“Women Together Are Not Women Alone.”

some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.

Creation of the Superman

By Raymond W. Bernard

Menstruation Is Not Normal

"Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought."

Isaac Bashevis Singer

In the USA during the 1960′s legally a woman couldn’t:

Open a bank account or get a credit card without signed permission from her father or hr husband.

Serve on a jury - because it might inconvenience the family not to have the woman at home being her husband’s helpmate.

Obtain any form of birth control without her husband’s permission. You had to be married, and your hub and had to agree to postpone having children.

Get an Ivy League education. Ivy League schools were men’s colleges ntil the 70′s and 80′s. When they opened their doors to women it was agree that women went there for their MRS. Degee.

Experience equality in the workplace: Kennedy’s Commission on the Status of Women produced a report in 1963 that revealed, among other things, that women earned 59 cents for every dollar that men earned and were kept out of the more lucrative professional positions.

Keep her job if she was pregnant.Until the Pregnancy Discrimination Act in 1978, women were regularly fired from their workplace for being pregnant.

Refuse to have sex with her husband.The mid 70s saw most states recognize marital rape and in 1993 it became criminalized in all 50 states. Nevertheless, marital rape is still often treated differently to other forms of rape in some states even today.

Get a divorce with some degree of ease.Before the No Fault Divorce law in 1969, spouses had to show the faults of the other party, such as adultery, and could easily be overturned by recrimination.

Have a legal abortion in most states.The Roe v. Wade case in 1973 protected a woman’s right to abortion until viability.

Take legal action against workplace sexual harassment. According to The Week, the first time a court recognized office sexual harassment as grounds for legal action was in 1977.

Play college sports Title IX of the  Education Amendments of protects people from discrimination  based on sex in education programs or activities that receive Federal financial  assistance It was nt until this statute that colleges had teams for women’s sports

Apply for men’s Jobs   The EEOC rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal.  This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men.

This is why we need feminism - this is how we know that feminism works

My gripe with Euphoria.

Cultists Presenting Our Choice of Embracing Womanhood As Acceptance of Oppression

Their idea of "gender" is still binary and ignores women's complexities. ♀️

I've made it known that I've watched Euphoria in full. Both seasons were a mixed bag of unnecessary plots, weird lines, faux feminism, and depressing messages. I decided I would not continue watchin aftee season 2 as I felt ill with myself. The show tries so hard to be deep, but refuses to actual rely on more than its award winning actors. The underage sex was also a major issue. I found myself skipping any scene presenting these acts, but I knew that was not enough. With or without the sex, this show continues to exploit its female characters while shedding some humanity on its male ones. One could argue that some female characters did receive humanity. That list consists of Rue, Lexi, and Jules. Immediately, this list has a problem. Starting with Lexi, she is barely afforded screen time. Her development is about as rushed and undercooked as a fast food meal. She was only afforded more screen time when it came time for a male character, Fezco, to find romance as well as push the plot. Both of these acts ignored vital aspects of her character. As for Jules, he is male. He is afforded the same humanity as his other male peers because they have that in common. Jules is, of course, a part of the hyper-feminine and hyper-sexual crowd, but on him, these qualities are presented as quirky and cute. His female counterparts are still seen as shallow eye candy at the threat of being disposed of and mocked when they can't straighten up by themselves.

And then there's Rue....

She is a special case, being the lead for the show and ultimately earning more nuance accordingly. She is contrasted from the hyper-feminine, presenting as "tom-boyish". I feel I should note that these are inherently loose terms to use. No one is feminine or masculine as both of these ideas are constructed, mostly to place femaleness as submissive, unstable, and something to dominate, while men retain the supposedly masculine qualities of productivity, strength, and power. We are all a blend of unique and fanciful qualities that do not need a name. Anyhow, Rue is reserved to being the gender neutral girl of the show. We don't see her in a skirt or high heels, and make-up is the last thing on her mind. This shouldn't present her as superior to the other girls on the show, and one could state that it doesn't. We see the other female characters gain recognition and what we could loosely call "life experience" from their pretty auras and ability to social network. We don't see Rue reach out to anyone. Her place seems more firm beside her sister and mother, who love her and fear the path she has taken. Only Jules becomes a pivotal outside figure in her life. This other figure becomes a strong point of interest, so strong it leaves her vulnerable. On the other hand, Rue is occasionally shown conversing with the other girls, but the vibe is different. Even with the girls amongst eachother, their tolerance of eachother feels narrow. Despite a mostly female cast, the show does not attempt to show female solidarity in a way that feels consistent. They are shown being friends one moment, then disregarding eachother the next. Maddy is quick to fight other girls, Cassie carelessly betrays Maddy's trust, and Kat has been written so hollow at this point that she'll swing wherever the plot calls her to. Rue is a non-factor in their group as her plot simply does not mesh with theirs. She is essentially, and I hate to say it...

