(kristen refused to pose alone for them)
be mine
I don’t care if I hate the majority of the movies she has been in, she is badass.
Most people who complain about “why do we all need labels!? Can’t we just be PEOPLE?!”…
have likely never felt the flood of relief that there is a WORD FOR WHAT YOU ARE after spending years wondering if you were broken, what was wrong with you, feeling ridiculously isolated and having other people complain about things you can’t change about yourself. If there’s a word for it, that makes it a real thing.
Knowing that I am real, that I am not alone, has done so much more for me than this idea that homogenizing everyone by refusing to recognize our differences is supposed to. I felt invisible and/or mocked for most of my life by people who thought we should all just be “people.” Why in the world would anyone think that could be a good thing for me now?
“Why does everyone need a label, GAWD!?” is code for “I haven’t given myself and who I am much thought, and the fact that you have, and have had to, upsets me. So stop it and be more like me, dammit!”
this to the point of tears
And knowing how other people handle similar issues to yours helps immensely.
All this, especially that last post. People argue that all labels do is divide us, but sometimes division can be really helpful. If I can put people into little groups by different experiences they’ve gone through, it makes it easier to find people who have gone through some of the things I have and talk to them about something they understand on the same level that I do. That keeps me from feeling isolated and does more to integrate me into the people around me and society as a whole than just pretending that the differences between me and other people have absolutely no effect on my life.
Furthermore, when people use the, “why do we need labels? We’re all just people.” argument, they’re creating a false dichotomy that does us no favors. It promotes this idea that we can’t have both division and unity. Yes, we are all people, but we are all different people as well. Acknowledging that fact doesn’t have to mean that we are people of different value or worth. It just means we’re different, and we’re talking about those differences in a clear and organized manner. Just because I label myself doesn’t mean I can’t feel a sense of fellowship, empathy, and love towards people who don’t fit under those labels. And if that’s something others can’t do, ignoring the labels isn’t going to help.
Now, I’m not saying everybody does have to label themselves. There are some people who ARE different, who have felt broken or isolated, and have come to the conclusion that labels are just not for them, and that’s perfectly fine. There are plenty of valid reasons not to want to label yourself. But just because that works for some people doesn’t mean it works for everyone.
yes, particularly to the bolded
Reblogging for added commentary!
"I’m not looking for someone to save me. Life rafts might keep you afloat, but they rarely get you anywhere; and I’ve got places I want to go."
-Andrea Gibson, Wasabi (via transformfeminism)(Source: katieintherealworld)
“Starry Night”, Light Installations by Lee Eunyeol.
Eunyeol will be showing this series of photos at the Gana Art Space in Seoul starting this week.
Never fuck a capitalist. They refuse condoms because they don’t like protection for the workers.
never go down on a capitalist, they’ll let you do all the work and then insist they came solely through their own hard work & self-determination.
omg
perf
"Colonialism is not satisfied merely with holding a people in its grip and emptying the native’s brain of all form and content. By a kind of perverted logic, it turns to the past of the oppressed people, and distorts, disfigures, and destroys it. This work of devaluing pre-colonial history takes on a dialectical significance today."
-Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth. (via miafortunato)(Source: residueatlas)
"The “inherent” non attraction to PoC is always, always, always a product of embedded racism. I’ve seen people who say, “I’m just not attracted to ___” and then when they start opening their eyes and realizing, “Holy shit, we do live in a white supremacist world that has completely corrupted by views of darker skinned human beings.” They start to see that they actually are attracted to PoC. You can hold onto being the one exception, but you’d be wrong. Educate yourself and open your fucking mind."
-bonerack (via grrrlstudies)(Source: uptheslutz)
George R.R. Martin on writing women
George Stroumboulopoulos: There's one thing that's interesting about your books. I noticed that you write women really well and really different. Where does that come from?George R.R. Martin: You know, I've always considered women to be people.
