I just think for a lot of dude-feminists or feminist allies they’re just so used to a world where they get to dictate how women should look because patriarchy.
so they start thinking about sexism and think the best way is to tell women she can look anyway she wants is to tell her they find her sexy THIS way.
or that they find feminists sexy. or that they find women who read sexy.
and the thing is?
I do not give a fuck what you find sexy when we’re talking about feminism! At all! So shut up, shut up, shut up.
Even when they’re not talking about feminism specifically but about self esteem and body image, guys are like hey girls don’t be self-conscious, you don’t need to wear make up, don’t be insecure cause I’m only attracted to girls with confidence.
Stop telling girls what to do, stop telling us how we should feel about ourselves, stop connecting someone’s self-esteem with whether or not you’re attracted to them. This is not about you.
Fantasy No. 1,2004. Jen Davis
Jen Davis looks to self-portraiture as a way to deal with her insecurities about her body image. See the stunning work accompanied with an essay by Hannah Frieser here on Flak Photo.
“The fact that these images are self-portraits alters the way they should be understood. Davis is not being watched and judged by these images, and instead is shaping each scenario both as the author and the subject. While she has little control on how society sees her in daily life, she has unlimited control of how she decides to photograph and present herself. It is her active choice to use a frank and self-inquisitive style in photography to examine concepts of beauty, desire, and body image. “Photography is the medium that I use to tell my story through life,” Davis writes in her artist statement. It is “an outlet for revealing my thoughts and opinions about the society in which we live. A society that dictates beauty based on one’s physical appearance.”
Jen Davis is one of my favorite photographers. Her photos are absolutely stunning in every way.
celh:
Photos like this needs more notes.
especially cus this one actually shows a diverse group of women
I like that it’s not just the small vs big it’s actually showing different body types. We need more of this!
(Source: shopjournelle)
Do not tell me to respect my body by covering it.
Do not tell me to respect my body by crossing my legs, keeping my knees together, my skirts long and my treatment of my body within your framework.
I respect my body by doing what I please with it.
I respect my body by loving it and all of the things it allows me to do.
I respect my body by being kind to the parts I sometimes don’t enjoy.
I respect my body by understanding that it is my body and is no more or less beautiful than any other.
I respect my body by not being afraid of it.
I respect my body by challenging it with running and dancing.
I respect my body by dressing it in the clothes I see fit and refusing to acknowledge that by societal standards stripes and hounds-tooth clash.
I respect my body by wearing short skirts when I so desire.
I respect my body by wearing sweat pants when I so desire.
I respect my body by recognizing and asserting that it is mine, not society’s, not the patriarchy’s, not catcallers’, not harassers’, not slut-shamers’, exactly no one’s but mine.
And if you can’t see the beauty in someone taking ownership of what has been and will be theirs all of their life (even though the world will tell them otherwise), perhaps you need to gain a little respect.
I already respect my body.
It’s time you start respecting it too.
