#women who police other women's fashion choices

[kakyoinryoko]

fyi, dragona is probably actually intended to be a trans woman, as only the unofficial translations use he/him and in japanese she uses feminine personal pronouns. this time it actually is more a case of the translators being transphobic (with how dragona is referred to) than araki. for now :/

i’ve noticed a trend recently where fans of any work that was originally written in a foreign language will see something they don’t like and start saying “well, the original text actually supports my viewpoint and it’s all the fault of bad translation,” whether they actually speak the original language or not. i personally don’t even really agree with the unofficial translation’s decision to use he pronouns for dragona, but can you honestly tell me you don’t think araki would be doing the same? if araki seriously intended to write a trans woman, would he have written jodio introducing her as “his brother who crossdresses”? do you think he would have introduced the fact that she was trans by having a police officer molest her and then freak out about her being a man? i don’t. i don’t think he’s trying to write a trans woman at all. i also don’t think he’s trying to represent polynesian traditions of third gender. i think he’s just transphobic.

people so often jokingly laud jojo as being the Gayest Manga Ever, but honestly, does anyone really believe this? this is the same araki who, in part 2, wrote an iteration of the “man wears a dress and makeup to trick other men” trope. this is the same araki who in part 5 wrote in two gay men with no discernible traits for the express purpose of having one have a panic attack and die as he watched his boyfriend get brutally dismembered. this is the same araki who in part 6 wrote a trans man being sent to a women’s prison as “a woman who took male hormones.” this is the same araki who in part 7 wrote a predatory gay woman trying to take advantage of a 14 year old girl. araki has continually shown, again and again, that although he loves lgbt fashion and aesthetics and lifting from lgbt artists and designers, he does not actually give a shit about lgbt people as people. if you honest to god think dragona is intended to be good faith representation for trans women that was ruined by evil english translators, i think you are, at best, being willfully naive. araki is not on our side. he never has been, and he never will be. you can dislike the translators’ choices without acting like araki is doing us a favor.

[silvyysthings]

Timothee really rolled up to the NYC premiere wearing generic Prada that might as well have been KHY. 😱 He was not wearing a necklace, rings, bracelet, or watch. Was he robbed? Hope he filled out a police report. 2024 is going to be the sequel to 2023, a year filled with not the best choices.

Austin’s custom Haider Ackermann look (swing) was polished and better looking than Timothee’s custom Haider (miss).

The women all served and did not disappoint. When Stéphane Rolland’s S/S 2024 runway show took place a couple fashion journalists commented how they expected one of the looks to be worn by Zendaya. Sofia Carson snagged a look from him as well. Florence looked like a goddess in Valentino. Of course, Anya Taylor-Joy was going to wear one of those Maison Margiela looks. Léa Seydoux did not disappoint in Louis Vuitton.

Zendaya, Florence, Rebecca, Léa, and Anya all looked like they were attending a swanky evening party. Austin looked like either one of the valets or bartenders. Timothee looked like one of the pre-party delivery guys for the flowers, food or booze. Florence, specifically, looked like the fabulous socialite who walks up to you at the start of the party with two drinks in hand, one for her and one for you, who then starts spilling tea on all the attendees and who you later share some recreational substance outside away from the others. I might be projecting with that last bit based on my past experiences in Palm Springs, etc.

The premiere seemed wery weird honestly I expected more from New York than this . Maybe becaise it was only a private screening?

But Timothée managed to be absolutely stunning, elegant and classy for me. He was a bit under tone in my opinion, it seems him and Zendaya are sick , poor babies. Women all beautiful

[haggishlyhagging]

Images work a powerful effect on the mind. If we question in our hearts who we are, our minds throw up to our vision an image of ourselves. We seek a picture, a word, a name. We feel we do not know our own feelings unless they are named. And we inherit through culture the very names we give to feelings.

This power of culture over our lives is a power we study and recognize. Kenneth Boulding, a philosopher in the sociology of knowledge, writes: "persons themselves are to a considerable extent what their images make them." And he follows this with another insight, which should be terrifying when we consider the images of men and women in pornography and in the pornographic sensibility. He writes: "people tend to remake themselves in the image which other people have of them."

The philosopher of language Wittgenstein gives us a similar insight. He writes: "The child learns to believe a host of things, i.e., it learns to act according to these beliefs. Bit by bit there forms a system of what is believed, and in that system some things stand unshakably fast and some are more or less liable to shift. What stands fast does so, not because it is intrinsically obvious or convincing; it is rather held fast by what lies around."

This relationship between culture and event has tragic consequences in our lives. In 1972, for example, the surgeon general's report on images of violence on television suggested that a causal relationship exists between an exposure to television violence and a child's participation in more aggressive behavior. For culture and event become one another. In the early twentieth century, a magazine publishes a photograph of a real event, a photograph of a woman political activist being tortured by the czarist police. Now this event, through its publication as a photograph, has become culture. And a young man buys this photograph. He stares at it. He becomes obsessed with it. Later he imagines that he is torturing a woman who has rejected him in the same fashion as this photograph depicts. Finally he actuates these fantasies in ritual tortures as a sadomasochist. (We read of his life after he becomes a patient of Wilhelm Stekel.) He makes culture actual.

By this transformation from image to act and act to image, we become imprisoned in a world of mirrors. For we cease to be able to tell illusion from actuality or to distinguish our own natures from the nature we are imagined to have. Thus if we are unhappy, we can find no way out of our dilemma, no door leading us into another world than this world of mirrors. In one mirror we see a photograph of a woman who is tortured. This may be a fictional pose. Or it may be a newspaper reporting an actual event. Or we may witness this event in our own lives. So, gradually, we cease to be able to imagine ourselves as otherwise. Every reflection we see tells us that only cruelty is possi-ble. That violence is inevitable. We are trapped by our own minds.

In this way culture becomes like a web that is invisible to our eyes, made up strand by strand of image and word, each strand becoming more powerful through the existence of the other strands. But we do not see any of the strands. We do not examine our assumptions, our choices, our decisions: Rather, they fade into the background for us. And we confuse them with ourselves and with nature.

So if an image turns into an act, we do not perceive this transformation as having taken place. Rather, we say to ourselves that the image has accurately predicted the future. And if a pornographic fantasy becomes an event, we say that pornography has truthfully portrayed sexuality. And finally, when we read that a man is convicted of kidnapping and "brutally" murdering an adolescent girl "to fulfill a bizarre sexual fantasy," we do not come to understand that the pornographic imagination can lead to actual murder. We do not suspect, as we ought to suspect, that pornography endangers our lives.

-Susan Griffin, Pornography and Silence: Culture’s Revenge Against Nature

[aroseofonesown]

On the impossibility of being feminine

Possible trigger warnings for body dysmorphia Like many a way-too-online Millennial, I enjoy some Instagram scrolling. I like seeing other similar mid-size women being fashionable and being healthy. Recently I had to unfollow most of these accounts because I was finding they were triggering body dysmorphia in me to a dangerous level. To be very clear I was not following young, thin, super hot fashion and gym girlies. I was following pudgy women in their 30s and 40s who jog, or lift weights, or wear sexy dresses. Women I identified with and/or was inspired by. What I found was that so much of their content was them responding to the horrific comments they were being left every day. Just them posting and responding to those comments was sending me into horrible anxiety spirals. I am not policing these women. They should not have to take that shit silently. I think they are way stronger than me for being able to keep posting despite the harassment they get, and I know a lot of women enjoy mocking the trash that post those kinds of comments. For me though, seeing these comments drove home to me the impossibility of being feminine. What follows is the crystallization of my interpretation of this behavior and why I think it happens. This is in no way an academic analysis but is based solely on how I feel about what is going on. I believe that feminine bodies are judged in 3 categories by our patriarchal and predatory culture. In all three of these categories, the female body is an object, because as Simone de Beauvoir famously stated, “Man is defined as a human being and woman is defined as a female."

