Theatrically Inclined

A now 25-year-old rock and roll addict. *Gasp*! I love Sherlock, anything on the BBC, and Chris Evans. This blog is eclectic and eccentric, much like it's owner! Please come and enjoy :) Also, law school has become my life. Determined one day to be the next Ari Gold.

[tonightweredrinkingfromthebong]

[lanawhatever-deactivated2018050]

nakedsasquatch it’s ya man

[nakedsasquatch]

Okay but seriously folks - as often as I joke about this movie stirs my loins and as weirdly popular as this text post got a while back, I wanna rap with you all about why the George of the Jungle remake is a pretty important piece of cinema.

It’s literally the only movie I can think of that is based completely around the unheard of “FEMALE gaze.” Granted, while I’m a huge movie buff I’ve not seen every movie ever made. But even so, even if there’s another example of the “female gaze” in cinema that has escaped me it’s still damn impressive that a kids movie from 1997 based on a Jay Ward cartoon from the 60’s managed to turn gender representation in media on it’s fucking ass!

First things first, let’s look at our leading lady and love interest - Ursula, played by Leslie Mann.

Let me just say that while Leslie Mann is adorable and a talented actress, she does look a little less conventional and a little more plain compared to the bombshells that Hollywood likes to churn out. Leslie, in comparison, looks much more like a real women you’d meet on the street. She dresses pretty conservatively and plain throughout the film ; Wearing outfits that are more functional than fashionable for trekking through the jungle, pulling her hair back and so forth. Not that if she was dolled up and more scantily clad it would give her character any less integrity, but can we appreciate how RARE that is in the male dominated industry of film? Just think about all the roads a film about a woman in the jungle COULD have taken but didn’t - no scenes with her clothes strategically ripped or anything! You can say this is a kids movie, intended for children and that’s why the sensuality of the female lead is so downplayed but there are PLENTY of kids movies that handle women in a very objectifying and sexualized manner despite the target audience is pre-pubescent. Like, a disgusting amount. So I don’t think “it’s a kids movie” is why the film doesn’t take ANY, let alone EVERY, opportunity to showcase the main female character’s sex appeal…

…especially considering the sex appeal of the film rests squarely on the well defined shoulders of our male lead, George of the Jungle played by Brendan Fraser in the best god damn shape of his life!

*Homer Simpson Drooling Noises*

Whenever members of the reddit community try to compare the sexualization of women in fiction to the design of characters such as Batman and Superman, I always want to just sit them down and show them this movie. Because THIS is what the female sexual fantasy looks like, and Batman and Superman are male power-fantasies. Look at him - his big blue eyes, his soft hair, his lean, chiseled physique built for dexterity rather than power. He’s wild and free, but gentle. It’s like he fell right out of that steamy romance novel your mom tried to hide from you growing up.

Hell, the whole plot seems to be designed around how damn hot he is! First, for the majority of the film, he wears only a small strip of cloth to cover the dick balls and ass. Everything else is FAIR GAME to drool over for 40 minutes. Then, after he meets Ursula she takes him with her to San Francisco just so we can enjoy him in a well-tailored suit (as seen in the gif set), running around in an open and billowy shirt along side horses while Ursula and all of her friends literally crowd around and make sexual comments about him, and my personal favorite, ditch the loincloth entirely and have him walk around naked while covering his man-bits with various objects while one of Ursula’s very lucky friends oogles him and makes a joke along the lines of “So THAT’S why they call him the ‘KING of the Jungle’…”

And yes, it’s also a very cute and funny little movie. Out of all the movies based on Jay Ward cartoons, it was the most faithful to the fast-paced humor and wit of the original source material (yes even the new Peabody and Sherman movie which honestly I thought was too cutesy-poo.) But that’s not why this movie is popular with the gay community or why we all became women in 1997. It’s just really cool that there’s a film out there where the sensuality of the female form takes a back seat for the oiled up, chiseled, physique of Brendan Fraser (in his prime that is)

[justplainsomething]

One thing to add: in the scene mentioned above where the ladies are watching him in the billowy shirt running with the horses, it pans back to about 50 feet away to two guys in suits at this party looking at the women and one of the guys says, “Man, what is it with women and horses?” So not only does this movie highlight the female gaze, but it blatantly points out that western male sensibilities don’t have a clue what actually appeals to women.

