#internalized misogny

[ask-stella-goetia]

“Viv made shoeonhead and blaire white fan art?”

In 2016, yup!

Disappointed but not surprised at all tbh. I’ve been trying to tell people she has internalized misogyny and it shows in her writing.

[bloodofjuno]

Shoeonhead and grifting

I’m very convinced that Shoeonhead has something mentally and spiritually wrong with her. I don’t mean that in the literal “haunted by demons” sense or anything.

I mean she humiliates herself and attacks other women for the sake of her misogynistic audience and pulls the “women are bad” rhetoric while being a woman. She’s been making anti-feminist content since I was 15, probably. It can’t be mentally healthy to constantly throw yourself under the bus for people who think you’re dumb and inferior because…no matter how hard you play the “I’m not like other girls” they still see you as a dumb woman, I’m sorry. What does that do to your self esteem? How do you look yourself in the mirror?

Shoe might not have sold her literal soul to get here, but she’s always going to be immortalized as a grifting pick-me because the internet is forever and baggage is real. Diginity and reputation, fucked. Personally? I couldn’t live with that.

[brownwomanisland]

AO3 Harry Potter Fanfic Ramble

It's funny the way Harry Potter writers will demonize J.K. Rowling and then write a heartfelt scene about the ills of domestic violence and have a character get their revenge. It makes me really wonder if they've ever bothered to humanize her the way they do for Draco and Bellatrix. And we're not even talking about the people who are writing racist porn under the muggle slur.

Kinda just makes me go "hmm".

Someone said that they hate how she demonized girly girls and goes on to describe the character as wanting to be a mom and what not but not without the character debasing herself as simple and silly and wanting to be loved. Yes, because "unfeminine" women don't want that. People tell on themselves all the time lol. And the girly girl wears makeup also of course. How do you say JK Rowling demonizes girly girls and then write a character that sounds like ... that?

I'm not full of enough words to describe what I'm thinking but I'm sure y'all can see the irony in what I'm talking about. I see it often even though I like reading the fanfics. JK Rowling is bad and you're putting incest into a story that had none. You're writing rape porn of her characters. I don't mind Alternate Universe stuff but there's a lot of exclude on my tags when I'm trying to find a story.

And I'm not mentioning any author or story bc 1. I'm not trying to single anyone out and 2. It's so widespread and prevalent. "Obligatory fuck JK Rowling as I play in her sandbox". Okay ? You must have 9 that because you did not eat one bit lol.

[yellowbluemoonshine]

hello, I read your article about Richard a while ago and it struck me that you mentioned him as a woman, I was actually surprised, the character sees himself as a man, so May you explain why did you use such rhetoric?

Ok, so I understand what you mean. Actually, I get messages about it in here too. I get it since in the story, Richard seems to use male identity so we could assume that that's the identity he chose, except he lives in a time when women don't have any rights and Richard is a character who wants to be stronger so he can be a good son to his father. I actually gave a lot of thoughts about this, his story, this is why i am saying this. He actually sees women as inferior to men so I think it's only natural that he would want to be a man and repress his woman side. Pay attention, the reason he rejects his woman identity isn't sexual, or it's not because he feels more man or something, it seems to be more about his views towards women and men. Basically, I don't think he can be seen as a trans man because he is just not. Actually, his behaviors seems more like a woman who suffers from internalized misogyny (which is why I compare him with Akito) than a trans man who just wants to be a man. This is exactly why I don't think he can be considered as a trans man. Though, I still use 'he' when I talk about him anyway. Also, at the end of his story, Richard seems to accept his both side, both woman and the man side. Richard was a character who was dealing with a lot of self-hatred but in the end, he started to see people who loves him, and he learns to love and accept himself. So I think the end conclusion of his arc is that he is both woman and a man and neither of them. So I think we can see him both ways.

I understand all this conversation about nonbinary or trans people. I do respect people's identities but again, it is different for every individual. For example, I had a similar conversation about Luna who is another nonbinary character. I used 'she' to identify Luna, the reason is I was talking about her from Vanitas's perspective, and sometimes, using 'they' for one character might be confusing for readers. Also, the same character made it clear that she doesn't mind whether someone calls her a woman (Vanitas) or a father/man (Misha). Basically, if it doesn't matter to a person, then there shouldn't be any problem to call them like that. Not to mention that Luna isnt even human : ))))). And in Richard's case, I think he wouldn't mind either in the end and again, I don't think he is a trans man. Also, let’s not forget that they are fictional characters so.

