I am having such a hard time deciding what to focus on. I have so many interests, I'm never bored because of it and that's great but god DAMN it is hard to decide what to put my effort & energy into.
So if I could be 17 different people, I would be these things:
Science Fiction Writer
Feminist Journalist and Writer
Photojournalist
Artsy Photographer
Farmer
Novelist
Comic Book Artist
Librarian
Bookstore Owner
Knitter
Jewelry Maker
Collage Artist
Dominatrix
Orinthologist
Baker
Herbalist
Therapist
Dungeon Master
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
-Jen
2.19.2011
2.15.2011
What Have You Held On To?
We are looking for submissions for a community exhibit displaying artifacts from past relationships, objects/letters/photographs/etc. that have a place in your personal history.
We hope to assemble what will be an interesting peek into human nature, break-ups, and romance.
Items will not be tampered with or damaged. All items will be returned.
The deadline for submissions is March 31st 2011.
For more information or if you are interested in submitting email paperdollaac@gmail.com or message one of the event administrators.
Pass this along to anyone you think might be interested!
**Hateful, retaliatory, or pornographic items will not be accepted**
We hope to assemble what will be an interesting peek into human nature, break-ups, and romance.
Items will not be tampered with or damaged. All items will be returned.
The deadline for submissions is March 31st 2011.
For more information or if you are interested in submitting email paperdollaac@gmail.com or message one of the event administrators.
Pass this along to anyone you think might be interested!
**Hateful, retaliatory, or pornographic items will not be accepted**
2.08.2011
Let's Make a Movie!
By Leah
Apparently I'm the slacker of the group, so here I am attempting to make up for it.
Recently I've been brainstorming a few different movie ideas and I have to say, I think I'm getting somewhere. The more I think about it, the more inspired I become. I've never made a movie before, so I'm less than an amateur, but it's something that really interests me and something I aspire to do before I'm like, old and stuff. I came up with something I think I could actually work with (this came to me while I was taking one of my hour long showers in the dark-I don't care what you guys [Jen and Lisa] think...they are very enjoyable!).
The main idea behind my idea (weirdly worded! HA) is something I, and I'm sure many women feminists struggle with: relationships and love. Now let me elaborate, because everyone struggles with relationships and love, but what I'm talking about in particular is how feminists deal with love and conventional standards for relationships. Just think about it, women are taught from a young age on how to act in order to get a man, but most feminists go againsts those ideas (some stick with them, but because they want to, not because they have to-you go girls!). However, and I've seen it many times, often women feminists forget their personal beliefs because a cute and witty boy came into their lives. It sucks, it's annoying and it's happened to me and many of my friends, which is why I think it would be interesting, fun and worth the time, sweat, blood, tears and learning experience to create a film from this idea.
I haven't quite pieced it together yet, but I'm thinking of showing it from a woman feminist's point of view (obviously, wouldn't really make sense otherwise) from the beginning of her relationship to the end of it. I was thinking of focusing a lot on the beginning, when they're still dating and going out and getting to know one another, then focusing a bit on their engagement and wedding and how my main character would deal with tradiational weddings (because that's what is obviously going to be expected of her), then focusing on how they raise their children and how she is trying to teach them her values while he is trying to teach them more "traditional" values, based on how he was raised, and lastly I want to focus on them when their kids are moved out and when they're old and having to deal with one another as they head towards those "golden years".
Also, the man of the movie isn't going to be mean, awful, evil or even a douchebag. He's actually going to be a really decent guy, he's just going to be raised in a very traditional household. He's going to be very accepting and interested, but he, too, will struggle with the relationship and the different dynamics within it.
The lady of the film, the starlet, the main gal; she's going to be the main focus. She's going to be young, confused, in love, in hate, irritated, happy, depressed, lost, wise, naive, old...she's going to be growing up. While her boyfriend/husband will also be growing up (not to mention their kids!) she's going the one whom the viewer will take most notice.