[bifca]

ALSO

he’s non threatening

as mentioned above, he looks built for dexterity rather than power, but he’s still a 6+ foot tall extremely muscular man, and not once are you worried for Ursula when he’s with her

[ms-demeanor]

ALSO

let’s take a look at his rival - Lyle is a cravat-wearing trust-fund kid (who, interestingly, is into Ursula’s fortune more than her, which kind of makes this a gender-swapped gold-digger thing too). He’s blonde and Ursula’s mom LOVES him. He’s more uncomfortable and less prepared to cope with the jungle than Ursula is, in his pastels and shiny shoes.

But he talks over Ursula, insists he knows what’s best for her, ignores her autonomy. In spite of the fact that Lyle Van de Groot is a rich, educated, social climber who cares deeply about his clothing and appearances he is a point-by-point checklist of unhealthy masculinity in a way that beefy, inarticulate, uneducated George could never be. Ursula is off on her own doing her own thing and Lyle hires two FUCKING POACHERS to track her down in the middle of the jungle while she’s working (or on vacation? It’s never made clear because he interrupts her before she can explain why she went on the expedition). Lyle ignores the local guides, claiming his experience with a bridge in Maui means the bridge they’re on is safe - which leads to a significant injury for one of the guides. He then tells Ursula the guides are conspiring against him, trying to make himself and his poachers seem safe and the Africans who make up the rest of their party seem dangerous.

Check that body language! A post above points out that we’re never worried about Ursula when she’s around George. That’s because Lyle talks to her like this. Look at his aggressive lean! Look at him literally looking down at her! She’s tilted away from him in the least threatening position possible and he’s so aggressive about whatever point he’s making. When he finds her after he pushed her toward a damned lion he kisses her and she pushes him away. Want a textbook example of gaslighting? Here you go: she says “don’t get all smoochy with me! I remember what happened with that lion” and he responds “What are you talking about? I was fighting that lion the whole time - you were just so terrified you don’t remember.”  Then he shoots George! And then he kidnaps Ursula and attempts to force her into marriage!

Now look at how George and Ursula interact (slightly NSFW):

Even though he’s a big strong dude and he thinks he’s doing what’s okay he lets her set the tone for their interactions. He accepts that he’s out of his wheelhouse and even if he doesn’t understand it he does what she says is culturally appropriate. He learns from her! He listens to her! Compare Lyle leaning into Ursula above to this image of George and Ursula talking:

He’s listening to her, all of his attention is on on her, but he’s totally nonthreatening. His torso is turned toward her but he’s not invading her space, his hands are clasped, he’s smiling, and she’s the one leaning into him. Look at that smile she has, look how happy she is to be listened to. Her posture in both images is vulnerable but in this one with George she’s vulnerable because she has chosen to share with him instead of because she feels threatened.

When George rescues Ursula from Lyle at the end of the film it isn’t a typical damsel situation - George doesn’t have a knock-down-drag-out fight with Lyle, he swings into a tree and offers Ursula a hand so she can reach up and save herself (and before he does it he acknowledges how much it’s going to hurt and *whimpers* and looks human and scared). And you’ve gotta remember that George rescues everybody. It’s not just Ursula - he also rescues a parasailer and gets shot rescuing Shep and Ape. He just likes helping, dammit!

AND this movie offers a perfect counter to the “nice guy” thing - Ursula starts engaged to a jerk who her mom thinks is a “nice guy” the moves on to actual nice man George who isn’t *just* nice - he’s also patient, listens to her, has his own skills and talents, is okay with being goofy, has his own social circle and isn’t totally dependent on Ursula, and looks amazing. Ursula doesn’t go with George just because he’s a *nice* guy who rescued her from an asshole, Ursula goes with George because he’s an interesting, fun person who is supportive of her different way of being an interesting, fun person. AND he’s emotionally available. Google image search George of the jungle and see how many smiles you can find, see how many open looks of confusion there are, see how much sadness you can see in George’s face. Now look for images of Lyle. His two expressions are a smirk and cartoonish fear. I know this is a cartoonish kid’s movie, but it is SO powerful that the hero shares his emotions while the villain masks every emotion but fear. Lyle doesn’t want to open up, he doesn’t want to be vulnerable, he wants CONTROL. George wants to learn, to protect people he cares about, to explore new places, to laugh when he’s happy and to be sad when he’s sad, and that he does that while being a broad-shouldered, physically powerful dude who is NOT totally self-involved is just…

Like, look, I didn’t sign on to tumblr dot com for George of the Jungle discourse, but I’m just now realizing that this movie may have done the most for destroying my conception of stoic masculinity and gender roles as a child.

Like

Damn.

[starline]

2nd reblog because this is even better. 

