Men in makeup

I don't get the discrimination against men in the beauty community. Is it homophobia? Even though not all men who wear makeup are gay. Is it insecurity? Fearing that men can be more feminine than women? Which they can be, and it's ok. Masculinity isn't inherently male and femininity isn't inherently female. These attributes don't belong to a specific gender. Regardless of the societal 'norms' that have been imposed on us. These are social constructs. You don't have to act a certain way because you have a penis, a vagina or whatever genitalia you have.

If you want to wear makeup and are interested in beauty, you do you! Your reproductive organs, your appearance, your age, your religion, your ethnicity etc. are all irrelevant. There's space for all of us, no need for exclusion or discrimination.

Φεστιβάλ Υπερηφάνειας Αθήνα 2017

Θα ήθελα να κάνω κάποια σχόλια για αυτά που συνέβησαν στο Φεστιβάλ Υπερηφάνειας το Σάββατο.

Δεν ήμουν εκεί, οπότε η εικόνα που έχω είναι καθαρά βασισμένη σε όσα διάβασα στο διαδίκτυο και όσα μου είπαν οι γονείς μου ότι άκουσαν στο ραδιόφωνο.

Καταλαβαίνω ότι ειδικά για μεγαλύτερης ηλικίας ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ το να δουν την αστυνομία να παρελαύνει είναι trigger. 
Κι αυτό γιατί πολλές φορές, όταν χρειάστηκαν τη βοήθεια της αστυνομίας, αυτή τ@ς χλεύασε, και πολλές φορές τ@ς κακοποίησε περαιτέρω, είτε λεκτικά, είτε και σωματικά.

Καταλαβαίνω ότι μία καταπιεσμένη κοινωνική ομάδα χρειάζεται χρόνο για να εμπιστευτεί και να δεχθεί μία ομάδα ανθρώπων που την έχει καταπιέσει, ή έχει συμβάλει στην καταπίεσή της. Ακόμη κι όταν η ομάδα ατόμων δεν αποτελείται από τα ίδια άτομα που μας έχουν καταπιέσει, και μόνο το τι συμβολίζει η ΕΛ.ΑΣ για τη ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ κοινότητα δημιουργεί πολλά αρνητικά συναισθήματα.

Όλα αυτά είναι λογικά, και αναμενόμενα.

Όμως, σε μία χώρα τόσο συντηρητική και τόσο οπισθοδρομική γίνονται κάποια βήματα προς την εξέλιξη επιτέλους!
Σε άλλες χώρες είναι σύνηθες η αστυνομία να παίρνει μέρος στο Φεστιβάλ. Πχ. το έχω δει να συμβαίνει στο Φεστιβάλ Υπερηφάνειας του Λονδίνου.

Το να δεις την αστυνομία να παρελαύνει στο Φεστιβάλ Υπερηφάνειας, με χαρά και δική της βούληση, και με κίνδυνο της ζωής της (δείχνοντας δημόσια στήριξη στη ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ κοινότητα), είναι κάτι το οποίο θα μπορούσαμε να εκτιμήσουμε. Και φυσικά να σκεφτούμε πώς αντιμετωπίζονται οι ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+ που είναι μέλη της ΕΛ.ΑΣ. Όπως είπε κάποιος από τους αστυνομικούς "Γιατί κι εγώ να μην μπορώ να πω ότι είμαι gay στο σώμα;"

Άκουσα ότι κάποι@ αστυνομικ@ που ήθελαν να παρελάσουν ήταν ΛΟΑΤΚΙ+. Και τελικά δέχθηκαν επίθεση -όχι σωματική- και άσχημες συμπεριφορές και απορρίφθηκαν από πολλά άτομα που συμμετείχαν στο Φεστιβάλ.

Το να φέρεσαι σε άτομα που προσπαθούν να σε βοηθήσουν όπως σου φέρονταν/φέρονται οι καταπιεστές σου, ΔΕΝ είναι λύση.
Γιατί στο τέλος θα γίνεις σαν αυτούς.

Καταλαβαίνω το θυμό των παρεβρισκομένων, και προφανώς δεν μπορώ να απαιτήσω ή να επιβάλλω καμία συμπεριφορά απέναντι στ@ν οποι@νδήποτε.