I want to be clear, this 3 object mindset exists because of our patriarchal society but it not perpetuated only by men, and it hurts so many more people than just women. The 3 objects feminine bodies are categorized into into are: 1) Sexual objects: Feminine bodies that are seen as sexually desirable are given privileges above all other women in our society but are very often subjected to unwanted advances, comments, and sexual violence. The sexual object's role is to be pretty, and complaint. If not compliant her compliance will be enforced with violence. 2) The invisible object: Femine bodies that are not seen as traditionally sexually desirable, make no effort to be so and present as sexless. They do not challenge the culture categorization but instead, accept it. They blend into the crowd and tend not to be subjected to verbal or physical violence because of their appearance. 2) Sexually repulsive object: Femine bodies that are not seen as traditionally sexually desirable, but refuse to be invisible. That does not mean they won't be sexualized, far from it. Many fetishized feminine bodies fall into this category. Fat women who declare they are sexy/healthy, trans women just existing, sexually "promiscuous women", and minority and disabled women all often find themselves in this category. The sexually repulsive object is often pushed into this "repulsive" category because she will not or can not mold herself into a pleasing "sexual object" and refuses to become an "invisible object" People who fall into this category frequently experience intense harassment and are subjected to very violent enforcement to push them in the other two categories. It was an existential mind fuck to really understand how my choices came down to being "invisible" or being "repulsive". I am almost 40, have a kid, have very intense insulin-resistant PCOS. I will never be traditionally sexy. I am ok with that. What guts me though, is that I love fashion. I want to be dressed head to toe in standout outfits. I want gloves, and hats, and big ball gown skirts. I want my existence to be loud. If I choose that I will be subjected to violence in an attempt to make me invisible. Deep Breath This is a universal experience for feminine bodies. If we choose to be our authentic selves, we make ourselves targets. I wish I could say I am just going to get angry and be stunning anyway. I honestly don't know right now how loud I will allow myself to be, but I also know it is deeply important for me to understand why I am scared of embracing my authentic self. Why I found it so existentially threatening to watch women who looked like me be insulted for doing pushups or wearing a tight dress. I want to embrace my femininity, but I also don't want to be yelled at and called horrible things and fear for my safety. I also know that as an only mildly disabled cis middle-class white woman, I don't have it nearly as bad as many others. Is it important allyship to stand up against this vitriol? Sure, but am I emotionally strong enough to do it? I don't have an answer yet, but I hope by writing this out it helps me find my way. ETA: not everyone thinks this way of course but this is just my personal theory about why some people get so much more harassment than others.

[canichangemyblogname]

With about five days left of Pride Month, I want people to keep something in mind going forward: supporting queer rights in the public and political sphere does not mean you have created a safe and welcoming environment for queer people, especially in private spheres.

Glass closet jokes, implying real people can "queerbait," discourse around whether "straights" can be at pride, and comments like "are you sure you're not just a [insert any identity other than queer]" make personal spaces inhospitable to queerness and personal expression.

Glass closet jokes are often made at the expense of people who are gender non-conforming in some fashion. They reinforce stereotypes and gendered norms. People point to "stereotypical behavior" for evidence that they knew you were queer and, in the process, reinforce queerphobic ideas about how queer people act and present themselves. EX 1: me being told, "The closet is glass. I mean, you dress like a lesbian." Explain to me how a lesbian dresses without relying on misogynistic gender norms and lesbophobic stereotypes of queer women. EX 2: my (straight male) friend being told, "You paint your nails? Shit, there's no closet at this point. Just come out, bro." Explain to me how painting nails is gay without using gender norms to police men's self-expression and without resorting to queerphobic stereotypes. People need to do more to unlearn the idea that personal fashion taste is evidence of queerness.

Implying that real people can queerbait also polices self-expression. Real people might be closeted. Real people might be cis het and gender non-conforming. Real people will resist categorization and classification. Real people will not fit perfectly into societal ideas on how a man or woman should dress or present themselves. And real people should not feel pressured to present as the most stereotypical version of their assigned gender or "straightness," lest they be bombarded with people critiquing their choices and spamming their photos with comments that read "egg moment" or "deNile is not just a river in Egypt" or "I know something you don't 🧚‍♀️ 💅." These types of comments are all just repackaged homophobia and transphobia. No one owes you coming out, and no one owes you conformity.

Discourse around whether "straights" can be at pride similarly ignores how some people are closeted and how queer people aren't going to act as how you think queer people "should." Recently, I saw a TikTok video of a pride event where a seemingly well-meaning individual was telling cis het people that they should not be at pride, all while videoing "couples" she assumed were "straight." First, don't video people without their consent. Second, this ignores the fact that there are queer people who date queer people of the opposite gender. For example, m/f bi couples and T4T couples exist. Third, this ignores the fact that there are gender non-conforming trans people. Trans people do not owe you SRS or HRT, or gender conformity. Fourth, this also ignores how there are gender non-conforming people in wLw and mLm relationships who often get mistaken for the opposite sex.

(EDIT: There is a conversation to be had between queer people about how LGBTQ+ safe spaces are becoming popular spots for people who are often offended by queerness or the assumption they might be queer. That conversation does not revolve around what I was critiquing here. That conversation instead revolves around how these are safe spaces, so if you don't like queerness, if queerness makes you uncomfortable, and if you are made uneasy by the assumption you might be queer in a queer space, then leave these spaces alone. I can personally attest that no one is offended by- say- an "ally" [me before I was out] sitting in a gay bar because they are their friends' designated driver.)

"Are you sure" questions straight-up invalidate an individual's identity. When someone "comes out" to you, it's not because they have just made a huge, new revelation about themselves or are possibly still unsure of themselves. Rather, it means they have deemed you safe enough to know about their identity or sexuality. They already knew this about themselves and likely have for some time. There is a good chance others know this about them, too. You are neither the first nor the last person they will tell. I have been asked by cis queers and cis hets alike, "Are you sure you're not just a woman who just hates femininity?" Yes. My gender and sexuality are not a result of what I wear or how "masculine" I am. And who said I hate femininity?

[beelaboola]

authors note: hiiii hellooo, i wrote a thing for my crp oc, esme !! it isnt exactly in her pov but the story is formatted like a blog ask (think of reddit or something) so this is in a pov of a user that encountered her :3

this isnt fully proofread (or thought out well for that matter) so i apologize if my writing sounds confusing :(( word count: 1.3k

A user asked: What was the scariest experience you’ve had?

I can’t seem to get my mind off of the events that happened that one night back at the campsite. Trying to look back, it’s very foggy, to say the least, considering that it has been about a year since the incident; however, I’ll do my best to explain what happened.

A year ago, prior to summer break, my friends and I had planned to hang out at the campsite around the outskirts of our town overnight. Do note that our town is quite small and isolated, surrounded by trees. Our town is known for its forests and rivers, so we thought it would be a good getaway thing to do right after the semester (we are college students) and get away from everything. Looking back, this was a huge mistake. A friend of mine decided that we should invite the rest of our class to the camp. I was hesitant, considering that I’m not too open to hanging around with people I’m barely familiar with. However, because the rest of my group seemed okay with the idea, I had no choice but to agree with it, despite my gut feeling. On the day of the hangout, we had packed everything that we needed for the camp: tents, toiletries, food, and the like. We created a group chat that included the people who planned to attend, just for updates and such; nothing too big.

We finally arrived at the campsite; it wasn’t too far from where I lived, just about a 15-20 minute drive. I parked my car in the remaining parking space available. The campsite was littered with our classmates; probably about 20 of them attended. My girlfriend suggested that I try to mingle with the others; though I wasn’t too keen on it, I didn’t want to push it. I walked over to the group of my classmates hanging around by the tents they’d set up; they were welcoming, luckily. I spoke with them for about half an hour, though there was a person in the group that caught my eye.

This girl seemed reserved, I thought. I saw her around the campus regularly for my criminology classes. She had always kept the left side of her face covered by her hair, though I never questioned why. I always thought it was a fashion trend among the girls. I did hear rumors circulating that she was bullied or something, since there was a period where she suddenly stopped attending classes for a good few months. Some say something happened during the sleepover she had at her friends’ place during winter break, but I’m not entirely sure. She was kind of weird, but pretty nice, from what I had gathered.