[obaewankenope]

George of the Jungle discourse is definitely what I signed up to this hellsite for me thinks

[acebakes]

Reposting because reasons.

[lolawashere-deactivated20240904]

Reposting because Brendan Fraser.

[notdavidfincher]

Mother, I think, wherever you may be, can you hear me? You wanted a women’s culture. Well, now there is one. It isn’t what you meant, but it exists. And here’s what we do. We watch them. The men. We study them. We feed them. We please them. We can make them feel strong or weak. We know them that well. We know their worst nightmares. And, with a bit of practice, that’s what we’ll become. Nightmares. One day, when we’re ready, we’re coming for you. Just wait.

The Handmaid’s Tale | Useful dir. Amma Asante, DoP Zoe White

[ireneadler21]

My return (?_)

So I leave here for a little while and when I come back, a bunch of porn blogs have followed me? Like, WTF, guys. My blog is mostly dogs, food, and actors. Sheesh. Y’all need to check yourself. 

[armbarnation]

“Looks like I have to get back to work!” -@RondaRousey #ArmbarNation #AndNew #UFC200???

http://rondarousey.net

[armbarnation]

Today is International Women’s Day! Thank you to all of the women out there who persevere each and everyday to change the world.

[rowdy-ronda]

[rondarouseyedmondtarverdyan]

I hear that people say insensitive, hateful, disgusting things about my sister and I don’t try to make sense of it, because you can’t. There’s something very strange, though, when the world seems to think they know someone- this idea that society suddenly owns a right to build someone up or tear them down because they are a public figure. To watch that happen to someone you love is enough to drive you insane- unless you tune it out, which I do. Occasionally I wonder how people could say such awful things about someone they don’t even know, someone they’ve never met. I attribute it to the fact that their mothers probably didn’t love them enough, and then I briefly curse out the part of the Internet that allows people to hide behind anonymity as they let out the worst parts of themselves. Sometimes, all you can do is think, ‘What the fuck is wrong with you people?’ Then I move on with my life, because you can only waste so much time on other people’s stupidity. Then there was Australia, where we expected Ronda to win. Just like we always do. Just like we always will. But she didn’t. I haven’t rewatched it. I haven’t read about it. I won’t. I don’t see a point in reliving the moment when a part of my loved one died, when I saw someone I cared about have her soul crushed. I saw how horrible people can be to someone they don’t even know, which made me even more appreciative when I saw how wonderfully Ronda’s friends and family treated her. Those are the people that matter. The world watched Ronda fall, but I have had the opportunity to watch her get back up. When some people reflect on Ronda and 2015, they will see it defined by a single event. They see it as the end. And in some ways, they’re right- but that only means we’re at a new beginning.

Maria Burns Ortiz talks her sister Ronda, the UFC193 loss and what really matters in column for VICE Dec 28th 2015 (via rondarouseyedmondtarverdyan)

[vanesastudies]

Getting through college with mental health issues

&I am a mentally-ill student who has struggled with school since high school. Over high school and a year and a half of university, I’ve found this is what works for me.

This is a guide of things you can do for yourself, but I am no mental health professional and I always recommend seeking a professional to help you. 

Reminders

You are a good student.

You are not lazy. 

Your mental illness and the stress of school just makes things difficult for you, but it isn’t impossible.

You’re allowed to fail and make mistakes - you’re only human. You are more than your illness and you are so much better than you realize.

Take care of yourself. You deserve it. Your mental health is more important than academics. And your mental state won’t last forever.

Deal with your mental illness!

Medication. Medication is an important part of recovery. Don’t be afraid to try medication if your doctor suggests it. Medication will balance your out-of-whack brain chemicals so you can work on taking care of yourself. It’s a trial-and-error process and you will find what works for you after some trials.  

Get professional help. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Seek a counselor/therapist who works well with you. There should be a myriad of mental health resources on campus, and if not, check the Internet or your local community.

Journal. Or draw. Or play music. Express yourself creatively to get those emotions out. Friends/family won’t always be available for you, so learn to deal with your emotions by yourself.

Let your professors/TAs know. Hopefully you have some sort of accommodations plan set up with the university, but if not, DO IT. I don’t like to disclose my mental illnesses to them, but I let them know my academic struggles. 

Do not fall behind - stay as productive as possible.

