⚢

⚢ 29. Shamelessly female. Lesbienne. Séparatiste. Flannel-wearer. Sock-maker. Proudly childfree. Française.

[floatingbook]

Femme sans vergogne. Lesbian. Separatist. Porteuse de chemises. Tricoteuse de chaussettes. Sans enfants et fière de l'être. French.

You have a brain. Use it. Read books. Annotate articles. Listen to new music. Look at art, until you're bored, until you're annoyed, until it gets meditative. Dive deep. Ask questions. Why does this work? How does this work? What am I being sold right now? Who is selling it to me? Am I the product here? Don't outsource your thinking.

If you’re being misogynistic or homophobic, or if you appear to lack reading comprehension, I won’t bother answering your nonsense.

Original posts linked here.

[anomalys-bane]

STOP! 🛑🤚 Before you claim a woman on the internet is policing your/anyone else's behavior, please consider the following.

-> Does she control government entities around us that can legally enforce her ideology? Can she actually suppress opinions or reduce people's freedom of expression?

-> Does she control your social position? Can she alienate you from your existing group on a whim?

-> Do her views/actions actually mirror the popular, widely accepted one in the contexts you frequent? Or is she an outlier?

-> Are you a member of a majority that she cannot control or escape?

-> Does she control your internet access or what you can post? Can she force you to read and follow her ideology?

-> Can she physically remove or suppress the media you/your group enjoy? Can she stop the production of such media? Does she occupy a powerful position in group that affects the existence of such media?

-> Can she actually physically, legally force you to stop whatever you are doing?

-> Does her opinion or criticism carry enough weight to directly, materially affect your life and wellbeing?

Chances are this is not the case. And chances are you have no idea what policing actually is. dumbasses

[rabiesofficial]

Teresa Ulloa passed away on September 28th and I don't want her name to be ignored or forgotten.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPPAYiVgKs8/

Teresa Ulloa, a fundamental pillar of Latin American abolitionist feminism, dedicated her work as a lawyer and human rights defender to the prevention, punishment, and eradication of trafficking in women and girls for sexual and reproductive exploitation.

Teresa was director of the Regional Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean (CATWLAC), which she founded in 1998. This organization is one of the most active organizations defending women and girls who are victims of this crime.

During her career, Teresa litigated more than 25,000 rape cases and represented women and girls who were victims of sexual violence in national and international forums. Her experience as a lawyer even led her to testify as an expert in immigration courts in the United States for asylum cases based on gender violence.

Teresa participated in the creation of key legal reforms for women and girls' access to justice. She was part of the legislative process that, in 1989 and 1990, toughened penalties for sexual violence, eliminated mechanisms that allowed abusers to avoid justice by paying fines, and allowed criminal proceedings for rape to be initiated without the need for a direct complaint from the victims. Furthermore, Teresa promoted the criminalization of sexual harassment in Mexico.

Teresa worked tirelessly against trafficking and supported thousands of women and girls who were victims of sexual exploitation through legal and political activism for more than five decades. Her exemplary life and legacy remain with us as we continue to defend the rights of women and girls based on sex.

Rest in peace.

rest in peace to an amazing woman. ♥

[floatingbook]

One way I've found to alleviate my own tendancy to procrastinate: stand up, start playing an album by any woman artist which strikes my fancy, and not sitting down/doing things until the whole album is done playing.

Bonus level: set it up on repeat and get stuff done until you get tired of that artist's voice.

[meanevilwitch-deactivated202601]

[floatingbook]

Helen Reddy, I Am Woman, record of the song playing on a vinyl.

[floatingbook]

Habit shift #23 - Don’t apologise for existing

- practical actions that can be taken to fight internalized misogyny

Why: “Sorry, but…”, “Excuse me, I think that …”, “… if that make any sense … “, “maybe we could consider”, … Sorry, sorry, sorry. Women are always apologising for existing and having opinions. How often do those words pass our lips, “sorry” and “excuse me”? For things as mundane as needing space to pass by or a little quiet to work in? For things that require no apologising for, like expressing our thoughts, our beliefs, our opinions? For things as important as  refusing insistent male advances or putting an end to misogynistic jokes and exchanges? We are taught from infancy that we should be discreet and silent, that we should stick to the kitchen and the child-rearing. That we are stupid and vapid and just good enough to clean and reproduce. We internalise it to the point that we can’t seem to stop apologising for daring to open our mouths, whatever the setting. It’s not a question of politeness, or of good manners. It’s our socialisation in a misogynistic system which taught us that what we have to say is worthless, hence the “sorry” and “excuse me” which spill endlessly in our language. But we have nothing to apologise for. We are allowed to exist. We are entitled to our opinions. Disagreement is not the subject; we can be wrong and still not have to grovel every time we speak. We have a right to make mistakes and to speak out of turn and to say inepties. And more often than not, what we have to say is important and smart and brilliant and needed to be said. Our words don’t deserve an apology, they deserve ovations and praises.

