“Your art isn’t valued by the number of notes you get” okay but. If you spent 6 hours baking a cake for a party, but no one at the party eats your cake, it’s still disappointing.
This articulates something about the different between value and validation that I didn’t previously register on a conscious level.
Short haircuts. If anyone questions, say it’s for convenience.
For your neck: fang pendants (very badass). Or a dapper lil bowtie.
Big ass stompy boots.
Those cool belt buckles. You can get a basic one or something with a cool design (like a dragon!).
Don’t shave. Let your body hair grow. Unless you feel uncomfortable.
Buy some spicy-smelling perfumes or other cosmetics. Or if there is something that says “Forest” on it, this one is also good.
If you can, try some weightlifting. It will make your muscles better and release some of that sweet sweet testosterone. But remember, fat and skinny men are also very handsome, so if you can’t, don’t sweat it.
Eat plenty of protein for a testosterone boost. Also, zinc from seafood – like shrimp and salmon especially – will help that chemical magic. Leafy greens, pomegranate, coconuts, garlic also help. Watch out for soy and tofu! They raise estrogen. And raisins are great, but dried apricots are not.
Remember that no matter what you are 100% man (unless you are a demiguy/bigender, then you are 50% man or whatever it looks like for you, that is still very cool, and if you are genderfluid and currently a dude, that’s still very good and valid).
For gals
Kitten ear beanies are so pure and good (just like you).
Let your hair grow to a nice length. If anyone questions, say you found a new style.
For your neck: simple crystal pendants (very pretty).
Crystal bracelets!
Lil ballet flats.
Shaving can make you feel a whole lot better. Remember – some cis girls also have to shave!
Just a little bit of lip balm goes a long way. Oh! And clear nail polish!
Sweet-smelling cosmetics are your best friend. You can probably get on eBay or in your local store a nice bottle of vanilla body mist.
Google some exercises for a bigger butt, if you want to try it. If you can’t, remeber less-curvy women are also beautiful.
Eat plenty of soy, flaxseed, sesame seed, dried apricots… I know that those give you a bit of extra estrogen. Apparently coffee can also do it? Getting estrogen from diet is harder. Just eat a lot of tasty fresh food. Remember to treat yourself.
Remember that no matter what you are 100% woman (unless you are a demigirl/bigender, then you are 50% woman or whatever it looks like for you, that is still very cool, and if you are genderfluid and currently a lady, that’s still very good and valid).
For nonbinary pals
Simple beanies.
Google “androgynous/unisex hairstyles”. Look how many cool options you have! You might tweak one to your needs, like make it longer, or shorter, or add some cool hair dye…
For your neck: scarves. They come in many colors and patterns, cover up your neck so you don’t get cold, also you can hide your neck bump or lack thereof.
Friendship bracelets!
Trainer shoes.
Baggy hoodies are really nice.
You can shave and don’t wear makeup. Or rock the beard and eyeshadow look. Or really, anything else.
Cosmetics? Citrus and lavender are considered unisex scents. You can also wikiHow to Make Perfume and mix some scents you like at home.
Exercise, if you are healthy enough to do it, is good. Try running and yoga. Remember, media sells us the myth that androgyny=thinness, but it’s bullcrap. Fat, curvy, muscular people can all be nonbinary and/or androgynous.
You can look up the guys and gals sections too. Maybe you will find something that helps you.
Remember that your identity is 100% valid and true, no matter what. Yes, any kind of identity. No matter if it’s a neutral void or a mix of everything, no matter if it’s stable or changes. It’s valid because you are valid.
For guys: use soaps/deodorants/etc. from the men’s section, say it’s because they’re cheaper or easier to find, or you hate flower smells.
For gals: use soaps/deodorants/etc. from the women’s section, say it’s because you have dry or sensitive skin and need the moisturizers, or because those are the soaps with less overpowering scents.
For nonbinary pals: use soaps/deodorants/etc. from the ‘all-natural’ or ‘allergen-free’ section, say it’s because of sensitivities to various ingredients or you’re trying to protect the environment.
I was just thinking maybe this would help some people✨
My favorite lifehack is I’m never too polite to take leftovers from any event. “Please take leftovers,” the hostess says, and everyone diffidently murmurs something about the size of their fridge, but I am already sweeping an entire basket of bagels into my tote bag. I gather there may be some unspoken rule of upperclass etiquette that stands in people’s way but listen. Break free of your chains
Please take leftovers! Usually the host doesn’t have space in their fridge either, or isn’t able to (or doesn’t want to) eat food that was prepared for like, 20 people. It will probably go bad if you don’t take leftovers.
Sometimes good posts are made by annoying people so I’ll help out
These are Safe Shorts. They were made by Sandra Seilz after someone attempted to rape her. If the fabric is torn, an alarm will be sounded.
This is the Rape-aXe, invented by a South African doctor by the name of
Sonnet Ehlers. After interviewing a rape victim who wished she had teeth down there, she made this. If someone’s penis is inserted and pulled back out, the teeth will sink in, and can only be removed by a doctor.
The Killer Tampon (couldn’t find a site for it), made by retired anaesthetist Jaap Haumann. When penetration takes place, the sharp end will slice the offending appendage.