I have a few little funny scene ideas too. Here's one that I think I just have to use:
Girl and Guy (temporary names for now...I'm thinking maybe Naomi for our leading lady?) have been seeing each other for a few weeks now, nothing exclusive or serious though. He really likes her and finds her to be completely fascination and brilliant. She is confused by him, is really attracted to him and thinks he's smarter than any other guy she has ever dated. He invites her out to a beach party where he and a couple of his friends are going to be drinking and just having a good time.
So she accepts the invitation and is now getting ready to go the morning of the party. She had bought a bikini for it (another funny scene I'm thinking, because she's more of a shorts and t-shirt as swimwear kind of girl) and is now in the bathroom looking in the mirror, holding a razor. She doesn't shave and she doesn't want to, however she is afraid that he'll be turned off or freaked out by her hairy legs and hairy armpits. You can see the terror and confusion on her face as she struggles with this decision. She calls him up, and I imagine the conversation going something like this:
Guy: "Hello?"
Girl: "Hi...it's me."
Guy: "Hey what's up? I was actually just thinking about you! You excited for tonight?"
Girl: "I, um, can't go."
Guy: "What? No way! Why not? Is everything okay?"
Girl: "Yeah, well, no, well, um...I got my period!"
Hang up.
So like... that's just a thought. I'm a little enthusiastic and excited about it, now I just have to buck up and sit down and write it. I never have any motivation to finish anything, so I'm a little worried, but I really want to finish this. I really want to go somewhere with this. So hopefully it'll work out in the end.
Now that I've rambled on about my movie ideas forever, I'm out! :)
Apparently I'm the slacker of the group, so here I am attempting to make up for it.
Recently I've been brainstorming a few different movie ideas and I have to say, I think I'm getting somewhere. The more I think about it, the more inspired I become. I've never made a movie before, so I'm less than an amateur, but it's something that really interests me and something I aspire to do before I'm like, old and stuff. I came up with something I think I could actually work with (this came to me while I was taking one of my hour long showers in the dark-I don't care what you guys [Jen and Lisa] think...they are very enjoyable!).
The main idea behind my idea (weirdly worded! HA) is something I, and I'm sure many women feminists struggle with: relationships and love. Now let me elaborate, because everyone struggles with relationships and love, but what I'm talking about in particular is how feminists deal with love and conventional standards for relationships. Just think about it, women are taught from a young age on how to act in order to get a man, but most feminists go againsts those ideas (some stick with them, but because they want to, not because they have to-you go girls!). However, and I've seen it many times, often women feminists forget their personal beliefs because a cute and witty boy came into their lives. It sucks, it's annoying and it's happened to me and many of my friends, which is why I think it would be interesting, fun and worth the time, sweat, blood, tears and learning experience to create a film from this idea.
I haven't quite pieced it together yet, but I'm thinking of showing it from a woman feminist's point of view (obviously, wouldn't really make sense otherwise) from the beginning of her relationship to the end of it. I was thinking of focusing a lot on the beginning, when they're still dating and going out and getting to know one another, then focusing a bit on their engagement and wedding and how my main character would deal with tradiational weddings (because that's what is obviously going to be expected of her), then focusing on how they raise their children and how she is trying to teach them her values while he is trying to teach them more "traditional" values, based on how he was raised, and lastly I want to focus on them when their kids are moved out and when they're old and having to deal with one another as they head towards those "golden years".
Also, the man of the movie isn't going to be mean, awful, evil or even a douchebag. He's actually going to be a really decent guy, he's just going to be raised in a very traditional household. He's going to be very accepting and interested, but he, too, will struggle with the relationship and the different dynamics within it.
The lady of the film, the starlet, the main gal; she's going to be the main focus. She's going to be young, confused, in love, in hate, irritated, happy, depressed, lost, wise, naive, old...she's going to be growing up. While her boyfriend/husband will also be growing up (not to mention their kids!) she's going the one whom the viewer will take most notice.