How: So stop apologising for existing. Make the conscious effort not to tame down your words. It’s a long road, because you have to pry away a deeply-entrenched habit. Bannish “sorry” and “excuse me” from your vocabulary. Forget the words that dilute and weaken your positions, like “maybe” and “perhaps” and all their declinations into “in my humble opinion” and its variations, especially when you’re talking about a topic you’re trained in or you’ve done some research about. You have a brain, you can rely on it, stop shooting your own statements in the foot. Don’t sell yourself short. Let others deal with your brilliance (they’ll survive). You don’t need to make yourself palatable. Thank people for their kindness, patience and understanding if you do make a mistake, but otherwise don’t apologise. You’ve already done it enough for a lifetime.

[mlobsters]

(tiktok)

cool, calm and collected strongwoman queen, gabi dixson 👑 with the 330lbs per hand

[floatingbook]

Social media was supposed to be about connection, but like anything worthwhile you have to put in a bit of sweat if you want to reap some rewards. If you admire a woman because of what she writes on here, send her a message. Tell her why you like her thoughts. Share some of your own; share recommandation for articles, for books, for music; send her a picture of the rainbow you saw last week or the cute cat in your street. Exchange emails, and write each other letters, and maybe call sometimes. Make the connection.

[pillarsalt]

[floatingbook]

If you're hesitating about posting something on social media, want a tip? Don't.

If it's a picture, send it to one of your friends or siblings instead. If it's a quote or a piece of insight, write it down in a letter and send it to a cousin or an aunt or that best friend from highschool you're starting to get distant from. If it's a recommandation for a restaurant, invite your colleague out for a treat instead. If it's a vent, just call someone and get it off your chest. Gift those pieces of you to women and girls who can actually reciprocate instead of tossing them into the bottomless pit of social media.

[uncertainwaters]

since everyone got so pressed about @meanevilwitch drawing an abstract little yonic line drawing, here's mine too.

[floatingbook]

It might be difficult, but with a bit of self-work you can untangle yourself from the idea that you need to perform anything to fit into society. Like, certainly, there is a level of politeness and cleanliness you should adhere to as a basic form of respect for the women around you, but you should look into what actually constitute that basic level of politeness and cleanliness. The bar is way lower than what society would have you believe. Greetings, a modicrum of attention when a woman is addressing you, and firm, curt refusals are enough, no need to set yourself on fire to keep others warm. Showering regularly, making sure that your face is visible and that your clothing is safe and practical enough for your work is all the cleanliness you need. Some of the hoops you feel you have to jump through are self imposed! Set that on fire instead.

[mattbors]

From a poetry collection by Mary Oliver, where after a hundred poems showcasing gentle observations on nature and animals, she hits you with this:

[floatingbook]

Ten times out of ten, when I'm feeling like my head is going to explode with worries, or when I'm tormented by loneliness, or when I feel like I could just lay in bed and let geologic eras pass me by, going on a thirty minutes walk just... Puts things back into pespective. Anyways, if you're feeling like reality is bleeding at the edges, do go touch grass.

[hoursofreading]

“Reading good books, always studying, regardless of the work she intends to do, should be a part of every girl’s plan for her life. The only way not to let what we’ve gained be taken away from us is to be smart and capable, to learn to design the world better than men have so far done.”

— We Tell a Story and Try to Do Our Best | Elena Ferrante

[floatingbook]

I think experiencing depression is the sane, healthy reaction to the world we live in, especially as girls and women, and even more so if we are the subject of additional oppression. It bewilders me that so many women seem overly fine; that so many manage to function under the circumstances. Is it resignation? Is it cognitive dissonance? Is it unawareness? Is it wilful ignorance? Is it a conscious decision not to look too hard at the unsavoury parts of life? I can’t blame any women to be tired, to be worn out, to feel hopeless, to want to let go and give up. It’s hard to see, to find a way out. Some days it’s a wonder if there’s any at all. Depression is a perfectly reasonable response to the stimuli we experience. Anyone who’s saying you’re broken for feeling that way isn’t acting with your best interests at heart.  

[lionofchaeronea]

Title: Self-Portrait Artist: Marie-Gabrielle Capet (French, 1761-1818) Date: ca. 1783 Genre: portraiture Movement: Rococo Period: Ancien régime Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions: 77.5 cm (30.5 in) high x 59.5 cm (23.4 in) wide Location: National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan Happy International Women's Day!