The Anti-Rape Belt (also couldn’t find a site), made by a group of Swedish teenagers led by Nadja Björk. It requires two hands to undo.
Anti-Rape Underwear/Bra (once again), as made by a group of Indian students. Will deliver an electric shock when met with unwanted advances, as well as sounding an alarm.
Undercover Colours. Made by 4 male undergraduates at North Carolina U, they change colours when in contact with chemicals or drugs that cause unconsciousness. Used in case you’re wary that your drink has been roofied.
These are just tools to help, but in addition to being mindful of your situations and staying safe, they can help when the worst happens.
Stay safe.
ok, those are all kind of awesome. i wish they weren’t needed, bit still…awesome solutions.
I feel more comfortable reblogging this version
RapeAxe has a gofund me up that barely has 700 dollars. I feel like the inventions that havent even been funded yet should be linked to the page you can support them at.
once love, simon opens the cinematic doors for lgbt rom coms it’s over for hetero bitches
just found out that people are boycotting this movie because the author is straight…….honestly if y’all let this movie flop i’m coming for everyone’s throats! no mercy! this is such a fake woke agenda! love, simon doesn’t deserve this! if y’all wanted to boycott an lgbt movie call me by your name was right there but y’all let that bitch prosper!
I actually looked up the author, Becky Albertalli, a while back when I was first getting hyped for Love, Simon, and from what I found (and please let me know if I’m wrong, this info is coming from a few quick google searches) she hasn’t just created multiple, well-written LGBTQ characters, she also worked for years with LGBTQ teens and support groups, particularly for gender nonconforming kids. If that doesn’t tell you how far this woman is willing to go to aid LGBTQ folk, I don’t know what will.
YEP. She addresses this in the very end of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda in her acknowledgements – she wrote the book with the help of a multitude of LGBTQ teenagers. She wrote what she knew from experience, but for the things she did not have experience with, she sought the wisdom of the people she was writing the book for. She is a genuinely awesome ally.
this post probably doesn’t need my input because the reasons given above should be enough to convince anyone that boycotting this film is the worst idea the lgbt+ community has ever had, but it’s getting my input anyway, because the fact that people would even think of boycotting this actually upsets me.
becky albertalli is a truly amazing author. she’s amazing for what she does for her fans, and the quality of her work, and her general enthusiasm, but more than anything she’s here for representation. her books have got gay characters, lesbian characters, pan characters, bi characters, jewish characters, asian characters, black characters… her second book, the upside of unrequited, literally features jewish interracial w|w parents. this woman hasn’t just thrown a white male gay kid into one of her books and been like, “hey, guess my representation duties are over!”
and yes, she’s straight. she has a husband and two adorable kids – but as has been said, she has worked extensively with lgbt+ young people, while working as a clinical psychologist.
as had been alluded to above, the acknowledgements for “simon vs the homo sapiens agenda” end thus:
“to the extraordinary lgbt and gender-nonconforming children and teens in my life (and your extraordinary families): you blow me away with your wisdom, humor, creativity, and courage. you probably already guessed this, but i wrote this book for you.”
she wrote this book for us. forus. she wrote a beautiful book filled with adorable characters, that tackles important lgbt+ issues without it having to be tragic. she wrote a book that’s happy and funny and brilliantly-written, that contains representation that’s not just positive, but human and real and inspiring.
and that’s why the thought that anyone in this community would even consider boycotting “love, simon” baffles me beyond belief. i understand that people want movies and books that come from lgbt+ authors, that people want more w|w representation not just the more marketable m|m representation, that people want as much diversity in mainstream cinema as the world deserves. of course i understand that, because i want those things too. they should already be a feature of mainstream media, and the fact that they aren’t is frustrating – i get it.
but the reality is that we’re not quite there yet. we should be, but we aren’t – and yet movies like “love, simon” present an opportunity for this to change.
the only way to get more representation is to support films that contain representation. it’s as simple as that. and in “love, simon” we have a gift to the lgbt+ community from an amazing author that contains groundbreaking representation for a studio film. if you boycott this, if you stop this from becoming a success, if you send a message to hollywood that we don’t want movies like this – you can say goodbye to any thoughts of films with even more diversity in the future.
even more than that, you’ll miss out on a story that’s kind and warm and sweet and is sure to be unmissable on the screen. you’ll miss out on a studio film without over-sexualisation or tragedy, about a gay kid, made by a gay director, with a queer person in the role of the love interest and multiple people of colour.
“love, simon” is a movie with the power to change the world. the world shouldn’t need changing, but it does, and supporting this film is the way to achieve that.
the film isn’t going to be perfect. no one is expecting it to be perfect. but it’s going to do a lot more for the lgbt+ community than any other of the hundreds of films that will come out this year, and yet no one’s thinking of boycotting them.
stop trying to make it problematic. stop trying to make it into something it’s not. stop making assumptions about what it’s going to be, because i promise you, as someone who’s read the book multiple times, that the representation is much more than one white gay boy, even in this one film.
if you don’t want to watch “love, simon”, no one’s going to force you – but if this movie is ruined by misinformed people who haven’t read the book and don’t know the power it could hold, i will be intensely, magnificently pissed off.