Anyway, thank you for asking because some people judge without ever thinking so I appreciate this.

[mindnumbing-brain-candy]

So this is part of what I was talking about.

Clearly, Lola has absorbed some of the messaging around her - she knows what’s expected of her, to “perform” femininity. She “should’ be dainty, tiny. She even outright links it to performative/exaggerated femininity (fake tits). 

She’s a badass! She’s strong! She can protect her man! But she doesnt feel comfortable being that. 

And also Jay is totally into her being a badass! But he’s also sensitive to her feeling this way, which on one hand is sweet and I dig, but I do hope maybe they can get together again, grow more - she can learn to accept her own strengths, and he can also learn how/why she feels this way. I really hope he doesn’t just absorb how she feels and thinks that it’s right to help enforce it. 

oh man, this brings me back though. 

[fuckyeahbigmouthgifs]

[yellowbluemoonshine]

Destruction of Womanhood; Sohma Akito

There are a lot of interesting details about Akito’s character. Being ‘special child’, her ‘fear of abandonment’ etc etc and this; internalized sexism is mentioned in here before. Every part of her character symbolise ‘destruction of womanhood’.  I wanna talk about how two and only women in Akito’s life is the cause of Akito’s relation with her womanhood.

Ren and old lady. The woman who gave a birth to her and the woman who raised her. Its really interesting that how those opposite women have their own issues with their womanhood, they are also example of how women are treated whether as sex object or as servant by society (mostly, at old times) and they project all onto Akito.

Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. Women who experience internalized misogyny may express it through minimizing the value of women, mistrusting women, and believing gender bias in favor of men.[5] Women, after observing societal beliefs which demean the value and skills of women repeatedly, eventually internalize those misogynistic beliefs and apply them to themselves and other women.[1] The implications of internalized misogyny include psychological disorders such as depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and less social support among women.[5]

(Source).

Ren is a woman who sees her body/womanhood as weapon. She use her body as tool to get men’s attention. Like, its a woman’s mission to satisfhy men, its a must to get what she wants, like a sex object for males. Ren embraces every part of her womanhood, to the point, she will use it to takes what she wants, she will race with other women and even jeolous of her own child, just because child is a girl.

Old lady is opposite of it, she feels disgusted for a women like Ren cause of using body sexually. ‘That woman, That woman, woman like her...’. She sees her as wh*re. If Ren believes that her womanhood will help her to get what she wants, old lady believes that her womanhood makes her as less worthy. She is a servant, she has to serve to the males because she is woman. Like, woman’s mission to serve to men. She sees as being woman is weakness. This is why old lady rejects her womanhood, unlike Ren who embraces it to the point she will use it against others.

Where is this opposte sexist idea came from?

Its coming from old times, how women are seen/treated. In history, women were seen as ‘support’, ‘slave’, ‘object to bring a child’, ‘serving to the male’. And by many people, its seen as ‘the difference between woman and man is sexuality so a woman’s sexual activities/anything that relates to it is seen as something shamefull’. Actually, neither Ren and old lady thinks different about being woman. They thinks same. They both think ‘being woman makes you lesser and their mission to satifishy men sexually’. They just choose different ways. Ren choose to live her life as ‘woman in the most shamefull way’ while old lady ‘completely give up on it and live as slave/servant.’

They live their lifes depend on what they believe ‘being woman’ is and they project it all on Akito.

Ren and old lady are the one of the people who have the most control of Akito because one gave a birth to her, other one raised her. Only adult women figures in her life. So no wonder it affected her and messed her up because Akito is little girl and little girls looks up their mothers/mother figures in their life, just like how boys looks up to their fathers. Its interesting because Akito adopts both unhealthy behavours and it ruins her gender idenitfy completely.

Just like Ren, she sees other women as rival, like they somehow will take the male figures from her. She thinks she has to use her womanhood to make men stay by her side. She sees it as sacrifice that worthy to make. ‘A woman’s mission’. This is why she tries to get rid of them, taking their womanhood from them (cutting Rin’s hair), just like how Ren took it from her (by forcing her to live as male).

At the same time, just like old lady, she feels disgusted by women like Ren. Women who use their body as tool. And women who doesnt mind showing their body parts. Or a women who embraces their womanhood and anything related to it. She use same words as maid used "that woman, that woman, woman like her..". She also sees womanhood as weakness, this is why she completely acts like she is not a woman. She is putting herself on ‘higher position’ (male). She acts masculine as possible, just like how society expects men to act. Being tough.