I have a few little funny scene ideas too. Here's one that I think I just have to use:
Girl and Guy (temporary names for now...I'm thinking maybe Naomi for our leading lady?) have been seeing each other for a few weeks now, nothing exclusive or serious though. He really likes her and finds her to be completely fascination and brilliant. She is confused by him, is really attracted to him and thinks he's smarter than any other guy she has ever dated. He invites her out to a beach party where he and a couple of his friends are going to be drinking and just having a good time.
So she accepts the invitation and is now getting ready to go the morning of the party. She had bought a bikini for it (another funny scene I'm thinking, because she's more of a shorts and t-shirt as swimwear kind of girl) and is now in the bathroom looking in the mirror, holding a razor. She doesn't shave and she doesn't want to, however she is afraid that he'll be turned off or freaked out by her hairy legs and hairy armpits. You can see the terror and confusion on her face as she struggles with this decision. She calls him up, and I imagine the conversation going something like this:
Guy: "Hello?"
Girl: "Hi...it's me."
Guy: "Hey what's up? I was actually just thinking about you! You excited for tonight?"
Girl: "I, um, can't go."
Guy: "What? No way! Why not? Is everything okay?"
Girl: "Yeah, well, no, well, um...I got my period!"
Hang up.
So like... that's just a thought. I'm a little enthusiastic and excited about it, now I just have to buck up and sit down and write it. I never have any motivation to finish anything, so I'm a little worried, but I really want to finish this. I really want to go somewhere with this. So hopefully it'll work out in the end.
Now that I've rambled on about my movie ideas forever, I'm out! :)
2.03.2011
Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?
My surprisingly boring English lit class this morning suddenly became incredibly interesting when discussing a story by Joyce Carol Oates that was steeped in symbolism about sex. English professors really, really like to talk about sex, I've noticed. But! When discussing how the man "Arnold" is using threats and intimidating the 15 year old female protagonist in order to coerce her into having "sex" with him, a woman in my class decided to throw in her two cents.
She said that Connie - the girl - should have known better because that's what you get.
That's what you get...when? When you hang out with your friends at the mall on the weekends? When you go on dates with boys? That's what you get when a man you see while you're out with your friends decides to stalk you and finds out you're home alone then shows up and attempts to seduce you but even if you consented it's still rape because you're a fifteen year old girl and fifteen year old girls, by law, can't give consent?
Rape isn't something that happens to Bad Girls as a punishment for being "bad." None of the things Connie did were "bad," unless you consider doing normal, everyday things such as going out and having fun "living on the edge." Even if Connie was doing something bad, like heroin - which most everyone would agree is a bad thing to do but does not necessarily make her a bad person (subtle difference!) - she doesn't deserve to be raped.
It's like what people said to me when I tried to open up about my first sexual experience. It was a boy I knew, slightly older than me, who I had been inviting over when my parents weren't home. We talked about Going All The Way and, in conversation, I agreed. He got to my house and I realized I wasn't ready or I didn't really want to or any other reason that I used to say: No I've Changed My Mind.
His response was: "But, I didn't come over for nothing."
It was getting late, my dad would be home soon, I didn't really have a spine, he was bigger than me, older than me, stronger than me, and incredibly manipulative. While I'm still on the fence about what happened as far as I see it, from a definitional standpoint, he assaulted me.
But, "that's what you get," right? That's what you get for wearing provocative clothes, dabbling in drugs and drinking and parties. That's what you get for bringing over a boy when you're parents aren't home. That's what you get for promising sexual activity and then taking consent back, right?
WRONG.
Consent is consent. You either have it or you don't. It doesn't matter what you wear, where you are, who you're with, what you've been drinking, how old you are, how virginal you are, or what state of undress you are in. It doesn't even matter if you've consented to that person before, or that activity before! If someone is not enthusiastically participating in the sexual activity of their own free will, you don't have consent.