(source)

Try to go to class no matter what, no matter how anxious or depressed you feel. Unless you’re so sick that you can barely pay attention in class, try to attend class. You can always leave early if you need to. If class makes you anxious, go anyway to train yourself that you’re safe, you’re okay, and it’s never as bad as it seems. Here are some tips on how to stay calm at school. The mere act of going to class can give you a boost. Try paying attention and be productive. Don’t worry about taking in absolutely everything the prof says. Just take the time to learn. Use relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing (in four seconds, hold four seconds, out eight seconds), tense and release your muscles, count down from 100, etc. If all else fails, doodle things related to the lecture. You’ll feel better. Skipped a lot of class? Get back on track in one day.

Write everything down! I can’t stress this enough. Whether it’s a planner app on your phone or a bullet journal or a cheap planner from the dollar store or even a sticky note on your wall, keep track of everything you need to do. Make to-do lists. If you’re easily overwhelmed, write down only three things you need to do that day. Make it as simple as possible. Check your planner every day. You don’t want to miss a deadline because you forgot it.

Do something everyday. Anything, even tidying your desk, to give you a sense of accomplishment, to not give you a “zero day” and make things worse. Just do that thing. Review your notes every so often, even if it’s only for 5 minutes. If you have a big assignment to do, break it down and work on it a little bit. How to start working when you don’t really feel like it

Use the 2-minute rule(s). This is probably the most effective rule I’ve ever used. If it takes you less than 2 minutes to do something, do it right now and finish it.  There is another rule with this name: only do the task for 2 minutes. If you can’t get started on something, just do it for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, you can stop. Chances are, you’ll keep doing the task for more than 2 minutes. And if you don’t? Take a break and try again. You’ll get something done.

Start on an assignment right away. Even if it’s just an outline for what you plan to do with it. Or make a very rough draft to edit. 

Set fake deadlines. Your essay might be due in a month, but your outline for your essay is due a week after today, your research notes due a week after that, and a draft a week after that. Write down deadlines 2-3 days before they’re due. You can use those extra days to edit and have someone (your peer, a TA, an older student, the prof) look over it.

Get ahead. If you get ahead right away, by the time you fall behind you’re just on track. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this, had breakdowns, and still managed to hand things in on time. 

Ask for deadlines early. This is the one thing I have difficulty with. If you need extra time, ask ahead. You might not always get the extra time, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Professors tend to be very understanding.

Are you behind anyway? Get back on track in one day.

Need to get a lot done near the end of the semester? Use this guide.

Stay motivated!

Make a “self-help kit”. Write down reasons why you need to study. Print out pictures of pictures and quotes that inspire you. Write down self-care ideas. Write down songs that make you feel better. Print out self-help guides that pertain to your mental illness(es). This kit is something you will refer to when you need a pick-me-up and you can’t bother your friends/family/significant other. (You can, however, always bother your pet.) Here are some pictures from my kit to help you get started:

Understand that motivation is a finite resource. You will never be motivated all the time. Don’t feel bad if you’re having a “blah” day.  Don’t feel bad if you have a “blah” week. This is where the self-help kit comes in handy - you can motivate yourself right away rather than breaking down.

Don’t be hard on yourself. You are capable of great things, but not when your mental illness(es) have a grip on you and you can’t shake it off, no matter how hard you try. You will probably have bad days, and that’s okay. Don’t let it deplete your motivation.

Stay organised!

Your brain may be hectic, but your workspace and your life doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to be super-organised - whatever works for you, do it.

You want to be organised so you can avoid unnecessary stress and wasting time. When you’re organised, you can be more productive and have a better sense of inner peace. Plus, an aesthetically-pleasing study environment can help you boost your mood!

Here are some posts to help you get started.

The Only Organisation Tips You’ll Ever Need

How to get organized (tips from a horrible procrastinator)

How I Organize by learhning

Organisation masterpost by elk-studies

Inbox zero for students

Take care of yourself!

Get enough sleep. Sleep is very important for your mental health. You want sleep to help you consolidate the information you’ve learned in school. And you’ll feel so much less stressed out. Obviously this won’t always happen, especially around the end of the semester, but put in effort to get good sleep. Generally, you’ll want to use your bed only for sleeping and relaxing. Try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at around the same time. Here are some tips on how to sleep easy.

Eat properly. You need to fuel your brain! Don’t binge, and don’t forget to eat. Try to eat some fruits and veggies every day. Eat regularly and drink a lot of water. This all sounds cliche but it really works and good foods really help you feel better. Feeling physically healthy, at least for me, helps me mentally as well. You don’t have to eat healthy all the time. You can eat junk food to de-stress. Don’t feel guilty for eating junk food. The point is to have a good balance. Just don’t make your entire diet junk food, and you should be fine. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on your food. Here are some tips for eating when you have zero time.

Exercise! For the mentally ill, exercising is often the last thing we want to do, but exercise just has too many benefits to not do it. You don’t even have to go to the gym. Take walks and do some simple exercises in your room. There are so many workout videos on YouTube - my personal favourite is blogilates, but they’re perfect if you feel too anxious at the gym. Go with friends to the gym if you can. Try to do something every day if you can, but even a couple days a week should help.

Write down things you need to do. Self-care is all about staying healthy and doing things you need to do (eg. chores), even when you don’t want to. You can always enlist the help of friends/family, but independence is key when they’re not available. If I feel like there’s too many things I need to do, I pause everything, take out a piece of paper, and write down basically everything that needs to get done. Then I tackle each item, one at a time. Even if you don’t finish the list, you’ve gotten things done, and there’s less on your mind.

Don’t study everyday. You want to do something productive everyday, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be studying. Use 1-2 days of the week where you don’t study. This will help avoid burnout.

Here are some self-care posts that I recommend:

What to do when you don’t know what to do

Comic for when you’re feeling overwhelmed

Self-care masterpost

Masterpost for rough times

Other resources for getting through college with mental illness(es):

General

How to conquer college with mental illness

Neurodivergent and Studying: Tips & Resources

College and Chronic Illness: 19 Tips to Study Strong and Fight the Fog

A self-care masterpost to get you through school

Studying while dealing with stress/anxiety/mental health issues

Anxiety

Study Tips: Overcoming Anxiety

What not to do when studying with stress/anxiety

Ways to Avoid Burnout at University

How to be productive when you’re anxious

Depression

Coping with Depression at University

Studying with Depression

21 Tips to Keep Your Shit Together When You’re Depressed

Tips from bloggerforstudentprogress

Tips from study-hue

[michellepsychologist]

Student loans are destroying the imagination of youth. If there’s a way of a society committing mass suicide, what better way than to take all the youngest, most energetic, creative, joyus people in your society and saddle them with, like $50,000 of debt so they have to be slaves? There goes your music. There goes your culture. There goes everything new that would pop out. And in a way, this is what’s happened to our society. We’re a society that has lost any ability to incorporate the interesting, creative and eccentric people.

David Graeber (via uncosmetic)

[thebabyanimals]

[wolfyfriend]

Rekt

[rondarouseyedmondtarverdyan]

Ronda Rousey will get her Holly Holm rematch in 2016

Despite rumours that Rousey vs Holm 2 would take place at UFC 200, the July 2016 date was too ambitious given Ronda’s media obligations, movie commitments, and mandatory recovery time. 

However, Ronda did comment to TMZ on Jan 18th that the fight will happen, “Some time later in the year. They haven’t told me an exact date or location or anything yet.” She told reporters she has no demands and intends to consult with the UFC before moving forward with the rematch: “I’m waiting to hear from them what options they’re gonna give me.”

Ronda also made it clear that avenging her only loss to Holm is her sole priority this year: “Of course I want the rematch. That’s what I want to do.”

[rondarouseyedmondtarverdyan]

Dream big, fail big, fuck ‘em all… dream again… dream even bigger.

Ronda on insta Jan 19th 2016 (via rondarouseyedmondtarverdyan)

[archatlas]

Book And Bed Tokyo Suppose Design Office

[shots-and-serenity]

@hellnonottoday

[warunyans-deactivated20170704]

American School System: We have given knowledge to the youth.

The doctors: You fucked up perfectly good children is what you did. look at them. they have anxiety.

[fullcravings]

GF Dark Chocolate Whiskey Cake Bites

[gap-var-ginnunga]

i’m mostly posting this as a reminder to myself, but i think other men struggling with body image or people who are dysphoric about their hips can benefit from seeing this too.

this is part of a body positivity campaign launched by clothing company dressman called #justthewayyouare and if you click that link there’s more body types being represented in their ads.

i have never seen any body positivity for men like this before, marketing ploy or not it DOES help me seeing my body type (wide hips and chub and all) being represented in a public space like this, especially with the word “perfect” attached to it.

i’ve came back to this picture for a while now as a reminder that my body is a valid body, and i hope it will help someone else too.

(credits to @oneflewovergeorgieboysnest for taking this picture and putting it on facebook)

[yearofthesnitch]

this is so important!!!

[whatshouldwecallme]

When someone asks “How are you?” and I automatically say I’m fine