The rest of the day we just fucked around, as normal for young adults, and did some activities that we could do at the campsite and whatnot. We gathered around the campfire by dusk; we told those cheesy, scary campfire stories while we made smores. As we listened to their stories, one of my friends stood up to tell theirs; let’s call him Mark. Mark assured us that this was indeed a real story, to which I scoffed, thinking that he was just kidding around. He tells us about how we have this serial killer going around in our town lately, which might’ve explained why there have been disappearances lately. He wasn’t wrong, though. There had been an abundance of missing person posters scattered around town; the person who targeted them seemed to target women the most, though men weren’t off the table. A shiver went down my spine when he told the story. 

He mentioned how police officers were able to find a whole body on the scene, but their faces were missing. That was what set me off. The very thought of a person sick enough to take their victim’s face and just simply leave them there to bleed out made my stomach churn. My girlfriend stood up to tell Mark off, saying that he was scaring the group. We all collectively decided to call it a night as we retreated to our respective tents. I tossed and turned in my sleep, my mind was still stuck on what Mark had said hours prior. During this time, I felt the pit in my stomach grow. You would probably think that I was a bit of a pussy for reacting like this, but I swear, I was justified in it. My girlfriend had left the tent to use the outhouse nearby, telling me that she would be back.

Hours had passed and I still wasn’t able to sleep. I started to grow worried for my girlfriend as it had been about an hour or two since she left. Silence consumed me until I heard her voice, “Love! Can you help me out?” coming from a distance. My girlfriend’s voice. At the time I thought how strange it was for her to call me out that late of a night, what she needed my help for. However, I didn’t think much of it. I stepped out of my tent, my eyes wandering around the camp. From what I can remember, it was dark and quiet. I heard her voice once more to which I followed the source of the sound. It took me a few minutes until I realized how deep into the forest I was in. 

At that time, my mind kept screaming at me to leave the forest immediately. That was when I stepped on something. I looked down and my god, it took everything in me not to scream. It was a body, skinned off of its face. The body was unrecognizable but I knew that it was her, my girlfriend. I recognized those clothes. “Babe! Where are you?” I heard in the distance, to which my fight or flight response triggered. I thought fast and hid behind a boulder, footsteps followed along. That wasn’t my girlfriend, she isn’t alive, I thought to myself. So why the hell could I hear her voice? I wish I never did but I took a peek over the boulder and a cold shiver went down my spine. The person wore a navy blue ushanka with ski goggles and a mask adorned, so I wasn’t able to identify who it was.

From what I can recall, the only defining feature of this person was that they had a burn scar on the side of their face. All I knew at the time was that they had mimicked my girlfriend's voice. The person held a skinner knife, assuming that they also killed her. “Where are you, Nick?” they spoke. I wanted to vomit, I needed to do something. I grabbed a rock and quickly threw it in their direction, which successfully distracted them. I bolted out of the area and didn’t stop until I was sure I was in the clear. They started to chase after me, and I had to scream. My screaming made the killer steer away from my direction, and people at the camp got out of the tent to see what was going on. At that point, I was out of breath. My classmates and friends asked me what was wrong, however I couldn’t form the words for it and passed out.

That was it, I couldn’t remember anything else after that. I woke up in a hospital and tried to explain what happened back in the forest. My friends thought I had gone crazy, however, the details I gave were very similar to the case that the police had been looking into so they conducted an investigation at the campsite. A year later I still think about this incident to this day, I wonder what could have happened if I hadn’t run out of the forest as soon as I could.. I don't think they have caught her yet.

[booksandwords]

Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower

Series: Magical Bookshop, #2 Read time: 1 Day Rating: 4/5 Stars

The Quote: There was a war going on in Charming Books as the crow and the cat positioned themselves against each other: a tight for shop mascot. Both Faulkner and Emerson thought they were deserving of the title. Faulkner, who had been a resident of the longer, had seniority on his side, but Emerson had him beat in crowd appeal. — Violet

I enjoyed Prose and Cons though not as much as Crime and Punishment. Though it's nothing to do with the characterisation and story perse more to the writing and the classic literature was used. Violet, Daisy, Emerson and Faulker are all still fantastic. Prose and Cons picks up in the 3rd week of October four months after the conclusion of Prose and Cons. Charming Books is all decorated for fall and Halloween. It's a busy time for Cascade Springs, it's their annual Food and Wine Festival. Being as it is Violet in Cascade Springs something inevitably goes wrong and someone dies. The death was entirely unexpected to me, Anastasia Faber. Anastasia is the literary fiction author from the Red Inkers we met previously. The prime suspect is another member of the Red Inkers, Sadie (the bubbly fashion queen). Worse still the death happens at Charming Books.

It was nice to meet some new faces during Prose and Cons especially Danielle and Aster Cloud and EMT Keenan all of whom I think will make further appearances. I'm hoping Renee does too. Renee does all librarians justice. She's loud full of passion and personality and is really not a shusher. The epilogue is adorable. I adore Aster. She is just too cute, the best Joan of Arc I can think of. As an aside, I am now convinced there is no signposting for the killer or the motivation though it's Anastasia she was not particularly liked, unlike Benedict who was well-liked and respected. This is all about the reading and the journey.

The story of Prose and Cons is self-contained though perhaps a little less pleasing for me than Crime and Punishment, potentially due to an accessibility problem. It might due to the use of Dickinson's The Carriage vs Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and The Purloined Letter, as a poem The Carriage the can be replicated with ease giving us the most relevant parts for the story as they are needed. Whereas The Fall of the House of Usher and The Purloined Letter are both approx twenty-page short stories that rely more on themes and impressions than words. If you haven't read them you are likely to understand less. I'm likely to see similar problems with Murders and Metaphors which uses Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. As with the Poe works I've never read Allcott's classic but it won't stop me from reading the next book in the series. That said using Poe was a great choice it does allow Faulkner to indulge in some raven yelling (no one wants to tell him he's a crow, not a raven).

The tree is interesting, protective of Violet and healing. They don't hide its power from David but David himself says in the course of the story that as important as Charming Books birch tree is to Violet they are sacred to David's people. They hide the secret yes but with him, he observes more and notices that something near-impossible has happened. Have some David and Violet quotes just because.

My gaze glossed over Trudy and Richard and locked with the amber-colored eyes of the village police chief. As a member of the Senca tribe, Rainwater had coal black hair, which he kept short, honey-colored skin, pronounced cheek bones, and eyes that were like pools of warm maple syrup. It went without saying that he was a handsome man. The fact was he was an aspiring writer of children's books could topple a book-loving girl like me clean over. — This is a lovely descriptive passage. And yeah just ditto to that last line. There is just something truly appealing about children's book writers. (p.26)

"My work is fiction for kids, true, but it's still a peek into my deepest thoughts. In a way, isn't that what all writers allow readers when they share their work, a window into another person's mind? Poe, the tortured soul that he was, was the perfect example." — This is David's reason for not letting Violet read his draft well the final reason he settles on after she calls bullshit on the others. The line is accurate but I would love to see what is in that book. What truth is he hiding from her? I mean at this point it could be anything. (David, p.40)

My eyebrows shot up a little father with this new information about the chief of police. He sounded like a true Renaissance man. Chief, writer, role-playing game aficionado. It just seemed a little too good to be true. I wondered what else I didn't know about Chief David Rainwater. — This is after Violet founds out from Keenen that he's in a D&D group with David. But before we meet Danielle and Aster. That just adds a whole other level of oh wow. (p.66)

""You do realize everyone else in the village, including my own grandmother, is pushing me toward Nathan, not David." She clicked her tongue. "The mayor is all wrong for you," she said with conviction." — While Violet may not like this conversation at least someone is saying 'oh I can see that'. Also, I like Renee in this scene, she makes me smile. (Violet and Renee, p.192)

More quotes to finish this very, very messy review.