In the end, she shows two opposite behavours and it makes her feel disgusted with herself. Because  in one moment, she will use her body to not being abandonded, in another moment, she will feel disgusted by what she did. In one moment, she will have sexual activities, in another moment, she will hide all part of her body parts. Basically, Akito shows two unhealthy behavours with extreme way. She will embraces her womanhood completely to the point she will use it as sex tool and she will completely reject her womanhood to the point she will look down on other women for being women. We see her switching from one role to another. Its really messed up. How can a person betray their body with such a cruel way. It shows how much she feels disconnected from her body and its really messed up.

And its really important to remember; Ren and old lady are two adult women while Akito is child. They projected their sexist belifes on her since she was born. But unlike Ren and old lady, Akito didnt emotionally grow up. She is still child mentally. This is why she is not a woman who use her body or not a jeolous woman who try to posses men. She is basically child who sometimes offers sex, has tantrums and try to not loose her "father figures" which is the most messed up part of it.

This is why Akito’s foil is Tohru who embraces her feminity and peace with herself.

[yellowbluemoonshine]

Akito; & - Femme Fatale

First, starts with the definiton of femme fatale.

A femme fatale sometimes called maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers and who deliberately leads them into dangerous or even deadly situations. She’s a commonly used in literature, able to entice, enchant, or even directly influence others sometimes to even supernatural extents. They’re tied mythologically to archetypes of enchantress women, or women who use some kind of magic or ability to seduce and deceive men. (Source)

A woman who uses their charms to get what they want, especially bringing disaster to the men.

But does Akito fits the definiton? Well, yeah and no. In a way, Akito fits the definiton but its more complicated in her sitution.

Most of the time, Akito puts the God mask on her face, she plays the role of fearless god, strong special existence, she looks far away from intentionally acting seducive. One moment, she is fearfull god, then she becomes crying child. She constantly switch roles depends on the sitution. She is so unstable that she doesnt realize this.

But not just that, there is another side of her when her god persona or crying child isnt powerfull enough her to get what she wants. (Her desire to not being abandonded).

Akito’s last trick, her lastest option. Which is acting seducive so that she can posses/take the control of the men (male zodiacs) and bringing disaster to them (trapping them).

She also constantly try to manipulate people around her, to take control to be able get what she wants.

Most of the time, Akito looks far away from femme fatale, actually opposite of it cause she hides her body, she hates her body, doesnt try to be charmfull but fearfull but there is some part of her that acts completely opposite.

In one moment, she becomes opposite of society girl. Generally in our society, feminity is seen as being easy, easy to handle. Girls are whether expected to act nice or sexual women by society. And Akito is cult girl who was raised to be boy so she becomes opposite of feminity in a traditional sense. She also hates women and acts masculine.

In other moment, she fits the definiton of femme fatale, even though its not perfect way to describe her, even maybe a little, she still has that side of her. She unconsciously starts to acting like femme fatale.

Note; We dont actually see this, during the series. Her scenes with Shigure and Kureno wasnt Akito seducing them but i do think that there were times that Akito used a few small tricks (acting like femme fatale) to make them stay. And i am not talking about the scenes where she kissed them to not being abandonded, that wasnt her being seducive.

I am talking about the things happenned in behind the screens. Even there is not much about it, it makes sense to think this way. The reason i say its hidden and she doesnt realize this is because she walways depend on people around her. Especially older zodiacs. She literally becomes a child with them but If she ever lost them, lost her position as god, if she was in a sitution that she felt completely desperate, then she would show this side of her. Her hidden femme fatale side.

In other words, there is woman inside of Akito who would seduce, manipulate the men to get what she wants.

Interesting that she is both woman hater and man eater at the same time, this part of her is probably a reaction to her trauma/ her repression/ how everyday she had live like as man/ how she was treated as second woman by her mother/ how she felt she is sex toy for men.

One of the most common traits of the femme fatale includes promiscuity and the rejection of motherhood. Femme fatale, french literally translates to disaster woman it’s the appearance of a woman that leads ultimately to the destruction of the male.  (Source)

Its also no surprise that Akito acts this way cause in a way, Ren is femme fatale too. This is why Akito is (unconsciously) aware of this part of herself and hates it cause she doesnt want to be like her mother.

Basically;

Despite how much Akito hates it or act opposite, there is some hidden part of her.  Big posibility a response to all that repression. She is secretly/unconsciously femme fatale. Akito is interesting case because unlike usual femme fatales, she doesnt seem to realize this part of her.