Belladonna of Sadness and malignant female agency
CW: Sexual Assault, Nudity, Murder
Women using their sexuality as a means of empowerment is nothing new. Beautiful Delilah seduces Samson’s secrets away from him for a trove of silver. Sexual Salome dances for her desires and earns that which she wishes for. These women are reduced to their sex by a patriarchal society and, in theory, embrace it to elevate themselves in their respective societies. This is false. Narratives and characters created by men, for men, can be anything. Female characters using their sexuality as an advantage often serve more to titillate the audience than to furnish these women with agency. …
You think your Hell is worse than mine, Paris Hilton.
In the style of the The Telephone Call by Dorothy Parker
Please, God, let me get this picture now. Dear God, let her walk out of the Hyde. I won’t ask anything else of You, truly I won’t. It isn’t very much to ask. It would be, like, so little of You, God, such a little, lil thing. Only let her exit the Hyde now. Please, God. Please, please, please.
If I didn’t think about it, like, maybe she would exist. Sometimes life, like, happens like that. If I could think of something else. If I could only think of one other thing. Maybe, if I flip my Motorola RAZR 50 times, she’ll come out by that time. I’ll flip it slowly. I won’t cheat. I’ll make sure it closes securely every time. And, if she comes out of the Hyde, I won’t stop; I won’t take a picture. I won’t ask for one until I get to 50. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,…Oh, please come out. …
This essay was originally published in the inaugural issue of Mostly Moving, a quarterly animation magazine organized and edited by Jonah Primiano.
I am obsessed with Barbie. After several miniature men were born into my family, I showed up and the dolls quickly followed. Olympic Gymnast Barbie, Troll Fun Barbie, Totally Hair Barbie with Dep brand Styling mouse. As a child of the nineties having a Barbie wasn’t particularly notable, everyone had them. Unless they were wealthy and progressive in which case they were probably more of an American Girl Doll kind of person. Like that Dep brand styling mouse, I had something a bit extra. I didn’t just have a Barbie doll, I had a real life Barbie that I was obsessed with. …
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