The pounding came again, and Emerson seemed unconcerned by it, so I felt myself relax too. In the last few months since I had adopted the small tuxedo cat, I had begun to trust his instincts about people. He always seemed to know who was friend and who was foe. It was nice to have a feline litmus test, — This is a great take on pets. And Emerson is the best when it comes to an indication of good faith. (p.24)

"Adrian boxed up some more cookies for you. He copes with bad news by feeding people." I took the box from her and smiled. "Since I cope with stress with sugar, we are well matched." — And this is why we adore Adrian. I know Lacey is the suspect for bk 3 so it is going to be interesting to see hope Lacey and Adrian cope with that level of stress. (Lacey and Violet, p.85)

Despite growing up in wine country, I wasn't much of a drinker myself. I'd never acquired a taste for alcohol. If I was given the choice, I would much rather eat my calories in the form of sugary baked goodness like the cookies from Le Crepe Jolie than from a glass of wine. — I feel this on a deep level. I did grow up in wine country (and brewing area now). I too would rather eat my calories, or drink them through something close to designer tea. (p.159)

I could use a ruler-high stack of chocolate chip pancakes after the night I'd had. On second thought, Grandma Daisy could hold the pancakes and just hand over the bag of chocolate chips straight up was the only medicine that would do the trick. — Oh my god yes to this. (p178)

A student strolling the sidewalk did an about-face when the librarian screeched at me. Perhaps a yelling librarian was even more alarming than a running librarian. Nat that Renee was your typical librarian, with her tendency to be loud and her infectious laugh that could be heard all over the library building multiple times throughout the day. She wasn't one to whisper, and I had seen her shush a student only once, when a group of football players was especially rowdy. — It has been so long since I saw a librarian written this well. Renee is loud. Personality plus. And I can see why Richard is intimidated by her a little.

[crazyblondelife]

Who Are the Fashion Police - Breaking the Fashion Rules

I’m on a bit of a rant today! Yesterday, I saw an Instagram reel that disturbed me. It was a woman who walked by a trash can and threw her skinny, mid rise jeans in the trash can. Today, I saw a post of a woman listing 5 things an elegant woman would never wear! What???

I love fashion! I love reading about the new trends every season and incorporating some of them into my wardrobe. But who is to say what I should or should not be wearing or if I’m elegant! I’ve talked about my difficulty with high waisted jeans on this blog many times. It’s a trend I’ve struggled with and now low rise and mid rise are coming back so I couldn’t be happier…they were hard to find for a few years. I also don’t think wearing skinny jeans is “out” and who really cares. The most stylish people are the people who are creative with their wardrobes, have their own sense of style and wear their clothes confidently…period. There are no rules when it comes to dressing.

In my mind, elegance comes from the inside. It’s about how you love who you are and how you love others. It’s about how you show up in the world every day. Elegance comes from the inside and your life is a reflection of what’s in your heart…it has nothing to do with how clunky your shoes or the rise of your jeans.

As women, we have been controlled and confined (in fashion and in society) for waaayyy too long. We have very important issues to worry about these days and the ideas that an item of clothing should be thrown away because it’s not on trend, or that if you wear clunky shoes, you’re not elegant are ridiculous things that should not ever even come up!

The frightening thing is that the two women I’m speaking about have very large followings. Sometimes, when women don’t feel confident in who they are, they can get sucked in to what other people say and think. It’s fine and interesting to talk about fashion. Clothes can make you feel beautiful, but let’s talk encourage individual style…beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There are no rules unless you think there are rules.

Why aren’t we talking about how we are all important and how we all have gifts…let’s share our individuality and not all try to be and look the same. We were created as individuals…let’s encourage that! If grown women are saying that elegance is based on shoes…how in the world can we expect a younger generation to accept and love themselves for who they are inside. Shoes are fun, and shoes can make you feel good, but the shoes you choose to wear should be your choice, not based on what some random person on Instagram who has 409K followers has to say (this wasn’t the only post of hers that offended me). The truth is, I don’t have to follow her and won’t, but who are the women who do follow her and why would they? That’s the disturbing thing about social media.

I’ve said it before, but Instagram and all social media can be what you choose it to be! I am a part of such a lovely community of women on Instagram who support each other because that’s what I’ve chosen. I think it’s important to bring people together and encourage individuality. You can dress in an elegant way, but elegance is who you are, not what you wear!

And…speaking of shoes, aren’t these from Cult Gaia fabulous? (you may not and that’s okay)! I’ve had my eye on them for quite sometime and I think they’re so much fun for summer! I definitely have plans for these!

My outfit is made up of basics…a pair of mid-rise, straighter leg jeans, a white blouse from Brucho Walker that is honestly the best one I’ve ever bought, white cat-eye sunglasses (okay not so basic but fun), and a Kate Spade bag that is at least 20 years old! I’ve considered letting go of this bag so many times, but I have never been able to…every time I look at it I still think it’s so fabulous!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and I would love to know your thoughts! Please leave me a comment and let me know!

[driftwork]

I could easily put a date, a period to the music... part one

Today is my birthday,  I am 63, my 64th year has begun.... How did I end up across the world teaching Hegel? It was a long time ago, I don't actually know how long ago, decades at least. So here I am trying to remember the name of the philosopher hiding out in Europe who produced a a a phrase that defined the major part of our lives since then.  It rapidly became normalized and the words dropped out of the mouths of the publics throughout the world.  So here I am sitting, typing these phrases,  it's a mathematical formula that defined the way in which we live, perhaps though its more precise than the mathematical phrases of 'willing slaves of capital'.  Out there are a few billion willing slaves.  Men and women,  children and geriatrics,  the healthy and the sick, people at keyboards,  cosmonauts, astronauts, mall workers,  teachers and the others who may think in terms of a collapsing evil empire, but we don't live in amongst these remnants for the publics love their enslavement. A long time has passed since then, decades.  Barbarism has become normal,  and we have no idea how to prevent barbarism from growing still further.  How did I end up working and living here? How did it collapse like this?

The story begins with the sea:  After she left our prison I was there another year, still constrained within the 100 metre diameter cell, towards the end all i remembered of her was the feint almost homeopathic scent of honey. For a long time I had to avoid the scent of honey for it made me long for her.    "We should leave now," they told me without taking time to pack things in a thoughtful fashion. Not giving me time to think,  or even to put my  shoes on. I  threw a few things in a bag. I took my notes, the books,  clothes. There was nothing else, a few memories of her, I had missed her for months. They let me out on license when the regime began to change, put a GPS tracker on my wrist, escorted me back to my apartment. A two bedroom living room and kitchen, with a nice shower room close to Little V...  The only thing I did  was to ask them to pause so that I could stand on the concrete promenade looking at the sea.  Long waves beat diagonally, across, the beach, bulge hunchbacked,with cords of muscle, raise quivering ridges that tip over at their very repetition. No wave is unique, each one identical. Their crests stretched tight, already welted white,  around the cavity of air crushed by the clear mass like a secret made and broken...  For the entire time i had been a prisoner here i had only seen it in the distance, Is it the same beach? The same sea? It’s a  year later. The intervening pages scarcely matter, we’ll get to them over the days and weeks of  living. I stick my bookplate on the inside cover: someone sees someone standing. And try to think of the last time i read a book with the sea in it. The coach driver calls me, I board the bus and he carries me and my escort  away.  The old coach took us to the railway station where we caught the slow train to the nearest city, passing through the snow,  and then transferred to the southern express.  We, the escort and I didn't speak.  Shortly after the train began heading south a seller of sweets passed through the carriage. More parochially I arrived back in January, it is a a a a beautiful day before us, its the early morning and we are wondering what we will or should do with it. There is only a single choice really. We travelled in a police car through the city, to my apartment in the block of flats which sits in a side street in the north of ... People looked away to not know who the police were transporting... The apartment had been newly cleaned,  a few meals, handed me keys, pass codes, a document that listed the constraints imposed on a political prisoner life me, and instructions about when to go to the police. I asked my escort about the missing items, things that were listed on the document but not in the apartment. Usually solitary political prisoners like you get burgled, anything valuable gets stolen.  Could have happened anytime over the years you were away. Should I report the burglary?? I asked him. He shook his head, no point you don't have any idea when it happened,  and you won't be able to claim anything on insurance. Do I need to sign anything,  he handed his tablet to me, sign here, and her, and here....then again on this document.  You must live in this place. He instructed.  Where would I go? I have been disowned. I replied. Yes, it's normal.