Not like the other girls.

If we start to question why in this misogynistic dumpsterfire, we will start to see. It is not a matter how she was written, but rather who it she was written for.

In my search for meaning behind certain characters and motivations, it was inevitable that I would come across certain articles about behind the scenes drama. Anyone familiar with Hollywood and the media knows that "drama" usually happens when an actress states her disconfort in hiw she's being handled. This is far from new. So, for this post, I am mostly addressing the words and actions of Zendaya Coleman, the executive producer of the show "Euphoria" and the actress who plays Rue Bennett. I am addressing to lead up to my conclusion on why her character has been identified in the way that she was. Evidently, Zendaya was heard in an interview insisting that Rue was a non-binary lesbian.

Non-binary. Lesbian. I have already spotted two issues. For the sake of time, I'll go ahead and explain why she can't be a lesbian, at least in practice. Of course, the show does not allow the viewer to linger affectively on her sexuality, so I am making huge guesses here.

She is shown to have had past sexual encounters with males and is currently in a relationship with one (even if he presents as female). It is clear that she exhibits distaste with those last experiences, although she tries to sound flippant. Obviously, I can't speak for lesbians on how they're sexuality works, but Rue's current (specifically the early stages of season two, as they seperate later) relationship status deems her, speaking simplistically, attracted to the opposite sex. Then again, it is hard to see her sexuality as being stable to begin with due to her addiction and mental disorders. She could fall victim to idolizing anyone that fits a current need. She could have a low sex drive as well, but that may also be the addiction messing with her libido. She is shown getting physical with Jules in season 2. However, these instances never involve intercourse, and she is shown to indeed lack the ability to enjoy any sexual act due to her harsh relapse. In a sense, we don't know what's up with her.

Long story short, Rue is not a lesbian in any meaningful sense of the term. Zendaya, that is strike one. ❌

Onto this non-binary business, I would like to ask if any of the male characters on this show are said to be binary. We could point to male characters that feel gender non-conforming, like Ethan, or characters that suffer to uphold their "masculinity", like Nate and Cal. Although, we are not told they are non-binary. Non-binary is reserved for girls, something to add an edge to them when they feel all hope is lost. It appears to girls as a form of escape, even as they dice their perfectly healthy bodies and are told to ignore the pain. Where is Rue's pain? She is still referred to as a she and doesn't seem to give a whoomp about it. So why would Zendaya claim she was a non-binary character when she is merely a girl in neutral attire? Does being non-binary suddenly afford her more empathy than the other girls? Does it help them mute any questions about Rue's sexuality? Why is it that her wardrobe depicts her as anything but female?

Well, it's because Rue wasn't meant to be a biracial female.

To explain further, I feel that I must state the obvious. Sam Levinson is white and male. Rue's story is borrowed from bits and pieces of HIS life and HIS struggles. This is not the viewpoint of a biracial girl struggling with addiction. This is a white man struggling with addiction, thus her presence as non-white and female in a largely white and male point of view is almost contradictory. Race is hardly if at all touched upon in this show, and that's not even addressing the lack of non-white leads to begin with. I don't mean to group Maddy and Kat, as they are presented as having latina origins, but those aspects of their identity are hardly given any light. I could almost say that Maddy presents as yet another "spicy latina" in its neverending and damaging occurence. Kat's ethnicity is not even touched upon enough to give it meaning. As always, there is not an asian character in sight. The black characters are presented fleetingly or as throw aways. Mckay left the story in the speed it took to say his name, and this was after his assault. No resolution. Lexi receives help for her play from a black girl who gets screen time so minimal that I don't remember her as anything but "Squeak". She simply exists. When we observe Rue's biracial identity within the story, it is never given prudence. Obviously, Sam would not be so knowledgeable of this, but where was Zendaya's input? So worried about her clothes that you forgot her skin color made an impact, it seems. Ali, her sponsor, giving a snippet of dialogue does little to justify the lack exploring identity outside of false beliefs. You can not automaticy suffer oppression by switching your pronouns. Rue somehow being a they/them, despite retaining her she-ness, proves the shallowness of the writing room. Somehow, she is not allowed to identify as a girl because that would be too hard. She cannot identify as a girl because girls can not somehow be nuanced, growing and changing in spite of the male gaze leering over them, telling them that their complexity as a female is impossible.

