I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my back now that I've submitted all of my assessments - the next stressful part is the anxious wait to find out if I did well or not! Crossing my fingers for positivity!
I've been deeply researching the Riot Grrrl movement of the early 90's for my Masters thesis and it's really inspiring and just moving to me - I can't really express my feelings about how wonderful I think it was. I just feel that a-lot of the ideas that emerged from it still resonate in the 21st century and it deserves more recognition as a milestone in the timeline of feminism. I just feel so connected to it, I don't know - I only learned of it through Tumblr (thank the Internet Gods for Tumblr) about 2 years ago or something and ever since I did, it's been on my mind and I knew I wanted to somehow develop a research project based around it. My particular branch of research in this movement was the importance of the zine, which I feel is largely underestimated as a tool for expression and communication between young women (as an alternative outlet away from mainstream media's gaze and perturbation), even in our modern technological world filled with ebooks and e-zines. I believe the tactility of a physical zine holds such a greater feeling of power and concreteness, which cannot truly be replicated with a digitised zine (even though I adore e-zines and PDF magazines, I'll always return to the print versions). I feel such an urge to just create things at the moment - if my hands are doing something I need to be doing something otherwise I'll become so bored! I actually want to start my own zine, just for my own personal self, but I would share it with the lovely readers of my blog, of course. But now I'm just rambling again! I have too many feels at the moment. I think it's largely due to the emotional debt through perpetual stress I've stored up over these past 14 weeks that I've been studying and now all I want to do is let it all go. I'm going to start working on some illustration ideas that I've kept shut up in my journals - now I've got some time to kill I want to put them to good, productive use!
I haven't been able to access Instagram that much as the wifi in my place has issues connecting to extraneous devices except for laptops, super weird (but I did discover a way to upload via PC so I'm using that instead, it's just a-lot more cumbersome to use). The following is a digital moodboard of sorts of things that have been keeping my imagination alive this week (I need to make pretty things for my blog!):
I'll leave you with these teasers from Lana Del Rey for the Tropic mini-film (if you don't already know about it), which I am extremely excited about! (Please release it soon Lana you are my lifeblood!) The coloured lighting effects remind me of the Aurora Borealis aka "The Northern Lights", which I'd really love to see once in my lifetime, so beautiful. Keep on dreaming. ♥
During my university break, I've had the time to sit and watch some really interesting history documentaries. I came across a three-part mini series whilst doing so, titled "She-Wolves: England's Early Queens" and was very much entranced by the histories of specific women in England's royal history that didn't want to sit back and go with the flow, so to speak. Much of the illustrated portraits I paint draw elements from strong women throughout history, and I was inspired to compile a list of such prominent female figures in history (in my eyes) and dot-point describe why they are important to me and what makes me treasure them for their place in womankind history.
Reasons why I love Sacajawea: ✤ She was a dedicated mother, carrying her little one with her for the entire expedition with Lewis and Clark. ✤ Her influence made up a large part in the success of the expedition, because of her navigational, diplomatic and translating skills. ✤ She had many memorial dedications made to her after her death.
Reasons why I love Pocahontas: ✤ She saved John Smith before he was about to be killed at the hands of her dad, Powhatan (or so the story goes). ✤ Her union with John Rolfe brought peace between the Native Americans and the settlers for eight years. ✤ She was treated like a princess upon her visit to England.
Reasons why I love Nefertiti: ✤ She wasn't just a pretty face, she attain a goddess-like status through her religious power, performing religious duties which other women were excluded from. ✤ She was bad-ass due to the fact that she could fulfill the roles traditionally associated with men in political positions, such slaying enemies and wearing kingly garments. ✤ The children she produced were all girls (six to be exact) - GRRRL POWER! ✤ She was on an equal level to her husband - he was not above her, her portrayal and depiction was special
Reasons why I love Mary Read: ✤ Used pregnancy as a "condition" to escape prison. ✤ Both Read and Bonny impacted popular culture through their explorations of the high seas - the character Angelica in Pirates of the Caribbean owes her existence to these factual characters. ✤ Read could do "manly" things just as well as any man could - fighting, manning the ship, drinking and swearing as any man-pirate did. Both Read and Bonny were supposedly “very profligate, cursing and swearing much, and very ready and willing to do anything on board.”