It took a few weeks for me to get employed as a barista in a quasi-independent coffee store. I  worked 40 or 50 hours a week, 10% over minimum wage,   a hundred and  more espressos and teas a day, I never really counted.  sometimes milk shakes, usually for children. The cafe owners were ex-communists (smiles) after a few weeks of serving people,  the weak sunlight entering the cafe  through the UV filtering glass. Me, eventually,  wearing teeshirts with images of Hegel and others. Ex colleagues from the university appeared.  It's the way of nepotism and political protectionism that I got a temporary assistant teaching post, 12 hours a week in the university. Dividing my time between the cafe and the evening shifts and then into the daytime. After about four months they removed the GPS trackers from my body. Insanely feeling free at last. I lay on my back in the park watching silver airplanes flying overhead in the bright blue sky.  Once the trackers were gone I applied for work at the Black Hotel Gardenia. We have been asked to employ you the Hotel said. I didn't understand what this might mean.  I left the cafe to work in the Hotel cafe and then elsewhere in the Black Hotel.  I began to think I might survive in this newly lonely life.  I didn't dare have friends as I waited for them to arrest me again. In the late autumn the politics stabilized again.  One morning at the Hotel I was taken into the directors office and was told by a dark suited european that they would rearrest me next week and that I should leave.  They gave me an envelope of instructions, tickets, money, credit cards, a new identity and passports.  Let us say a year passed perhaps more perhaps less. And there I was running along a slow line of flight boarding a small ship in winter…  Today is my birthday I am 63,  I have never returned to the country that wants me, a teacher of Hegel to be imprisoned. I am an exile on a small planet.

https://www.driftwork.work/post/684428858721697792/a-village-on-the-coast

[ranaterrellcsit]

This Summer and Beyond, We Need to Stop Judging and Policing Women’s Fashion Choices

This Summer and Beyond, We Need to Stop Judging Women’s Fashion Choices

As the weather gets warmer, the block gets hotter with the fashion and morality police, as well as men who can’t control themselves. TW: Brief mentions of sexual assault and rape culture. Last week marked the official start of the summer. The youth are expected to take a long break from school. Some people are preparing for their summer vacations. Others are just looking forward to being…

[henify]

Former First Lady Michelle Obama recently found herself at the center of controversy after photos emerged of her enjoying a day at the beach in Miami. While many admired her relaxed style and confidence, others criticized her choice of attire, sparking a debate about appropriate beachwear for someone of her stature. https://twitter.com/misspetitenaija/status/1065389992724361217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065389992724361217%7Ctwgr%5E6eaedb56b02a6288812c041d7a2fd9c690af8a6e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fboreddaddy.com%2Fmichelle-obama-60-criticized-after-wearing-revealing-outfit%2F The photos captured Michelle and her daughter Malia dining at a Miami steakhouse with friends, exuding grace and poise as they soaked up the sun. Michelle's all-white ensemble, featuring denim cut-off shorts and a loose blouse, drew both praise and condemnation from onlookers. Critics were quick to judge Michelle's outfit, citing her status as a former First Lady and suggesting that her attire was inappropriate for someone in her position. Some went as far as to question her taste and class, with one commenter even likening her style to "trailer trash." However, amidst the backlash, there were voices of support defending Michelle's right to dress as she pleases. Many argued that she should be free to enjoy her vacation without facing scrutiny over her wardrobe choices. After all, Michelle has spent years in the public eye and deserves the same freedom as anyone else to relax and unwind. In a world where women are constantly judged and scrutinized for their appearance, Michelle Obama's unapologetic confidence serves as a powerful reminder that women should not be confined by society's narrow standards of beauty and propriety. As one supporter aptly put it, Michelle is a self-confident, elegant woman who doesn't need our approval. Ultimately, Michelle Obama's choice of beach clothing is a personal decision that reflects her individual style and comfort. Rather than policing women's bodies and clothing choices, we should celebrate their autonomy and embrace diversity in fashion. Love and peace prevail when we uplift and empower each other, regardless of what we choose to wear.

[j-graysonlibrary]

Fort Heaven Chapter 33

Title: Fort Heaven

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 69K

Genres: Suspense, investigative, drama, LGBT+

Available on: Kobo and my website

Synopsis: Some call it a hoax. Others claim it’s a cult. But, to Evon and his friend Yasmine, two online journalists, Fort Heaven is the subject of their latest story. Along for the assignment is cameraman and not-so-secret crush of Evon’s: Russet. With a drunken, murky night in their recent history, things are especially tense between them but, of course, personal matters take a backseat when the interviews start. The trio speaks to ex-members of Fort Heaven and, while some of the accounts are shocking, the job remains just that: A job. That is until one of the women they interviewed, along with her daughter, goes missing. It soon becomes clear that not only is Fort Heaven a real threat but Evon and his friends are being watched. And what started as a simple cash-grab article is now a matter of life and death.

Full chapter 33 under the cut

Chapter 33

The following weeks were chaotic for everyone but, at the end of the month, they were all able to say that they were okay. It was far more than any of them—especially those who had been imprisoned—could have hoped. The police had their investigation underway and, even though it seemed that Simon and Seth were nowhere to be seen—that they had taken a few other members in.

It wasn’t anything any of them wanted on their mind though.

Trinity kept up to date on the events but kept them to herself. If they asked then she would tell them but she knew they all had plenty to worry about without the stress of that hanging over them. It was the least she felt she could do after their ordeal.

In a similar fashion, Evon and Yasmine’s boss gave them plenty of leeway when he learned about what had happened. He even gave them an extension on the assignment and paid them an impressive chunk of cash in advance. While it could have been a case of him feeling guilty or sympathetic it could have also just been his way of encouraging them to focus on their experiences which, everyone knew, would end up being worth money.

At this point, they had no choice but to record their personal experience along with the footage they already had. That and whatever it was Willow had been able to record.

Many afternoons were spent in a room—usually Jackson’s—and they would take notes and discuss how the documentary was going to play out. A few interviews were also filmed while they were still in the hospital including some short ones with the police.

The only ones uncomfortable with the idea of all of it being made public were Nichole and Jackson. Even if both of them had been aware of the original plans of the journalists, they were surprised to learn that they still wanted to go through with it after everything.

Russet had to become more accustomed to using his non-dominate hand for everything. Every once in a while, Evon would catch him looking down at his missing fingers with a blank expression and he would gently place a hand on him. He didn’t have to say anything to get his point across.

There was a look all of them had. One that was full of words and emotion and never needed a response. It was a mutual understanding and almost like a touch of compassion… It was something the six of them would always have.

“We should get tattoos to cover the brands.” Yasmine mentioned in a sort of off-handed way one evening as they continued to iron out the details of the documentary.

Everyone looked over at her as they mutually thought the idea over. Evon nodded and started to smile. “That’s a pretty good idea…”

“Yeah, I know,” she responded with a laugh that almost sounded like normal. That had been happening more and more lately.

“Matching ones?” Russet questioned with a raised brow. He definitely already had objections about it judging by the tone in his voice.

“Obviously,” Nichole answered in Yasmine’s stead.

“I don’t know about needles…” Jackson mumbled.

“Well you wouldn’t have to get one if you didn’t want to,” Yasmine said and nudged his arm.

“But if everyone is matching then I’ll feel left out.” He frowned.

“I know a tattoo artist with a light hand,” Willow spoke up, “You’ll hardly feel anything.”

Jackson smiled over at her sheepishly.

“So what do we get?” Russet asked once a silence had broken the conversation.

Evon glanced over, honestly surprised that he seemed to be going along with it so easily.

“Hmmm…” Yasmine hummed and pressed her lips tight. “What’s something we all like?”

Everyone looked at each other in turn and it was clear no one had any ideas.

“I guess we’ll have to think about it,” Evon said and gave a small laugh.

