#unbrokencircle

[wakeforestmagazine]

“Decades ago, it was dancing that separated us from our Baptist founders,” writes Dean of Admissions Martha Blevins Allman (‘82, MBA ‘92). “What sweet irony that on Friday night, it was not dance that separated us, but dance that united us as a community.” Link in profile. #wfu #wakeforestuniversity #dance #dancing #unbrokencircle #forwardtogether #wakeforesthumans #community #godeacs (at Wake Forest University)

[sca210-blog]

Trusting in God for My future. Restoration, sobriety, family, a home. #storytellerscreativearts #arttherapy #outreach #createdtocreate #unbrokencircle

[glam-pire]

What does it mean to you to have your images sexualized? What is it about that sexualization which you consider antithetical to the viewing of those pictures as art? If you aren't comfortable responding, that's cool, I am just interested in hearing more about that.

So I promise I wasn't ignoring this. But I can't sleep so I thought I'd try my hand at this now. Also I hope you don't mind that I publish this, because I do think this is an important conversation. So thanks for asking!

When images of my body are sexualized (or used as thinspiration or any other sort of manipulation of intent), I, as the author, feel removed from my body. I am made into an object, rather than the subject. And the rhetoric of acceptance I have created seems no longer relevant. It's no longer about me. Specifically, concerning sexualization, it's about some dude's boner. Of course, whenever any image of mine is reblogged by anyone, it is bound to lose meaning. But I am admitting that I feel this loss strongest when this situation involves people who have privilege over me: men and thin people. The thinner and more male someone is, the more I feel my images are being lost in translation.

This is dangerous to me. I don't want to learn my acceptance from fetishization. And I don't want to be a contributor to my own fetishization. My body is normal and valid and images of my belly deserve not to be sexualized. Unless I market them that way myself. I don't want to accept myself because men think I'm worthy of fapping to. I don't want to accept myself because men think I'm worthy, period. I need to believe I'm worthy before anyone else does. That is important to me. That is important to my body acceptance.

I'm not going to dispute what someone else thinks is art. I don't think every image of mine is art. I think that just happened to be the particular example I used. I guess I wasn't clear on this, but, for me personally, my body acceptance and the sexualization of my body are the antitheses I was referring to. 

[untitledunidentifiedunfinished]

I love how the name Rowan is like, not gender neutral exactly, but more gender ambiguous, like it's not that it lacks any gender connotations but the connotations it has can't be easily pinned down within the gender binary. At least that's how I see it - as someone with a nonbinary gender, I am very glad my parents named me Rowan.

yuppp my thoughts entirely

[untitledunidentifiedunfinished]

Wooo, Rowan party! My name's Rowan too, it always makes me happy when I see someone else named Rowan.

wooooooooooooo

Rowan is a great name :]

[metapianycist]

nominus-expers hat deine Frage beantwortet: I've been re-reading my books by Helen Fisher

I think the argument for validity of orientation and identity regardless of biological imperatives needs to be made more often.

Yes.

unbrokencircle hat deine Frage beantwortet: I've been re-reading my books by Helen Fisher

Welp, this just confirms my heuristic that any psychology researcher who has multiple popular books is probably bs-ing.

She's not even a psychology researcher. Her field is biological anthropology.

[genderfluidity]

I'm currently trying to find a label for my gender identity. I identify as male but not a man (and I identify as straight). I'm not queer, so I don't feel comfortable labeling myself genderqueer. Nonbinary feels weird, because there are definitely some binaries I am! Genderfluid doesn't work, because my gender is actually fairly stable day-to-day. That leaves... androgynous? Anything else?

It's an interesting question; one thing that comes to mind is just not to worry too much about labels--you're OK as you are. But I know sometimes having a label that you feel applies to you feels important. The term "genderqueer," as I understand it, is a very broad one and you can still be straight and also be genderqueer if your physical sex doesn't quite match your gender, so it should be all right, even if it's not very specific. 

I hope that friends here at the blog will have some suggestions!