who has a range of emotions, Etta is purely present to be the “opposite” of Diana’s beauty. I also think it is worth pointing out, again, that the film feels like it is pandering to female audiences. Both Diana and Etta express their opinions on men and the patriarchy; Diana mentioning how men are unnecessary, whilst Etta spouts facts of the suffragette movement. Even Steve declares that the war is “all of our fault”, meaning men. Once more, the performative feminism is what really irks audiences with this film.

Our tutorial also brought up the binary opposites of masculinity and femininity. Despite how I see gender expression becoming more fluid in the media, the action genre seems to be a bit behind on this. Most action films have a strong, female lead, or side-character; who is both sensual and vulnerable whilst having this masculine strength to them. Hollywood feels that they must balance this mix of gender coding by having an ideal masculine, strong male lead, or side-character. This male has the role of guiding the female, helping them achieve their goal, but also to exploit the female’s sensuality and vulnerability. Hollywood must project, in Dr Artt’s words, this “compulsory heterosexuality”. As a queer person who grew up reading many action comics, it is very frustrating to constantly have a lack of accurate representation which men and straight people are given without batting an eye. However, I have seen at least Marvel becoming more aware and pushing more queer and people of colour stories, for example, the Ms. Marvel series, or the Shang-Chi movie, as well as She Hulk. Yes, 61% of their cinematic universe is white. Yes, they have repeatedly had a white protagonist, and a person of colour be a sidekick. But they are beginning to show change, and I think that now they are able to make use of Disney+, they have a lot more funding to push these stories to the forefront of the media. Speaking of Marvel, which as a Marvel fanatic I am more than happy to discuss, the class compared Wonder Woman to Captain Marvel. It is an insightful comparison. In the former, we have a female superhero which must adjust to this male-dominated society in order to defeat evil. Diana is constantly guided in her mission by men, is fighting other men, and is taught everything by men. In the latter, we have a female superhero who also adjusts to this “new-world”, however, is extremely independent, forms friendships with other women, is strong yet is entirely feminine the entire film. Hilariously, it is the men, in this case Samuel L. Jackson’s character Nick Fury, who is guided by Captain Marvel, learning from her and finds his own purpose. There is very little presence of the “ideal man” masculinity. In fact, gender is a lot more fluid in this film. It is not something which is swelled upon, it is something which plays little role in how well someone can be a hero. Captain Marvel, in almost all aspects, is a much more empowering and feminist film than Wonder Woman. We also discussed how Wonder Woman is still mainly targeted at men, despite its feeble attempts at catering to women. Whereas Captain Marvel, whilst still appealing to male audiences, garnered a lot more female and gender-queer audiences approval. 

In our discussions, I also used the term of “the male gaze”, Dr Artt asking what I mean by that. In Wonder Woman, for context, the male gaze is clearly catered to. From the way Diana is filmed (her hair flowing perfectly, she’s never covered in dirt, her face always perfect, and even the way she cries and screams is somehow sensual) to her lack of knowledge for femininity is comedic. In this sense, the male gaze is how the filmmakers, perhaps unwittingly, portray the female character as a sexual object. This strong female character might be threatening to males (the castration anxiety I discussed last week), but through cinematography, editing, and characterisation, this strength is undermined. Diana becomes less masculine, and therefore, less threatening, which allows for male audiences to feel comfortable to objectify this heroine. 

Finally, I want to touch on some rather funny points which were raised. In particular, the idea of Diana becoming a ‘Girlboss’. In the opening and ending scenes of the film, which would usually be disregarded, we see Diana strutting in heels towards The Louvre in Paris. Now that we are in peace-times, she cannot fight, she cannot be this strong, more masculine figure, so therefore she must change to fit society. She is dressed similarly to the ‘ball’ scene, her outfit a dark burgundy that's similar in construction to her bright blue dress in the ball, however, it is more sleek and sturdy. Diana has now become more economic, more feminine now that she cannot fight. I feel this enforces the undermining of her strength as well as the idea of strength only being masculine. Without this trait, Diana has become an “ideal woman”. I presume that this scene was meant to be empowering, but it comes off as undermining the entirety of Diana’s journey. On Top of that, she is still being guided by a man, in this case, Bruce Wayne (Batman). I want to finish this journal entry in the exact way that our tutorial finished, by comparing Batman to Elon Musk. Both are rich. Both have underlying issues of hostile working environments. Both undermine feminism without even trying. I do not think a more accurate comparison exists.

[suciaramadianti]

Double Standards Between Men and Women in Music Industry Reflected in Taylor Swift’s “The Man”: A Feminist Analysis

Taylor Swift has been a major pop singer and gained the label of hollywood star for over a decade. With a total of 23 music awards, it is undeniable of how much recognition she has received from around the world. Her passion for music started early in her teens by simply singing along with her signature music instrumental: acoustic guitar. Since then she has written numerous songs mostly about parts of her life and up until now she still writes her own songs. What makes her music feels special is how they are mostly written based on Swift’s own experiences regarding life. Like many other musicians, her popular hit songs are mostly talking about love which are based on her love life experiences. As a result, everytime she writes a love song, people tend to question the person talked in the song and it is unavoidable for them to not relate it to Swift’s recent significant other at the moment. Therefore, it triggers them in creating assumptions which regularly end up to be rumours spread all over existing media.

Swift’s portrayal of the media frequently narrowed the topic to be about her relationship. They are constantly commenting on her dating habits which they regard as destructive because they judged if the number of people she has dated are not common. As a consequence, people are inclined to misplace the spotlight on her personal life. Given her tremendous fame, it seems impossible for her to separate her personal life and her works. It is unquestionable that this issue disturbs and minimizes the value of her success, she specifically addresses this concern in one of her songs in her recent album entitled “The Man”.

In “The Man”, Swift puts her position as a man and wonders that all of the decisions taken in her life will be taken differently if she were a man. Since she is a musician, she is talking specifically in the scale of music industry. Other than that, it is due to the fact that many artists under the same industry also tried to downgrade her as an artist, making her appear powerless to counteract. The song itself shows that she strongly believes that all the unpleasant treatments she got is because of her gender. The song also implies that there is a significant double standard between men and women in the music industry which is harmful to women’s rights and how it benefits the men. Margaret Eichler, author of The Double Standard: A Feminist Critique of Feminist Social Science, explains that a double standard “implies that two things which are the same are measured by different standards” (Eichler 1980:15). With that being said, here’s an attempt to analyze what are the double standards seen in “The Man”  by Taylor Swift using feminist literary theory.

Feminist Literary Theory

Feminist literary theory is a theory which based on feminist theories. It is widely described as a theory using feminist principles to critique male-dominated literature. The criticism focuses on oppression of women in social, political, economic, and psychological literature. Feminism itself exists in response to women-marginalizing social construction which concerns with women’s efforts to gain gender equality with men (Harjani, 2013:28). Plain and Sellers (2007:2) state that “Feminist literary criticism was keen to uncover its own origins, seeking to establish traditions of women’s writing and early ‘feminist’ thought to counter the unquestioning acceptance of ‘man’ and male genius as the norm”. In other words, feminist criticism seeks to examine male-dominated literary works. Furthermore, feminist criticism also requires detaching the patriarchal notions in literary works. (Selden, Widdowson, and Brooker, 2005:115).

According to Code, nowadays criticism and theory appear simultaneously in feminist anthologies and the feminist literary theory includes both, practical and theoretical, approaches to literature (Code 2000:261). Based on Code’s explanation, the purpose of feminist literature theory is to “analyze the role that literary forms and practices, together with the discources of literary criticism and theory, play in challenging hierarchies of gender, class, race, and secuality.” Based on the explanation, it is approppriate to use feminist literary theory to achieve the research objectives of this research.