***

The weather was warm, sunny, and a bit dry. Crowds of people weaved in and out of each other as film critics and screening audience members moved from one area of the festival to the next. The group of six didn’t have to go far from where their film was showing but there was a lot of press they had to deal with coming by.

Jackson was, as expected, the least comfortable given the situation but he was well protected by Yasmine. She, Evon, and Willow were at the forefront while Russet and Nichole made something of a wall around Jackson to help him out.

Since the debut of the film, things had been drastically different. Eyes were on them constantly and the news circlets were buzzing with the information the documentary revealed and the arrests of Simon and Seth only heightened the frenzy.

Most of the time the questions the group received were tasteful but, every once in a while, they would get something wildly inappropriate. Yasmine or Willow usually handled those and the reporters quickly learned where the line was.

All in all, it seemed that, because of them, Fort Heaven had finally met its end. Compounds and camps across the country were being discovered and raided and old victims of the cult were coming out of the shadows to share their stories.

“How do you feel knowing you’ve started a revolution of sorts?” A journalist asked them collectively between screenings as they stood outside and greeted people.

“I think it was a long time coming and would have happened with or without us,” Russet answered.

“Well it certainly wouldn’t have happened in such a grandiose manner,” the man continued on, “Now I hear this started out as simply a blog article?”

Evon took the question and gave a much more simplified story of how things escalated. It was something almost everyone had asked but, of course, if he said too much it would spoil the film.

“What do you say to the critics who claim it is all a hoax or is exaggerated?”

“Well everyone is entitled to their own opinion…however,” Willow said with a long pause, “there is nothing but fact in this. It’s impossible to have an opinion that it isn’t real.”

The reporter gave her an uneasy look—like he wanted to argue but had suddenly become too nervous to.

“I…I suppose so. Is there anything that you hope comes from this?”

“Just what has already happened, honestly,” Yasmine said. “The church has crumbled and people have been saved. It’s more than we can ask for.”

“It has caused quite the commotion and it hasn’t even hit major theaters yet,” the reporter agreed. “Do you hope to win any awards this coming season?”

“I—we really don’t care about that aspect of it.” Evon glanced to the side. The concept of fame from the project was a complicated one for him and for Yasmine too he was sure.

It was technically what they started the project with the intention of in a way but, now that they had been through what they had, the idea was a bit uncomfortable. The reason they decided to make it a documentary was because they all collectively felt they had a rare opportunity to show the world the truth about something that was completely shrouded in darkness.

“Half of the proceeds are going to the victims,” Nichole, surprisingly, spoke up. Usually she and Jackson kept silent throughout interviews since they had little to do with the actual making of the film and simply appeared in it. People had tried to question them but normally they would deflect it to one of the others.

“Wow,” the man spoke with wide eyes, “That’s wonderful.”

She smiled at him. “It’s in honor of my mother.”

The Cindy Project had earned a lot of money already and many of the first wave of victims were helped because of it. Mostly Nichole and Willow oversaw the business on that end.

A few more interviews were had before the next screening began. The audience settled in and it was time again for them to stand before the screen and introduce themselves and the film. With a quick look between each other, Evon started them off.

“Good evening everyone and thank you for coming. I know that some of you have probably heard about the news stories on Fort Heaven these days and you may even be aware of what you’re about to watch. For those of you who aren’t familiar, this started as a small article for the website Yasmine and I worked for.

We ended up diving down an unexpectedly deep rabbit hole, however, and we almost didn’t come back. Even worse, we dragged people who weren’t already involved down with us and changed their lives forever. It’s simultaneously the best and worst thing we’ve ever done and it’s funny how that works.

Now, before the film begins, I would like to say that…these people standing with me up here…Yasmine, Nichole, Willow, Jackson…and Russet…I really couldn’t have made it through with any other group of people.

I love you.”

The crowd cheered before they took their leave and sat in their designated seats in the back. When the lights dimmed, Evon had hands on his from either side—Russet and Yasmine.

It wasn’t easy to watch—never had been and probably would never be. But they sat and watched to the end each time in a bittersweet sense of accomplishment.

They’d done it—and plenty of other good things as a result—but there was still the small seed of doubt that lived in all of them: Was it worth it?

[End]

[solarissantaella]

Lemon Squares in All Dimensions, NaNoWriMo Excerpt #8

SARA was still. The space between the two robots bristled with the unsaid until, finally, SARA broke the silence with her brittle voice. “We are both robots. I suppose I can see why that might give you a sense of connection with me. In theory. I certainly do not feel that way toward you. But I cannot imagine why such an arbitrary emotion would be strong enough for you to risk your life.” 

Celia avoided SARA’s unflinching gaze. “Well, it is.”

SARA leaned forward slightly; Celia, surprised by the subtle humanity implied by the gesture, found herself leaning forward, too, and their eyes met. There was silence again, no less charged, but Celia felt as if a tenuous understanding had been achieved. 

“You do not strike me as a stupid woman,” said SARA in a tone that, for her, could almost pass as gentleness. “Perhaps it is because you are a robot. Perhaps that is as close as I come to camaraderie.” SARA moved back a fraction of an inch, and Celia retreated, sinking into her chair. SARA continued in her customary clipped fashion. “But I do not believe that you would risk your career– possibly even your life– because you feel compelled by such a meaningless and arbitrary connection.”

“You’re right,” Celia confessed in a whisper, her eyes threatening to fill with tears. “There’s more, but–” Almost involuntarily, she drew a trembling hand to her mouth. A few tense breaths later, she let her hand drop. “I can’t. I just can’t.” 

SARA was impassive. “If you cannot tell me something as simple as why you are interested in helping me, I do not see how I can possibly trust you.”

The thought that SARA wanted to trust her stirred Celia’s confidence, so she breathed deeply and wiped her eyes. “I want to tell you,” she said earnestly, “but to explain it properly. . .” She trailed off, then rallied. “I’d have to tell you things I’ve never told anyone before.” “Like the fact that you are a robot,” said SARA. Celia winced, wishing SARA wouldn’t bring that up quite so loudly. “Yes, like that, but. . . deeper.” Dissatisfied with her word choice, and knowing SARA would find fault with its nebulousness, Celia tried to elaborate. “I only keep that a secret because it’s safer that way, but this. . .” She shook her head. “It’s harder. I don’t know.” Her eyes threatened to fill with tears. “I can’t do it– I just can’t. I can’t get past it.” 

SARA rose to leave, but Celia reached out and grabbed her wrist. Both women froze. Celia was horrified that SARA might view her touch as an assault and retaliate, possibly killing her; she could only guess why SARA was so still. 

Had she never been touched before? No, Celia told herself– the police must have touched her when they brought her into custody. But, other than that? Despite her own anguish, Celia couldn’t help but feel for SARA. What was it like, to love so deeply only to receive nothing in turn, to be touched only to be imprisoned? Then Celia realized that her grip was functioning in the same way, and she let go. 

SARA made no move to walk away. Then, slowly, she sat down across from Celia, who took her own seat, amazed. “Is it because of your daughter?” SARA asked.

“Losing a daughter. . .” Celia closed her eyes, then sighed. “No,” she confessed, opening her eyes again and forcing herself to confront SARA’s stare. Everything would be simpler if she could just give SARA the answer she was obviously primed to accept, but Celia couldn’t do it. She respected SARA too much to lie to her. It wasn’t just a matter of rescuing Jamie anymore– Celia wanted to earn SARA’s trust.

Why, exactly, did she want to earn the trust of a misogynistic murderer? 

Celia answered her own question swiftly: because SARA did not trust anyone. She loved her husband and would obey him unquestioningly, but that was written indelibly in her mind. It wasn’t a conscious choice; it was sheer, blind faith. If SARA allowed herself to put her trust in Celia, it would make her, in some, small way more human, and Celia, the recipient of that trust, could consider herself human, too.

[steelblueau]

The safety boot innovations paving the path for tradespeople in 2022

Trades are changing, and work boots are falling in step with the pace of innovation.

Today’s tradespeople need work boots that work in building sites to boardrooms.

As new health risks emerge, safety shoes – being an essential component of PPE – should add a layer of protection for frontline workers. And of course, we can’t forget fashion.

These are the 5 work boot innovations setting the pace in 2022.

1.     Pathogen-resistant leather

Recently, we have seen the devastating effect of contagions, illustrating the importance of protecting frontline personnel.

Steel Blue Enforcer and Leader non-safety boots are made with pathogen-resistant leather treated with HealthGuard™ protection. Inside, a moisture-wicking Flat Lunar lining provides all-day comfort for active endeavours.

Who it’s for

Enforcer and Leader are pathogen resistant work boots from the Steel Blue Emergency Services range. The special HealthGuard™ coating is antibacterial and antifungal, and prevents spore growth.

Other lightweight work boots designed for Police, Paramedics and Security Guards come with safety features like heat-resistant Nitrile Outsoles, industrial-grade fastenings and airport-friendly composite toe caps.

2.     Enhanced chemical resistance

Modern safety shoe manufacturers have access to some pretty advanced materials:

Kevlar fibre that’s five times stronger than steel

Nitrile, a heat and chemical-resistant organic compound

TECtuff® chemical-resistant leather

Steel Blue chemical-resistant work boots employ these innovations to provide secondary protection against mild chemicals in line with international safety standards.

Who it’s for

Steel Blue chemical-resistant work boots are ideal for use in Oil and Gas, Chemical Engineering, plant work, and anywhere mild chemicals pose a health risk.

As well as using TECtuff® leather and Kevlar stitching, our chemical-resistant Warragul and Jarrah boots feature heat-resistant Nitrile Outsoles and our standard slip and oil-resistant tread.

3.     Conscious leather alternatives

People from all walks of life are trying to reduce their reliance on animal products.

We’re listening.

Steel Blue has always sourced sustainable leather from Leather Working Group suppliers.

Now we’ve stepped ahead of the safety shoe industry, offering vegan-friendly alternatives made with a high-performance microfibre material.

Who it’s for

Steel Blue Argyle® men’s and Southern Cross® women’s work boots are the great all-rounder.

Since introducing our vegan-friendly variants, we have seen high demand from tradespeople across the industry spectrum.

They are still the same comfortable, lightweight, durable boots with steel toe caps and TPU Outsoles, independently certified to AS 2210.3 performance standards – just vegan-friendly!

4.     Side zip, pull-on and Spin-FX fastening systems

Fastening choices for safety boots have moved far beyond lace-up and pull-on.

The classics are joined by hybrid lace-and-zip fastenings and Steel Blue’s revolutionary SpinFX™, a fast and secure fastening innovation in work boot technology.

Who it’s for

Pull-on work boots are back in fashion (not that they ever really left).

5.     Antibacterial and antifungal treatment

Rounding out our list of work boot innovations is an invisible – but essential – bioscience application.

Thanks to an exclusive agreement with Fresche Bioscience®, all Steel Blue boots are now treated with an antibacterial and antifungal lining.

Who it’s for

We are already applying the Fresche Quatlock™ treatment to our entire work boot range .

The environmentally responsible solution guards against odours, fungi, mould and bacteria.

Lightweight work boots for today’s trades

Whether you’re a Paramedic, Plumber, Mining Engineer or Maintenance worker, the skills you bring to your trade demand quality equipment.

Steel Blue work boots feature layers of innovation so you can excel every day and stay comfortable on the job.

Explore the full range of work boots or visit a Steel Blue stockist to find your fit.

[themovieblogonline]

"Wannabe" Screens at Opening Night of the Nashville Film Festival on Thursday, September 29, 2022

“Wannabe” is a 13-minute 33-second short written and directed by USC graduate Josie Andrews that will screen at the Nashville Film Festival on September 29th, Opening Night. It's playing opening day in the "Next-gen: program 1" block on Thursday, Sep 29th at 1:00 PM at the Belcourt Theatre, and it's well worth seeing. It is bound to impress, as it is very slick, sophisticated, and timely---(not necessarily in that order.) Quite apart from the original song performed in the short (“Control,” written by Michael Lloyd, Greg O’Connor, and Writer/Director Josie Andrews, and performed by the Alley Kats), two things stood out, to me, about this impressive short. First, the Director’s statement (from Josie Andrews), who graduated Salutatorian of her USC 2018 film class, and, second, the setting of the short. Director Andrews said: “We were lucky enough to shoot our performance and exterior scenes at Sunset Strip’s iconic Viper Room before its demolition, while all backstage spaces were replicated and built on stage at USC.” Here, in her own words, is Josie Andrews’ story of the inspiration for the short film she wrote and directed: “Although I knew I wanted to be a storyteller from the day I was born, this is not a story I ever thought I'd tell. I got my toes wet doing community theater and by second grade I was scouring backstage.com for auditions in New York, calling everyone in my parents’ phone book, begging someone to take me to try-outs.  To all our shock, I booked my first national tour at 8 years old and continued performing full-time. While my many years onstage taught me what it meant to be a good collaborator, it did not teach me what it meant to be a woman navigating Hollywood.  Graduating early and moving to L.A.on my own at 16, other women’s stories in acting classes reinforced the fact that objectification and harassment were commonplace and not to be questioned.  So, when I entered USC as an undergraduate acting major and utilized my student status to intern at places such as Lionsgate, NBC Universal, and The Weinstein Company, I thought I had no choice but to tolerate explicit texts and inappropriate advances from my superiors. It wasn’t until an unknown assailant broke into my hotel room and raped me while I was traveling out of the country that my capacity for abuse reached a boiling point. For the first time in my life, I went to the police only to be told that despite security tapes and witnesses, pressing charges would involve staying in the country for a lengthy trial, thus not returning to school. While my body returned to school, my spirit did not. Void of confidence, I dropped my major and stopped performing altogether, losing my identity.  But hiding in the back of a cinema studies lecture, I had a revelation:  perhaps I was still a storyteller, just a different kind than I initially thought. Perhaps the real agency lay behind the camera; perhaps that’s where I had to be to regain my own. Wannabe is not just a plea to believe those who have come forward, but a cry to consider the thousands who have not.” Ms. Andrews has woven the story of a girl band from the raw material of her personal experience coping with rape. In these days of MeToo, the mention of Harvey Weinstein is enough. It took investigative journalism by Mia Farrow’s son Ronan and brave victims to ultimately bring Weinstein to justice after years of his abuse of employees and aspiring starlets. From this raw material, Josie Andrews has fashioned the story of a girl band trio that is auditioning in the hopes of catching on with a producer who can help them achieve stardom. The role of the record producer who offers them a helping hand is played by veteran music producer Peter Zizzo as Landon. Zizzo, in real life, has a lengthy history of musical successes in producing records for many well-known groups and soloists, but he plays a straight role here. As the female trio concludes their performance of the (original) song “Control” the lead singer, Jada (Margo Parker, known from Lifetime’s “If Walls Could Talk,” “Girls Night Out,” and “Retrograde L.A.”) recognizes the man taking notes on a clipboard leaning against the bar as her rapist. He feigns complete ignorance and innocence of the crime. The Space Girls---lead singer Jada, Sky (Daisy Lopez), and Bianca (Victoria T. Washington)---are eager to be given the Big Break that every wannabe group dreams of, but should Jada agree to work with the man who raped her but suffered no consequences? She is obviously torn; the group members are, as well. There is even a suggestion that Jada may not be positive that Landon (Peter Zizzo) was the true culprit. This was the first USC post-pandemic production, and it is the product of a largely All Female cast. Aside from the performance by the fictional group, which is good, the recreation of the Viper Room on a back lot is impressive. The L.A. hang-out--- was partially owned by Johnny Depp until 2004.  It was the famous location outside of which actor River Phoenix collapsed and died on October 31, 1993, almost 30 years ago. River Phoenix was only 23 years old at the time. He died from what is popularly known as a speedball, ingested at the club. (A speedball Is a combination of heroin and cocaine.) The once-thriving nightclub the Viper Room is being razed. If you ever wondered what the Viper Club looked like inside, this might be your only chance to find out. Kudos to the nearly All-Female cast and crew that has produced “Wannabe.” Very well done and very professional in every respect. This student thesis effort seems to point to good work to come from all involved. Read the full article

[tressasinterlude]

𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓 #𝟑: Female Public Figures Dating Men with Questionable Views That Contradict Their Image & Alleged Politics

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥: These rant blog posts are really just reflective of my thoughts at the time that I make them and are posted here because I need an outlet to release all of this shit I have going on my busy ass mind. That’s it and that’s all. Now let’s get into it..