To hear someone say that Connie - and by extension, any girl - got what she deserved or got what was coming to her and brought on her own rape sickens me. Unwanted sexual advances, touch, or activity is harassment, assault, and rape. To hear it explained away as "she wanted it," or "what did she expect was going to happen," or "well that's what you get," disturbs me. Take reports of sexual assault seriously! Hold people accountable for their crimes!
This rambling brings me to the point about the bill proposing that there be no federal funding for abortions even in cases of rape and incest. It's basically an argument about what really counts as rape. Kristen Schaal shows us just how ridiculous, degrading, and cruel this bill is:
I realize this post is kind of all over the place and not very well-written. I'll fix it later, I just needed to say this. Too many people think that they are responsible for having been raped by someone else. Too many people think that women and men who are raped bring it upon themselves.
To all survivors of sexual harassment, assault, and rape: Never listen to the people that try to let a rapist off the hook by blaming you for their crimes and moral depravity. It is not your fault. It was never your fault.
She said that Connie - the girl - should have known better because that's what you get.
That's what you get...when? When you hang out with your friends at the mall on the weekends? When you go on dates with boys? That's what you get when a man you see while you're out with your friends decides to stalk you and finds out you're home alone then shows up and attempts to seduce you but even if you consented it's still rape because you're a fifteen year old girl and fifteen year old girls, by law, can't give consent?
Rape isn't something that happens to Bad Girls as a punishment for being "bad." None of the things Connie did were "bad," unless you consider doing normal, everyday things such as going out and having fun "living on the edge." Even if Connie was doing something bad, like heroin - which most everyone would agree is a bad thing to do but does not necessarily make her a bad person (subtle difference!) - she doesn't deserve to be raped.
It's like what people said to me when I tried to open up about my first sexual experience. It was a boy I knew, slightly older than me, who I had been inviting over when my parents weren't home. We talked about Going All The Way and, in conversation, I agreed. He got to my house and I realized I wasn't ready or I didn't really want to or any other reason that I used to say: No I've Changed My Mind.
His response was: "But, I didn't come over for nothing."
It was getting late, my dad would be home soon, I didn't really have a spine, he was bigger than me, older than me, stronger than me, and incredibly manipulative. While I'm still on the fence about what happened as far as I see it, from a definitional standpoint, he assaulted me.
But, "that's what you get," right? That's what you get for wearing provocative clothes, dabbling in drugs and drinking and parties. That's what you get for bringing over a boy when you're parents aren't home. That's what you get for promising sexual activity and then taking consent back, right?
WRONG.
Consent is consent. You either have it or you don't. It doesn't matter what you wear, where you are, who you're with, what you've been drinking, how old you are, how virginal you are, or what state of undress you are in. It doesn't even matter if you've consented to that person before, or that activity before! If someone is not enthusiastically participating in the sexual activity of their own free will, you don't have consent.
To hear someone say that Connie - and by extension, any girl - got what she deserved or got what was coming to her and brought on her own rape sickens me. Unwanted sexual advances, touch, or activity is harassment, assault, and rape. To hear it explained away as "she wanted it," or "what did she expect was going to happen," or "well that's what you get," disturbs me. Take reports of sexual assault seriously! Hold people accountable for their crimes!
This rambling brings me to the point about the bill proposing that there be no federal funding for abortions even in cases of rape and incest. It's basically an argument about what really counts as rape. Kristen Schaal shows us just how ridiculous, degrading, and cruel this bill is:
I realize this post is kind of all over the place and not very well-written. I'll fix it later, I just needed to say this. Too many people think that they are responsible for having been raped by someone else. Too many people think that women and men who are raped bring it upon themselves.
To all survivors of sexual harassment, assault, and rape: Never listen to the people that try to let a rapist off the hook by blaming you for their crimes and moral depravity. It is not your fault. It was never your fault.
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