Somehow, she is less than female because she refuses to place effort into "femininity" in the same way as her female peers and the trans-identified male standing beside her. Jules' character is the definition of breaking gender norms as he is a man dressed in traditionallly female clothing. Why is he not just non-binary?

Rue is not less than female, and nor are those other girls despite the narrative presenting Jules' experiences as congruent to theirs. Despite their differences, they are all females with a difference in style. Non-binary is code for male. Just admit it, because somehow the world has made man the default when they did not create life. Women were here first, way before femininity and masculinity. We are both strong and gentle. We are life and death. We are complex. We are 🌿NATURE🌿. Assessing femaleness as a costume is assuming that lack thereof makes a woman less than a woman. It also adds to my point that only men are allowed story progression that does not heavily involve their sexuality. Their romance is an afterthought, a side goal in their stories. They don't have to conquer their virginity because they're not expected to be pure and nice. For women, romance and perfection is shown as the only thing we strive for. Rue is not perfect, and she certainly isn't that romantic. What would you do if people were naked? Would your gender theories work then?

That's strike two. ❌

My last qualm followed shortly after discovering her first comment. Maybe it pains me to see a woman disregard her existence for a man's unsound beliefs. It hurts even worse when assessing her words in the following post.

All women. Did Hunter tell you to say that?

I've already seen how TRA's and trans-identified males feel about black women, and they make it so blatant. Black woman are adult human females. We have female anatomy. When did we become other kinds of women simply for the color of our skin? We have been dehumanized and mocked enough! Stop lumping us with deluded autogynephiles who see our oppression as a privilege. As a woman of color, it is terrible to see her ignore this basic fact just for the sake of brownie points from a cult.

Strike three! You're out. ❌❌❌

Humanity has no bounds...

Yall what the fuck

I’ve been seeing my mutuals (on my main) reblogging that “transwoman transition masterpost” over and over and it finally hit me what was bothering me about it, especially the passing socially tips section that summarized went somewhat like;

“Emulate your ciswomen friends, choose a friend you like the most, how they talk, act, walk, stand, how women they act in movies, choose what woman you want to be, elegant, sexy? Makeup is a must, shaving is a must, women talk with emotion, Look at how women act in their idle time etc”

It consisted of all of the stereotypes in the book, all of the concepts we as feminists have been fighting for years to stop associating with womanhood being once again being romanticized and normalized and promoted under feminism

And it just reeks of male gaze male gaze male gaze, it profits off it, validates it’s enforcement on us, tells males how to mimick us and continue to perpetuate so many actions we do subconsciously and compulsory because of our own female socialization and gender roles, our “mannerisms” and “habits” etc i get flashbacks from reading the Reddit tips on “how to pee like a woman where it’s advice was to listen in on ciswomen urinating in public bathrooms, and how it echoes the way some men fetishize women peeing.

Then they have the audacity to tell us it’s us that are demeaning ourselves by knowing it’s our body that makes us women and not these compulsions? It’s misogyny and sexism plain and simple, And it just makes me so much more hyper aware now that not only do we have the sexual male gaze from straight non dysphoric men to deal with but now the transwoman male gaze, looking for the best way to mimick our behaviors and enforce gender stereotypes in a way we are not allowed to question or be bothered by

“The more we blame speech for violence, the more likely we are to use violence to stop speech.”

— Dan McLaughlin (via beyondthesleep)

Stylist

The shocking trailer for HBO’s new docuseries lifts the lid on the beauty industry’s dirty secrets

Want to know what really goes into your beauty products?

“In one scene, a scientist reports finding traces of asbestos in samples of products, while other experts report a catalogue of shocking issues on the rise such as changes in brain development, birth defects, ovarian failure and infant mortality.

We also see Palmer meet with individuals who have exhibited severe reactions to certain beauty products and hear their emotional accounts of devastating medical issues such as hair loss, speech problems and infertility. The scale of the issue, one commentator gravely declares, is an “overlooked epidemic”.”

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone