This Is Your Brain On Drugs

where i post shit i like

[inkskinned]

we were little girls with messy hair who wanted to shoot lasers at the people who hurt us. we made our barbies fly, made them spies, made them as strong as we wanted to be. they could stand up to the bullies. when we were older, we would ask, “where are the female superheroes?”

“it’s just a movie,” we were assured, “and what’s wrong with being the girl next door?”

we were angry adolescents with no safe direction to lash out in. we were not allowed to be violent. those of us who turned to our playstation were embarrassed for it. many of us were bullied. many of us turned to fantasy. when we were older, we would ask, “why is there only one playable girl character in this whole game?”

“video games are art,” we were sneered at, “i’m sick of these fake gamer girls ruining our media.”

we were high school girls who were worried we weren’t being kissed fast enough, even at 15. we felt shame boil up around our ears when men leaned out of cars to sling slurs at us. we wanted to feel good about ourselves but were sent home for showing our shoulders. what were we telling people by being so in love with our bodies that we showed them off in any small way. when we were older, we would ask, “why does this advertisement for socks have a barely-18-year-old girl lying mostly-naked on a bed?” we saw our own 18-year-old self, who could barely kiss right and still trembled about sex.

“relax,” we were told, “if you don’t like it, don’t look. if you’re mad they’re selling you your clothes like this, just don’t buy from them.”

we turned into tired adults. we have our fires burnt out. we have explained and explained until our tongues turned numb why we deserve to be able to live without fear. we got sick of being teachers. any dent we made was quickly refilled. we were sick of trying to talk to people who would never change their minds about us. we were sick of it. and we still asked: “where am i? where are the people who look like me?”

i once was in a coffee shop sighing to a friend, “why don’t people get that not every girl has the same body or same metabolic system” and i was interrupted by a large man who has no idea how i eat or how much i weigh or how healthy i might be, and he loudly and briskly informed me, “Victoria’s Secret models have a more common body type than you think. If you’re so pissed about not being like the girls on tv, how about you change what you look like?” i had gone 6 days without eating. 

so we made it up. we gave barbie a cape and our spotted dog the ability to control the weather. we wrote barely-legible fanfiction about vampires who were also terribly in love with us - because we were perfect in this world, unlike the mess of what really was - we crafted entire sub-stories about how the main characters in our favorite universes were secretly girls in disguise. we made 17-year-old characters who would cut the throats of anyone who hurt them. we drew pictures of women in full, angry armor. we wrote bad poems about the girls we loved and the ones we were jealous of. we hurt ourselves often, were excellent at denying ourselves in the name of something. we only ate salad, we wouldn’t touch grease, we didn’t buy certain things, didn’t get dirty. we used things to fill the gaps. bath bombs. fussy boots. venti iced mocha half-caf.

we made it up. we flooded the market. we put up pictures of ourselves smiling, with messy hair and silly faces, with back fat, with smudged makeup. we made videos perfecting our lips. we made art of possible fashion - all with pockets. 

a few girls take selfies at a sports event. they are slandered across the news for it. 

can you imagine? can you imagine the selfishness? the audacity? the self-possession one must feel to take a picture of themselves where they control everything? 

we don’t belong. images of us have to be photoshopped. made in buildings with perfect lighting. a young girl in underwear. we don’t belong. we don’t exist. keep quiet. if you don’t like it, don’t look at it.

[kpopidolpics3]

[thegameofnerds]

SNL Monologues: Best of Stand-Up

#1 Chris Rock

#2 Kevin Hart

#3 Amy Schumer

#4 Louis C.K.

[theinturnetexplorer]

The Tales of “Florida Man”

[theweedteacher]

I… Never wanted this to end…

[they-called-her-sunshine]

What the fuck Florida?

[buzzfeed]

[spicy-vaginal-tacos]

THIS IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT! My best friend was turned into a meme on 4chan and 9gag and shit with everyone slut shaming her, and its fucking heartbreaking. People don’t understand the horror of seeing a picture of themselves on the internet with hundreds of thousands of people making fun of them. these people will most likely see these pictures online at some point. Theres no telling how they will react. Theres no telling what personal damage will occur to their self esteem. Do not post pictures of strangers on the internet. Do not reblog/repost these pictures either. Especially if they’re children. That is all.

[seri0uslybecca]

what cupholders are really for…

[wattpadfic-deactivated20170213]

its so weird how ur gender supposedly dictates which shapes and textures of fuckening cloth u are permitted to drape over ur flesh prison

[aishaalkuwari5-deactivated20181]

[lianamaris]

Things that cannot screen for breast cancer and things that can.

