Hey ladies, you taken any good nudes lately (I SWEAR I'm not coming onto you here)? I bet you have because women are just like the sexiest things ever :D. As fun as photographing your naked body is, for whatever reason you feel, you'll probably have run into some roadblocks from that pesky patriarchy. If you take nudes, you must be a whore. Or if you take nudes, you must only have a quintessential body or else you're ugly. Hell, sometimes YOU don't like the nudes you've taken because you yourself don't like your body. Or maybe you do like your body but something about taking nudes rubs you the wrong way. Whatever it may be, I just wanna say that taking nudes isn't weird or gross. It's actually perfectly fine.
I'll be straightforward with everyone. I take nudes a lot. Like, almost all the time. Not only do I love my body, but it helps me to appreciate my imperfections. As confident as I act, sometimes I don't always feel so happy with my body. To be truthful, my 44 year old mum has a better body than me. She's all fit and in shape and looks 15 years younger. I have rolls, my thighs jiggle, my bum is fat and saggy, I have stretch marks under my breasts, and I have a bit of a belly. Essentially, I have the body of a mum, even though I don't have kids. Photographing my body in the nude makes me feel free and reminds me that I'm in control of my body. I'm gonna let you in on a secret, something most people don't want you to know. Taking nudes is actually an art form. You heard that right, it's art. Not every nude you've taken will probably be art though, just to warn you. If you take nudes in a position that's obviously sexual, then that's just a literal labour of love. But a regular picture of your front or back in a modest position of some sort is artistic. I mostly photograph my bum since it's my favourite thing to take pictures of :).
Now here comes the tricky part, whether you should share the nudes you've taken. This can be difficult since nudes often get leaked when things go wrong between friends and soul mates. Believe it or not, your lover shouldn't be the one you trust most with your nudes. Whilst it would be nice if you could trust them, just remember that breakups can go nasty, and they'll have that HD photo of your breasts at the ready to ruin you. It's pretty much tradition for us girls to share our nudes with some of our closest female friends, so don't leave em out. But always remember not to send them your nudes unless they're ok with it, otherwise you'll have committed sexual harassment. And yes, that counts. Plus, don't go crazy and show your friend nudes like every single day, you might give them the wrong impression. Sharing nudes is rather important, almost a bit more important than taking them since showcasing your nude body willingly is a sign of strength and humility. Be cautious when sending them: hide your face (or crop it out), conceal any tattoos or markings you have, and be sure that your surroundings are either not where you normally live or are unidentifiable. This way, should your nudes be leaked by some arsehole or you accidentally reveal them in the wrong place, no one can really prove it's you.
Taking nudes isn't slutty and it's certainly not deviant behaviour. Millions of females have done it, it's practically a hobby for us at this point. You have every right to embrace yourself as a sexual being, so you might as well showcase it. It's time we stop making nudity a crime.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Are Trans People Gender Conformists?
Lately I've had this proposition thrown my way in the case of trans people. They say that trans people are gender conformists because they begin to act like the stereotypes of the gender they're transitioning to, and that somehow goes against the deconstruction of gender norms that feminism works to achieve. I do think it's a genuine question that requires an honest answer. However, I advise you all to remember that I'm a cis female, and that what I tell you is not to be taken as the be-all and end-all of the matter. All I'm gonna do here is give my educated insight on gender conformity and how its connection to transgenderism isn't that clear cut.
Firstly, we must analyse what gender conformity is. Gender conformity is, as you would assume, adhering to what society deems you to be according to your gender. It's like if I remained a housewife and my husband was the breadwinner; we'd be following gender norms that have existed for years. And since trans people, namely trans women, tend to act a lot more like feminine stereotypes, it could come off as them being gender conformists. But just because something feels a certain way, doesn't mean it is that way. I'm womanly as fuck. Sure I do things that could be considered masculine, but I never let anyone forget I'm a woman, I'm far too proud to be one. And whilst I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, I do sometimes act like a stereotype, as in I like to embrace a more vulnerable appeal. Mostly because my husband treats me extra special because of it :D.
But this question stems from a rather big misunderstanding of why people transition in the first place. Transgenderism isn't just an obscure personality trait, it stems from psychological confusion, either through gender dysphoria or social conditions (please keep in mind that not every trans person has dysphoria, and that having dysphoria doesn't automatically link to transgenderism). Trans people don't transition because of some arbitrary reason, they transition because they feel they'd be happier if they were the opposite gender. As such, they act in a way that corresponds to their preferred gender. So if a trans woman feels she has to be womanly by wearing dresses and pouring on a megatonne of makeup, let her. In regards to how this contradicts feminism, I answer that with this; feminism has no problem with women or men adhering to gender norms. They only feel the need to step in when it's done some sort of damage. Feminism lets women choose if they wanna be vulnerable housewives or tough breadwinners, that's all up to them. The thing with gender conformity is that it's almost always forced, and that's where feminism comes in. Feminism also allows people to define their gender identity anyway they like. Trans people also do such. Trans women can still do masculine things and trans men can still do feminine things. That's not exactly rocket science. And let's not forget one of the most important factors:
NOT EVERY TRANS PERSON IS A FEMINIST.
I can't believe I had to say that, but it's true that some trans people are against feminism. Either because they don't know what's good for them (ahem Blaire White) or for some unfortunately valid reasons. Some gender critical feminists and TERFs argue that trans women are really just men disguising themselves as women so they can infiltrate women-only spaces and rape them. Now, that's obviously a heap of bigoted bollocks, but it's equally as important to stress that the chances of a trans person running into one of those undesirable elements is pretty low, and there are many more feminists that would welcome them with open arms, me being one of them.
Now it's time to render a verdict. I vote in favour of the idea that trans people are not necessarily gender conformists on the account that any person can identify their gender anyway they wish. Trans women can be stereotypical princesses, and trans men can be stereotypical sports fanatics. As long as they're not hurting anybody, it shouldn't matter whether they are adhering to gender norms or not.
Firstly, we must analyse what gender conformity is. Gender conformity is, as you would assume, adhering to what society deems you to be according to your gender. It's like if I remained a housewife and my husband was the breadwinner; we'd be following gender norms that have existed for years. And since trans people, namely trans women, tend to act a lot more like feminine stereotypes, it could come off as them being gender conformists. But just because something feels a certain way, doesn't mean it is that way. I'm womanly as fuck. Sure I do things that could be considered masculine, but I never let anyone forget I'm a woman, I'm far too proud to be one. And whilst I'm more than capable of taking care of myself, I do sometimes act like a stereotype, as in I like to embrace a more vulnerable appeal. Mostly because my husband treats me extra special because of it :D.
But this question stems from a rather big misunderstanding of why people transition in the first place. Transgenderism isn't just an obscure personality trait, it stems from psychological confusion, either through gender dysphoria or social conditions (please keep in mind that not every trans person has dysphoria, and that having dysphoria doesn't automatically link to transgenderism). Trans people don't transition because of some arbitrary reason, they transition because they feel they'd be happier if they were the opposite gender. As such, they act in a way that corresponds to their preferred gender. So if a trans woman feels she has to be womanly by wearing dresses and pouring on a megatonne of makeup, let her. In regards to how this contradicts feminism, I answer that with this; feminism has no problem with women or men adhering to gender norms. They only feel the need to step in when it's done some sort of damage. Feminism lets women choose if they wanna be vulnerable housewives or tough breadwinners, that's all up to them. The thing with gender conformity is that it's almost always forced, and that's where feminism comes in. Feminism also allows people to define their gender identity anyway they like. Trans people also do such. Trans women can still do masculine things and trans men can still do feminine things. That's not exactly rocket science. And let's not forget one of the most important factors:
NOT EVERY TRANS PERSON IS A FEMINIST.
I can't believe I had to say that, but it's true that some trans people are against feminism. Either because they don't know what's good for them (ahem Blaire White) or for some unfortunately valid reasons. Some gender critical feminists and TERFs argue that trans women are really just men disguising themselves as women so they can infiltrate women-only spaces and rape them. Now, that's obviously a heap of bigoted bollocks, but it's equally as important to stress that the chances of a trans person running into one of those undesirable elements is pretty low, and there are many more feminists that would welcome them with open arms, me being one of them.
Now it's time to render a verdict. I vote in favour of the idea that trans people are not necessarily gender conformists on the account that any person can identify their gender anyway they wish. Trans women can be stereotypical princesses, and trans men can be stereotypical sports fanatics. As long as they're not hurting anybody, it shouldn't matter whether they are adhering to gender norms or not.
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