Αλλά όταν η συμπεριφορά μας είναι επιθετική όταν δε μας επιτίθενται καλό είναι να προβληματιστούμε.

Το Φεστιβάλ φέτος είχε τον τίτλο "Θέμα Παιδείας."
Αλλά αυτό δεν αφορά μόνο τα ετεροφυλόφυλα και cis άτομα.
Αυτά μας αφορά όλ@ς.

Target audience

Who is my target audience?

For anyone who follows me on social media, you know I'm on blogspot, youtube and other social media platforms.

But who do I aim to reach with my pictures, articles and videos?

Mostly lgbtqai+ persons, persons with disabilities, persons who suffer from mental health, and other marginalised social groups.

Every person who is on social media with the intention to reach people has a target audience in mind.
E.g. a youtube channel on video games targets mostly white or asian males.
A beauty blog targets femme persons.
An instagram account about fitness targets people who go to the gym and enjoy exercising.
Etc.

So, my channel, blog, and other social media profiles are aimed towards those who are open minded, who aren't judgmental and who are accepting of others.

I talk a lot about body issues, about human rights, about mental health; I also discuss the news sometimes; I even create beauty videos; and of course, I share my art in different forms (image, sound and writing). There is variety.

But all of my social media profiles and all of the things I have shared have always had one thing in common: Trying to inform, and promote equality and acceptance.

Therefore, if you're someone who discriminates against others for any reason, if you bodyshame people, if you're a misogynist, sexist, racist, bully, cyberbully etc. please, do not follow me on social media, and stay away from my posts.

In the past, unfortunately, I had been targeted by people who had no place on my social media accounts. Thankfully, the police were very helpful and collaborated with me on the matter.
These days there are laws in place to protect us from cyberbullying. And even though police may not take immediate action against a cyberbully, they start keeping an eye on them, and the websites that allow them to thrive.
And once you're on their list, well, you just don't want to be on their list.

To sum up, I hope that one day my social media accounts will be able to reach more people (people who belong to my target audience) and make a positive change in the world.

Pregnant People

I read responses to this: bma-warns-against-using-expectant-mothers-for-pregnant-women-as-it-may-offend-intersex-men

(calling pregnant persons 'pregnant persons' instead of expecting mothers, as many trans males, agender, gender neutral, gender fluid or intersex persons can get pregnant)

A lot of women were angry, saying they want to be called 'expecting mothers,' that they waited their whole lives to be mothers, that this takes away from their motherhood and many went as far as to make transphobic comments.

I personally have no interest in having children, being a mother etc.
However, as a person who identifies as a woman, I have one thing to tell them:
If you're so insecure about your femininity and motherhood, that you get offended by being called a 'person,' then that's on you.
Stop reflecting your insecurities and fragile femininity on others.

Anyway, you could request your nurses, midwives, doctor etc. to call you an expecting mom if you want.
So, chill the fuck out and let other people with female reproductive organs have their space and be respected as well.

Accept that not only women can get pregnant and give birth. There are many people who don't identify as female and have female reproductive organs. And you have no fucking right to dismiss them because you want 'motherhood exclusivity.'

Femme

To every femme person out there:

You don't have to be 'feminine' to define as femme.
There's no one way to be feminine; don't let the media fool you.
You define your own femininity.
Never feel as if you have to abide by certain rules to be able to describe yourself as femme.
Because you don't.

Gender

People need to realise the gender binary is a social construct.It serves the purpose of big corporations, religions and any other institutes that want to either make money off people or control them -or both. Gender is a spectrum. As we -hopefully- have all learned by now, things aren't black and white in life.Things don't work in -one-or-the-other. Very rarely you will find things that are either, or, without them entailing 'the in-between. 'So next time you see a person who doesn't fit in that gender binary, refrain from judging them, and even worse bullying them. Remember that their gender is theirs, only theirs, to define, express and live in and with. And if you're a person who is struggling because you can't find your place within the gender binary, rejoice. Because you don't have to. You have your own place in the gender spectrum, and that's valued, valid and respected.