And for those who are yelling about PP not doing mammograms, “screenings” are not just mammograms.  "Screenings" are also breast exams, which are the first line of defense. Those breast exams are done every time a woman has a pelvic exam, which she needs in order to get birth control or STI testing. Get it together. Semantics do not change the facts. 

For more information on supporting REAL pro-women organizations, check out this great article by Kaili Joy Gray.  

[bitch-media]

Love this. We recently wrote about The Problems With Pinktober if y’all want to read more! 

[mediamattersforamerica]

Thank you, Janet Mock. This is what we need to be seeing. Right now, aside from Mock’s segments, violence against trans women of color doesn’t exist on cable news. And that’s simply unacceptable.

[awwww-cute]

This is a thing that actually happened in our town

[cuteanimalspics]

[stability]

his garden is going 2 be lovely

[enohammocks]

[fightingforanimals-deactivated2]

These are some of them, most were golden retrivers and labradors, but also included german shepherds and other breeds. Sadly most are dead now, while many people forget them and don’t spare them a thought. 

As people lay dying, trapped and hurt, a team of nearly 100 loyal and courageous search dogs put their lives on the line to help humans. Without them, many more would not have survived, yet few people consider them. 

In such a chaotic, terrifying, hot, acrid-smelling, smokey and loud environment, countless human lives depended on their ability to focus, listen, respond to their handlers, and work tirelessly. Stepping over cracked glass, hot tarmac, through flames and thick smoke, being winched over deep ravines, they battled on to seek out survivors and bring them aid. 

They worked around the clock, day and night, searching, sniffing, over and over. Not only did they search, but they comforted - many eyewitnesses speak of how the dogs would stop and sit by newly-recovered victims, giving them a sense of hope and relief, before moving on to look for the next. As the situation became desperate, and the rescue workers and fire teams became utterly distraught at the amount of people who were recovered dead, these dogs brought them comfort, sitting with them on breaks, letting them grieve.

Many of these dogs are old, and have passed away. Let us remember the courage and loyalty they showed at such a horrendous event. They didn’t have a choice, but nonetheless they did what was asked of them and helped save countless lives. Don’t let their bravery be forgotten today either, or their determination to be a ‘good dog’ despite the scary and dangerous environment around them.

[chase-me-charlie-deactivated201]

And let’s not forget that these dogs actually became depressed when they kept finding dead bodies; they thought they were failing to save people. The workers helping had to hide in the ruble just to let the dogs find a living person and lift their spirits.

[run-for-funner]

Oh that just tore up my heart and made me cry 😭 dogs truly have the purest souls. I have seen a lot of dog postings today and I am mad because I never heard of these rescue dogs in the past 14 years 😡

[thestray]

There’s no other commentary I can add, this is just perfect. There’s no logical or sane rebuttal.

[zooophagous]

I have no sympathy for that miserable idiot. If it’s truly a Heaven or Hell decision, she can quit her job.

[awwww-cute]

This dog has a wonderful life (Source: http://ift.tt/1L0JEeS)

[vegan-lesbian]

Scary Facts You Learn When Becoming Vegan/Vegetarian

Ever wondered why most candies are so shiny? They’re often coated with shellac or E904, a sticky substance derived from secretions of the female Kerria lacca, an insect native to Thailand.

A round of beers may sound like the perfect way to celebrate but watch what brand you’re drinking. Some alcohol contains isinglass, a substance produced from the swim bladder of fish.

Natural red 4, E120, cochineal or carmine might seem harmless but this colouring (which is in a lot of foods and cosmetics) is made by boiling female cochineal insect shells in ammonia or a sodium carbonate solution. It takes 70,000 bugs to produce one pound of dye. 

Sometimes “natural flavouring” isn’t exactly what you had it mind. Castoreum is an FDA-approved food additive made from beaver’s anal glands and urine secretions.

Most of us have heard of gelatin which is in most jello, marshmallows and gummy candies. (However it can also be found in some yogurts, frosting, cream cheese, sour cream, ice-cream and other products.) But not many people realise that it is made from boiled skin, tendons and bones from cows and pigs.

Rennet is a popular ingredient in making dairy cheese and is even used in some soy based cheeses. It is a fluid that is extracted from the inside of a goat’s, calf’s or sheep’s stomach then used in the cheese making process. Most often a by-product of veal production.