 Findings and Discussion

Taylor Swift has been diving in Hollywood music entertainment since around 2006. In 2008, her music career sky-rocketed with a single entitled, “You Belong With Me’”,  a love song that has been well-received by pop music lovers. Her songs are mostly based on her own experiences regarding love, friendship, family, life, and etc, this is why many times they will feel personal to listen to. Since her fame makes her into one of the most looked-up superstar, the media cannot stop invading her personal life, particularly about her love life. Everytime she enters a relationship with someone new, the media would regularly comment something about it. It started early in her career up until recently, she had several ex significant others who were covered by the media. Unfortunately, as the time goes, entertainment medias starting to notoriously view her dating habits as her way to draw inspiration to write love songs. As seen in the first verse of the song, she says:  

“I would be complex, I would be cool They'd say I played the field before I found someone to commit to And that would be okay for me to do”

In the line above, she puts herself as a man and pictures how it would be different if she were a man with the same dating habit as her. As a woman, having a history of multiple exes, makes her being labeled as a “serial dater” by the media. A serial dater is someone who refuses to center on one person in a relationship. Here, Swift implies if she were a man then the dating habit would be deemed by society as something cool and instead turns her into a complex person who rather chooses to be careful in picking someone to date before eventually commiting to one person. In other words, women tend to be stigmatized for having more sexual partners, whereas men would be praised for such behaviour. A 2009 study published in Social Psychology Quarterly found that "greater numbers of sexual partners are positively correlated with boys' peer acceptance, but negatively correlated with girls' peer acceptance" among adolescents (Kreager & Staff, 2009). This proves that as a woman Swift receives a negative stigmatization for having multiple significant others in the course of her life while other male artists under the same industry would be praised for the same attitude. 

The next line she continues to descriptively explain that having multiple significant others as a man would make the person seen as superior. Meanwhile, as a woman, it is considered as unacceptable which often regarded them with labels such as “slut”. Swift herself claimed she was slut-shamed in her early twenties simply by wanting love (Reilley, 2019). She also said  it is what inspires her to make a movement called ‘Me Too’ aiming at observing internalised misogyny still existing in the world.  In “The Man”, she expresses her concern by saying this particular line:

“Every conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to you”

The conquest meant in the line is the number of exes she had throughout the course of her life which then she further convinced if it would have made her appear more of a ‘boss’ if only she were a man. This is due to the fact that the status of men is based on the number of love partners they have had. The higher the number of their exes automatically puts men in a higher status because they are regarded as capable of conquering women’s hearts. On the contrary, this thing works the other way around for women. Eder, Evans, and Parker (1995) found that “boys tend to perceive girls as objects for sexual conquest as they compete with other boys for sexual achievements.”  Thus, making it appropriate for men to fool around with different women. Whilst women are aware of the stereotype surrounding women doing the same thing, therefore they will be prone to be labeled with negative terms if they did the same thing.  Orenstein (1994), Moffat (1989), and Tolman (2002) also suggest that young women’s fears of the “slut” label curbs their sexual expressions, while young men are encouraged to demonstrate their masculinity through sexually permissive behavior. 

Even though Swift’s success as a singer-songwriter has been going on over a decade, there are still plenty of people who are skeptical of her success. It is as if her success was judged differently in the scheme of the music industry. This is mainly because people perceived her fame as a result of her habit in dating multiple men and continuing to write about them in her songs rather than because of her artistic skill and success. In other words, people are likely reducing her successful music career to merely focusing on judging whether she has an issue commiting to a relationship or not. She even went on to say that her success was perceived by many as a trick rather than a skill and a craft (Ali, 2019). She covers this in the song, specifically in this line:

 “They'd say I hustled, put in the work

They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve”

In this line, she says nobody would take her success, which she has been working hard for, as granted if she were a man. It occasionally happens in the music industry that women are constantly underreprresented, but once a woman takes the position in the top list of musicians, it is inevitable for them to be horribly scrutinized. As a proof, women are less likely to be largely represented in the music industry. In fact, the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism division just released its inaugural report on inclusion in popular music and the results reveal that just like in the film and television industry, there is a strong need for more females in the music industry (Pajer, 2019).  It is very often for a female musician’s accomplishments to be overshadowed by surrounding rumours made about her. Swift can be said to be one of the victims in this case. Thus, she points out in her song that women's success are prone to be questioned in the music industry, meanwhile men do not have to worry about the same thing.

Conclusion

Based on the result of this research, the advantages of the double standard between both genders belong to the males. On the other hand, women are often put in a difficult position because they tend to be harshly criticized by the public with all the decisions they have made. In the song, Taylor Swift effectively expresses her concern as one of the victims of the issue in “The Man”. This research shows that there is a negative stigmatization for women who have more sexual partners, whereas men would be praised for behaving the same way. Women who fool around with men will often be regarded with negative labels, such as ‘slut’,  meanwhile it is an indicator for men’s achievement. Lastly, there is a difference between how the public judge the success of a woman and the success of a man, showing that women’s success are prone to be harshly criticized.

 References:

Ali, R. 2019. 'A Trick Rather Than a Skill': Taylor Swift Says Success Is 

Judged Differently for Women. Retrieved January 5, 2020, from  https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/10/30/taylor-swift-her-success-reduced-a-trick-rather-than-skill/4100754002/.

Code, L. ed. 2006. Encyclopedia of Feminist Theories. New York: Routledge.

Delbyck, C. 2016. Taylor Swift Says She Was 'Slaughtered' For Dating Famous Guys. Retrieved January 6, 2020, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/taylor-swift-vogue-dating-famous-guys_n_570f9baee4b08a2d32b92012.

Eder Donna, Evans Catherine C, Parker Stephen. School Talk: Gender and Adolescent Culture. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press; 1995.

Eichler Margrit. 1980. The Double Standard: A Feminist Critique of Feminist Social Science. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Harjani, E. T. 2013. The Feminist Voice In Lucille Clifton’S The Thirty Eighth Year, Miss Rosie And Final Note To Clark. Litera, 12(1), 28–28. English Department, LIA Institute of Foreign Languages Yogyakarta.

Kreager, D. A., & Staff, J. 2009. The Sexual Double Standard and Adolescent Peer Acceptance. Social Psychology Quarterly, 72(2), 143–164. doi: 10.1177/019027250907200205

Pajer, N. 2018. New Report Shows Major Lack of Representation by Women in the Music Industry. Retrieved January 5, 2020, from  https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8096196/new-report-shows-major-lack-representation-women-music-industry.

Plain, Gill, & Susan Sellers. 2007. A History of Feminist Literary Criticism. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press.

Reilly, N. 2019. Taylor Swift Says She Was “Slut-Shamed” in Her Early Twenties. Retrieved January 5, 2020, from https://www.nme.com/news/music/taylor-swift-says-she-was-slut-shamed-in-her-early-twenties-2563524.

Selden, R., Widdowson, P., & Brooker, P. 2005. A Readers Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory. London. Routledge.

Tolman Deborah L. 2002.  Dilemmas of Desire: Teenage Girls Talk About Sexuality. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

[empoweringspaces]

rounding up an illustrated quilt project

13 August 2020

Now that the project is completed, I wanted to reflect on the journey, from launch to the finished virtual quilt.

The project Empowerus Embroidery launched following extensive research exploring feminism, craftivism, and the benefits of textile participatory practices. I wanted to expand the depth of the social relationship by promoting ideas of empowerment among the participants, with the aim to empower and educate women and develop their sewing and embroidery skills, as well as their confidence. I also wanted to showcase the sensitivity and artistry in the communities’ work and enable them to develop their artistic freedom.

Prior to lockdown, I had prepared to invite the public to create pieces of textile art that depict something empowering, with an emphasis on body image, gender, identity, and feminism, and exhibit the artworks in a public space in July 2020. I had successfully arranged for a number of venues to host workshops targeted at BAME women and women in deprivation.

But then began lockdown in March 2020. At first it was difficult to develop the project, not knowing how long lockdown would last and if and it would be safe to deliver workshops in public spaces. I continued to embroider pieces while I reconsidered the project. It soon became evident in my local community that aspects of the pandemic were impacting mental health and health inequalities of many people, and for me it felt even more crucial to consider empowering and connecting people in the community. The idea for the project Empowerus Postcard came about during a conversation with my housemates whilst we were stitching pieces for the Empowerus Embroidery project. We spoke about the rainbows and slogans dotted about in the windows of houses and the positive impact that they was having on people. But on the flip side, many isolated and older people were not able to see them. During a previous project I had considered using postcards as a way of communicating ideas to others around empowerment, and this led to the idea of sharing hand-written illustrated postcards made by people in the community with those who are most vulnerable and isolated, to bring them some joy and positivity. Although this project was a great success, I realised that I was steering away from my embroidery project. 

I thought about how I could overcome the issue of not being able to facilitate the workshops in the community. I made contact with those that had participated in previous projects and had shared interest in this new one to find out what they thought about the project taking place online. Some of the potential participants were finding the idea of accessing the workshops online out of their comfort zone, and some of them worried it would be too difficult. I took time to message them individually, describing the project and explaining how to access Zoom, which put them at ease. I also produced embroidery kits which were made available via Eventbrite for those who were unable to source the materials.

Through my online workshops, I wanted to create meaningful dialogue and use it as an opportunity to draw, journal, inspire self-reflection and creative growth. The participants were encouraged to reflect on the positive aspects of their lives with motivating and inspiring ideas to consider. This was inspired by my ‘Pink Quilt’ embroidery which began as a self-reflection at the start of lockdown. This featured things that were empowering and encouraging during the quarantine period. During my research on empowerment I came across an Oxfam report which breaks down women’s empowerment by presenting a framework of the specific characteristics and relevant indicators of empowerment. My embroidery designs then became responses to these indicators and are also reflections of the things that we discussed.

I tried to accommodate everyone’s learning style by demonstrating visual embroidery techniques via video and chat. I was very keen to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to discussions verbally and written. Prior to each session I would send emails outlining the criteria that we would be exploring that week in order for everyone to prepare beforehand and the prompts were shared during and following the session in order to recap the learning.

During the sessions I provided the participants with prompts themed around empowerment and self-reflection, for which they had the freedom to choose from their words and drawings to embroider. They were shown stitches like the French knot and Bullion knot and how to mix these techniques to compose the pattern.

The challenges throughout have made the final result so rewarding. The participants really enjoyed the workshops and having the chance to express themselves in their embroidery and connecting with women across the country and in Europe. Although it changed the project, doing this during lockdown was an advantage.

The result has enabled women to examine themselves and identify their empowerment.

“I will have my embroidery to remind me of a journey I have shared during the time of the pandemic.”

“That women together can be powerful, and tapestry has its own power”

“The project has reminded me how much I enjoy being creative and how being part of a group/community is important to me because it is empowering in and of itself; connecting via zoom also opens up a whole new world in terms of connecting with others. I learned about the book Craftivism from you Jessie and have been inspired by the idea(s). I learned about some different artists and about Banksy’s hotel in Palestine too! I learned about the other women in the group and have taken some time to reflect upon what is important to me and what gives my life meaning.”

The embroidery was secondary to the primary outcome which was greater self-awareness. The participants learned that embroidery has its power and can be used as a gentle but profound method of protest.

Click here to view the virtual quilt and the women’s responses. 

[therealtraderhos]

Giving Visibility to Women to Better the Movement for Racial Justice

America has a long history of relying on the fruitful labor of women, whilst simultaneously rejecting their existence. The roots of this dismissiveness can be traced to the very systems and values that this country was founded on and are upheld by this country: capitalism, racism, ableism, the patriarchy, to name a few. Yet, it remains to be a surprise to many when this oppression is brought to light in the context of existing oppressed groups, specifically black people. There was a sentiment that was expressed during the class discussion of Black Feminism that centered around the fact that it is common to view infringements on one’s multiple identities can be a attacked only one at a time. This mindset is harmful but unfortunately has been the tone set by preceding movements organized to better the conditions of black Americans in regards to dealing with the oppression of identities besides race. It is important to make note of the very issue that oppression is not only limited to the traditional actor, the rich white male, but can take many shapes and forms, which is inclusive of those who are traditionally stigmatized to a certain extent. It remains, though, that black women have historically always been the ones to take up the laborious task of effectively organizing for their interests, yet their efforts have constantly been appropriated for a man to occupy the leadership positions and they fade into the backdrop. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin is a very good example of this sentiment in the sense that while it is a beautifully composed narrative of the troubles of being a black person in the US, there is a noticeable lack of women in the book which is strikingly similar to the previously explained themes of black women lacking visibility.  It signals that the pattern of  denying black women roles in which their efforts can be attributed back to them, is rare in terms of history; but can be beneficial in finding successes through unity. Black women should not have to resort to infrapolitics within the movement for black lives, as movements like the black feminist movement arose to show that women’s rights are everyone’s rights, therefore need visibility to maintain an inclusive movement.

As it is rather unsurprising that black women have been left out of discourses that apply to their identities as black and women, in The Fire Next Time  it can be argued that the

illustration of the experiences of a black woman are minute but also relegated to traditional gender roles. This statement is divisive in a sense, but it also holds a lot of truth when considering that there are very little instances, in comparison with the various mentions of the black male experience, where the reader will find Baldwin take the black woman’s experience into account. This is not to say that there is no mention of women at all in the book, but that their roles besides being caregivers and needing protection are not simply enough. Take the meeting with Elijah Muhammad into account, where he is cognisant of the division in gender when he is at Muhammad’s house.Upon arrival to the residence, he notices that the women are sitting on the opposite side of the room and playing with a baby and the men are sitting with him having a discussion, until Muhammad walks into the room. He mentions how Muhammad acts a little flirtatious towards the women and they are responsive to it. The way he portrays this is interesting because while it is evident that he is knowledgeable of the simplistic role of the woman in the Nation of Islam, he doesn’t really expand on the experience as a . This is in stark contrast to the time that he spends expanding on the tumultuous experience of being a young black man. It is interesting to compare his dear regards for his nephew, in his letter My Dungeon Shook, where he takes the time out to speak on the transitional experiences of growing up as a black man, but he doesn’t pay much mind to the women that exist around him,  what he does tell him to do is reiterate the amount of love his mother and grandmother have for him. This is a constant theme throughout the book, in which the portrayal of women in this book are loving but also somewhat patronizing. One could argue that it could be that there is a difference in experiences, that the absence of the female characters could be attributed to the fact that men had more visibility to Baldwin. That lack of visibility, however, does not reflect on the amount of agency practiced by black women in the past.

Looking at the actions of black women through an infra-political lens may be helpful in understanding the not visible but powerful roles that black women have played in the movement for black lives. As discussed in class, infrapolitics was introduced as a concept of examining resistance tactics of oppressed individuals acting within their means, which often was a method used by women who were confined to repressive jobs and could not participate in other organizing methods. Robin D. G. Kelley’s We Are Not What We Seem explains the spaces dominated by infrapolitical action as, “the social and cultural institutions and ideologies that ultimately informed black opposition placed more emphasis on communal values and collective uplift than the prevailing class-conscious, individualist ideology of the white ruling classes.” This draws on a sentiment voiced during our class about the women’s era, in that the organizing model that these working class women embodied focused on what could be done in the confines of their positions rather than a traditional model that had centralized authority. Black women looked for more reform, rather than political rights. They did not seek to overturn hierarchies because they were barely recognized because of persisting gender roles. Although there was a move to during the progressive era to tried to change language from strict gender roles. Another common theme during this period was the aspiration of a level of respectability to achieve racial equality, which was gained significant participation by black women. While there were many black men that championed this ideal and created the “Talented Tenth”, women adhered to this hierarchy but also took the ideal a step further by using the idealism of respectability as a motivation to promote the theory of racial justice through furthering education. This is a widely touted solution to many problems, that was championed by women by the likes of Anna Julia Cooper and the motives were to get an education, move to south, challenge respectability politics (unfortunately not the level they were perpetuating) and challenge white womanhood morality through different representations of womanhood. While this provides an opportune framework for upward mobility, it was arguably limiting to those who did not have the resources to pursue this course of action. This was also  inherently exclusionary of the working class women who were already organizing within their positions of marginalization and disregarding to the contexts in which they already existed within, whether it was class, family life, geographical location, etc.

This exclusionary behavior has persisted regardless of recognition of the exclusionary themes that have existed in organizing in the movement for black lives. While the root of problem could be attributed to being socialized in systems that inherently oppress people. In attacking this issue, one can draw from Audre Lorde’s Age, Race, Class, and Sex to understand that without able to acknowledge that relying on traditional lines separating certain identities is weak, there is an inherent discord in a resistance movement. Audre argues that rejecting difference denies one the ability to be able to be apart of an effective movement that is inclusive of all because it is led through the perspective of the higher ups .  This is true for the many walks of lives that are covered in the movement for racial justice in the US, because with a traditionally male leadership, it has shown that many of the interests of women were disregarded. It can be argued that while using this perspective provided more unified and streamlined framework  to draw objectives from, but is exclusionary of the many people that benefit from this movement.

It is imperative that to continue an effective movement for black lives, that there is a move to be more inclusive not only of the laborious community of women that have been building the movement since the beginning. Black women have gone on to create more inclusive spaces and movements, such as the Black feminist movement and the womanist movements to organize. However if these perspectives are not recognized on a leadership level,

[tricky-tricky-boys]

magical-boy-toys​:

Robin adored his relationship with Seamus. He loved having a daddy and someone that understood what he was. He was free to be both baby boy and a witch. It was perfect. That was also why he tried to be a good boy most of the time. He was completely in his own world whilst seamus watched. Robin didn’t even know that he was doing one of Seamus’ kinks, he had only been doing it for himself. It didn’t help he got easily embarrassed when he talked about things like this so often kept it to himself. He heard the dom voice and scampered over, quickly kneeling with his head bowed. He was still blushing dark red from it all and as he kneeled, he couldn’t help but play with the hem of his skirt more. “Two reasons, daddy. I was trying to practice edging myself.” He said quietly. It was one thing he’d been trying to get better at but was always his weak spot. “And I like to feel good whilst looking pretty and cute in skirts. I was going to take it out before you go home, daddy.” His voice was even quieter then and it was clear he was both embarrassed and ashamed. “I’m sorry, daddy…I’ll go take it out and change.”

As Robin scampered over and knelt at his feet, Seamus loosened his tie and tugged it off, looking down to watch his boy as he explained himself. The two reasons made him raise an eyebrow, and he watched him play with the hem of his skirt, and he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. When he apologized and told him that he was going to take it out, Seamus let out a low growl. “Don’t get up, Robin. You’ve been a naughty boy while Daddy’s been away. I’m not angry about the dressing up. In fact, I really love seeing you all dressed up like this. You look so pretty like this, baby boy. Is feminization something you like, little one? And be truthful. Because seeing you like this? This turns Daddy on very much.” He hummed and tossed his shirt aside when he finally got it all unbuttoned, and he unbuckled his belt, yanking it off with one swift motion. “However, I am rather disappointed that you’re using toys without my permission.” He unbuttoned his trousers and unzipped them, pushing them down to reveal that he hadn’t been wearing under. Just a leather cock ring that emphasized all ten inches of his thick cock. He toed off his socks so that he was completely naked, and he walked past his boy and towards their bedroom. “Get up and come with me, Robin. What do you think your punishment should be for using toys without Daddy’s permission?”

Dress Up - Open

Plot ~ Robin likes to dress up in skirts and lingerie when your muse is out of the house and has never told them about this. Your muse has come home to fins him dressed in a skirt and lingerie. Your muse could have also brought home a friend.

Sugguested relationship ~ dom, daddy, boyfriend, husband, incest and taboo welcome

Robin was home alone for the day so he decided he was going to enjoy it. After shoving a vibrator in himself, he dressed himself in his prettiest lingerie, thigh high socks and a pretty little skirt. He spent the day edging himself with the vibrator whilst carrying out the cleaning. Of course he was planning on changing before the other got home but that wasn't what happened. He had his music blaring in the living room whilst he dancing around with the vacuum cleaner in his pretty outfit. Occasionally there was a soft moan coming from him as he carried on edging himself with the toy. He was enjoying himself so much that he was completely unaware that the other man had now come up. It wasn't until he turned the vacuum off and went to unplug it that he saw the person standing there. He quickly blushed dark red and stood up. Robin nervously played with the hem of his skirt. "I umm...I.. you're home early" he said through gritted teeth as he tried to hide a moan. "I'll go umm change."

[thelittleladyjournal-blog]

AVULSION #3: ALYX GARDINER

ALYX GARDINER IS A FEMINIST ARTIST EXPLORING THE SCULPTURAL,WHOSE WORK AIMS TO EDUCATE AND INFORM THROUGH CONFRONTING THE NUDE FORM. HER WORK, THOUGH USUALLY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL, CREATES STRONG DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE FEMALE EXPERIENCE.

WHERE DID YOUR INTEREST IN SCULPTURE BEGIN? WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT IT?

I’ve always loved making things with my hands. When I moved to a London to study fashion I lost my interest and skill in hand drawing because everything was expected to be designed in photoshop (which I sucked at) and I was drawn to installation work. I could use textiles, art and sculpture entwined and create something that had a message behind it. I love that it doesn’t have to be something literal, as long as you explain yourself so that it’s an enjoyable piece to view and understand.

CAN YOU TELL ME ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CURRENT WORKS?

I’m currently working on 3 projects, a small one called feminism in knit where I’m creating a knit installation about caging the female body. Another project is called Pynk where I am creating pink pieces out of ordinary objects such as doors (and painting them pink) and asking if this ups the value in today’s millennial “trendy” age. I’m going to be creating a pink room to immerse yourself in. The third is my biggest project, Hanging With The Girls where I’m casting women’s breasts. The whole point of the project is to promote self love, confidence and that every women’s body, especially boobs are amazing!! I’ve got around 70 now and I’m hoping to get to 100. It’s very interesting hearing women’s relationship with their breasts.

TELL US ABOUT ‘SOMETIMES IT HURTS’.

Sometimes It Hurts - was my first solo exhibition and it was my way of healing and trying to explain what I’d been through after leaving a physically and mentally abusive relationship. It was really powerful and it allowed me to say how I was feeling without actually having to talk. I wanted to raise awareness about abuse and Clares Law.

WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS OF CREATING YOUR SCULPTURES?THE STAGES AND ANY PREFERENCE TO MATERIALS OR MATERIALS USED TO CREATE INITIAL MOULDS/DESIGNS.

My process... I always come up with an idea of what I want to make first and then the supporting idea whilst I am making/after it’s been made. I’m very stubborn in my materials, I know what I want to use and I will make it work, even if it isn’t the desired effect that I had in mind - sometimes this is a hinderance, like when I tried to coat a knitted panel in latex (it looked shit) but at least I can say I’ve tried and won’t be doing it again! I use pink in most of my works, glitter and faux fur. I definitely have an aesthetic in all of my pieces which has created a running theme throughout my works. You know they’re mine. I quite like challenging the stereotypical “girls love pink” shit, yeah I fucking love pink and everything that goes with it! I think once you’ve found a style in sculpture you don’t stray far from it. My installations are usually large and fabric based, where as my practical sculptures start in clay as I like working with something so fluid that I can mould myself. I like using the plaster for casting the breasts as it is cost effective for the amount that I need and it picks up details. If I had the money I would love to cast them properly, but it’s just not feasible as a student. Sculpture is more freeing and I think you can express yourself more in your pieces.

DISCUSS THE WORD ‘AVULSION’. WHAT ARE IT’S CONNITATIONS FOR YOU?

AVULSION... loss. Perhaps of part of yourself, or a person or a feeling. Loss isn’t always a negative, it allows you to find a path.

SEE MORE OF ALYX:

Instagram: @alyxbyalyx

@alyxgardiner.art

‘AVULSION’ IS A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS EXPLORING THE SCULPTURAL.