This rant was greatly inspired by none other than Ms. Robyn Rihanna “Tell Your Faves To Pull Up [in regards to social injustices directly affecting black people]” Fenty and her openly colorist boyfriend, A$AP Rocky. Aside from the fact that Rihanna tends to slip under the radar and is never held accountable for her problematic ways due to her conventional beauty (i.e. Her heavy usage of anti-Asian slurs, particularly targeted towards Chris Brown’s ex gf, Karrueche), it’s very alarming that a woman who has an entire makeup brand with a campaign based around the inclusivity of ALL black women is publicly flaunting a beau who once said that DSBW do not look good with red lipstick.

And yes, I’m very much aware that Rakim said this tasteless comment over 8 years ago but from the looks of it, not much has really changed with him. Don’t @ me about it neither because I don’t care.

Also peep how he compares a hypothetical darkskinned woman to a man (Wesley Snipes) while trying to explain how his antiblackness isn’t wrong because he said something about white women as well. Gaslighting at its finest. Don’t you just love it! 😀

Furthermore, you would think that somebody of Rihanna’s level of stature would know not to associate themselves with someone as messy as A$AP Rocky but... Stupid is what stupid does, I guess! I can’t even begin to place the blame on him anymore because he’s revealed his true colors and we all have made the deliberate choice to either accept it or don’t and have discontinued all support for him. Unfortunately, misogynoir is never the dealbreaker for most people and the hatred for [dark-skinned] black women is so engrained in society that it’s frowned upon when we publicly speak out against it. Very ass backwards if you ask me but that’s society for you. Now, enough about that. Let’s focus back on Ms. Vita La Coco.

As a woman who claims to be a girl’s girl and is always presenting herself to be someone who is the epitome of a pro-black feminist bad ass, it just makes her alleged activism come off so disingenuous when she’s also laying down with the same man that actively attacks the demographic she’s supposed to be standing in solidarity with. It’s “Black Lives Matter” on the IG posts but your vagina is getting moist for a man who openly stated he doesn’t relate to what goes on in Ferguson because he lives in Soho & Beverly Hills. Ferguson being the exact place where a 17-year-old black boy’s lifeless corpse laid on the hot concrete for FOUR hours after he was murdered by a police officer. He couldn’t 'relate' to the fate of so many black men, women, and children who are murdered or seriously injured from state-sanctioned violence because they’re poor and he is not or so he thought.

But then again, what can I really expect from a woman who identified as being “biracial” until as recent as roughly 6 years ago? What can I really expect from a woman who called Rachel Dolezal a ‘hero’ for cosplaying as a black woman? I’d be lying if I said my expectations for her were high in this regard because sis has always shown us she was lacking in this department. And just for the record, this is not a personal attack on Rihanna at all for the die-hard Navy stans in the back. I admire her latest fashions and bop my head to her music just like the next person but she’s getting the side-eye from me on this one.

Trust and believe me though, she’s not the only woman who I can call out for being a hypocrite. Of course not! This stone can be cast at a few others. So without further ado, why don’t we bring Ms. Kehlani Parrish to the front of the congregation? Prior to Kehlani’s recent declaration of identifying as a lesbian, her last public relationship with a man was with YG. Yes, the same YG who felt it was necessary to say him & Nipsey had ‘pretty light-skinned’ daughters to raise in the middle of his deceased friend’s memorial. By the way, Nipsey’s daughter is not even light (or at least not in my book anyways.) She’s a very deep caramel tone just like her father which makes what he said even more moronic. Yes, the same YG who thought it was clever idea to use slavery as an aesthetic for a music video to a diss track about 6ix9ine. And yes, also the same YG who has derogatory lyrics targeted at bisexual women. Just to end up sweating the red carpets with one. I swear the jokes just continue to write themselves.

This raises the question once more; How high of a pedestal can I really put a multiracial woman who has a song titled ‘N*ggas’ and when received backlash for the song in question, she used the ultimate ‘I’m mixed’ copout while not having a visibly black parent in sight?

It’s also kind of suspicious to me that many were not privy to Kehlani’s secret romance with Victoria Monét (pictured bottom right) until Victoria did an interview with Gay Times revealing she fell in love with a girl but they subsequently broke up because Victoria had a boyfriend and that girl was pregnant in a polyamorous relationship. Fans began to speculate because both Victoria & Kehlani previously candidly spoke about their sexual orientations, Kehlani had just had Adeya and they both were seemingly close. Their short-lived fling would later be confirmed when Victoria released the song ‘Touch Me’ on her last project and Kehlani hopped on the remix. Meanwhile, Kehlani’s relationship with Shaina (pictured bottom left) was very overt and all over her Instagram feed from my recollection. And as you can see, Shaina looks absolutely nothing like Victoria. They look like the complete opposite of eachother in every aspect which is kind of alarming(?) to say the least because why is it that the women she proudly claims as her partners tend to have a very racially ambiguous look such as herself but her ‘sneaky links’ on the other hand are undoubtedly black women? Again, it could just be me jumping conclusions. You know, I’m kinda good for that however something tells me I’m not. Y’all be the judge of the material though.

Last but not least, I’d like to touch on Ms. Raven Tracy very briefly. I was very weary about even including in this segment and if I should just put her in a entirely separate blog post with other women who openly date abusers despite their checkered past (alongside Nicki Minaj & her r*pist murderer of a husband, India Love & Sheck Wes etc.) being this particular blog post was based around the theme of lightskinned/mixed women dating men with extremely problematic views about DSBW. Raven obviously isn’t lightskinned or mixed however I refused to ignore how contradictory her [former] relationship with an alleged (I used this word very loosely and mainly for legality purposes.) serial r*pist while promoting a brand that is all about feminism & body positivity. This also traces back to A$AP Rocky by default being that Ian Connor is his very close friend and he came to Connor’s defense when several women came forward detailing accounts of Connor allegedly s*xually assaulting them. (I wish I could place the actual video of what A$AP Rocky said verbatim but Tumblr only allows one video per blog post. 🙄)

Back in June of this year, Ian & Raven had a back & forth on Twitter after Ian tweeted about Raven “fucking everybody” behind his back. I can only assume that he was alluding to Tori Brixx posting a video of her ex, Rich the Kid & Raven kissing on her story. Disgusted is not even the word to describe my feeling when she admitted she stuck by Ian despite of his many allegations of s*xual abuse because she loved him and her being a empath causes her to want to help everybody. Imagine aiding and abetting a predator and even paying for his bail & legal fees just to turn around and expect sympathy because this same individual cheated on you and exploited you all over Twitter for the public to see. The same man that you would get back with not even a WEEK after the fact & turn off your IG comments because it isn’t our “business” after making it our business...

That being said, I just genuinely want to know: Why do these women completely go against what they stand for in regards to these men? Maybe it was never genuine from jump street and if that’s the case, why jump on the bandwagon of performative activism? Is it because it’s profitable right now? Is it because disrespecting black women is not an immediate death sentence to your careers and more often than not actually helps you advance even further? I guess that’s the billion dollar question that’ll never truly be answered. I just want the world to stop using black women as their stepping stool to get to where they need to go and then discarding of us when we’re no longer beneficial. Support us all the way or don’t support us at all. We deal with enough disrespect as is so we’d appreciate if y’all would stop straddling the fence and partake in your misogynoir out loud if that’s what you choose to do. We have no use for fake allyship and quite frankly, it’s doing more harm for us than good. Please and thank you!

Sincerely,

- 𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂 𝙴𝙳𝙶𝙰𝚁 𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙴𝙽 𝙷𝙾𝙴. 💋