Reasons why I love Margaret of York: ✤ She had a totally beautiful crown made for her, embellished with pearls, gold, white roses and lover's knots; it is the only surviving Medieval British royal crown. ✤ She was intelligent and capable. ✤ She suffered many personal tragedies, but she still survived and overcame them.
Reasons why I love Margaret of Anjou: ✤ She defended her son's claim to the throne as the rightful heir. ✤ She was active in warfare. ✤ She was strong-willed and ambitious. ✤ Despite dying in poverty and being unsuccessful in her attempts obtain the crown for her son, she still persisted. It is important to note that her persistence allows her to be remembered in history.
Reasons why I love Marie Antoinette: ✤ Despite her extravagant spending habits, she was know for her acts of charity. ✤ She had a good taste for fashion and decor. ✤ Despite her extravagant spending habits, she was know for her acts of charity. ✤ In her final moments of deprivation and humiliation, she remained steadfast, dignified, poised, serene and courageous. ✤ Although this is really fictional, the phrase "let them eat cake" still appeals to me and is something that I seem to use frequently to solve my little life dilemmas. ✤ She had a theatre built for her in 1780 from her love of acting and singing. ✤ he had her own village created for her - Petit Trianon, containing villagers, industry and animals. Sort of like escapism and daydreaming to escape from the reality of life, but on a more literal scale.
Reasons why I love Joan of Arc: ✤ She is the youngest person in history to be able to command the army of a nation. It's an added bonus that she was a woman during a time where women's opinions were of little value. plus she was only 17, so she was pretty much a goddess. ✤ She was dressing as a knight (the role traditionally associated with man-folk) in order to assert herself as a dedicated warrior, to do what she felt was right for France. ✤ She was seriously strong and most likely definitely protected by a higher power - she tried to escape capture at the hands of the English by leaping from a tower, yet she survived the 60 foot fall and was captured. SHE TRIED and that's what matters most - as annoying as this cliche is, if you never take a risk and try you will never know what could happen.
Reasons why I love Isabella of Angoulême: ✤ She was a schemer - calculating and cunning. ✤ She also apparently had a bit of a temper - a feisty woman is always a good woman in my books!
Reasons why I love Hatshepsut: ✤ She was a woman in a man's role and even going so far as to wear the traditional men's headdress and detachable beard, in order to assert her authoritarian position. She meant business. ✤ She was one of the two successful female pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, so clearly she was doing something right to stay in power (she remained in power for fifteen years, quite a long time for that age, really). ✤ Her mortuary temple is the only one of its kind in Ancient Egypt. She was pretty special. ✤ She was intelligent politically and recruited many supporters during her reign.
Reasons why I love Eleanor of Aquitane: ✤ She had a powerful personality. ✤ She led her sons in rebellion against their own father - so she was quite a bad-ass. ✤ She cared about arts and culture - a patron of music (troubadours), chivalry, art - my type of lady.
Reasons why I love Queen Elizabeth (The Virgin Queen): ✤ She wasn't the Virgin Queen for no reason - she produced no offspring and wasn't about to let marriage tie her down! She was a woman that ruled in solidarity and she did it pretty darn well. ✤ She considered herself married to her country of England. ✤ For this speech entirely - "I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king - and of a King of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which, rather than any dishonour should grow by me, I myself will take up arms - I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.
I know already, by your forwardness, that you have deserved rewards and crowns; and we do assure you, on the word of a prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble and worthy subject; not doubting by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and by your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over the enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people." - Queen Elizabeth I, Spanish Armada Speech, 1588.
Reasons why I love Cleopatra: ✤ She wasn't going to let anything prevent her from becoming supreme ruler over Egypt, and that included members of her family - she was determined. ✤ She was an intelligent woman with plenty of charisma to punch. ✤ She knew how to get want she wanted and that included Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. ✤ She was the last ever pharaoh of Egypt before its collapse. The fact that she was a lady pharaoh is an added bonus.
Reasons why I love Boudicca: ✤ She was a fierce warrior lady. ✤ She was a strong ruler and ruled over her Iceni tribe when her husband passed away. ✤ She was defiant until the very end, she committed suicide by poisoning - she wasn't about to let those dastardly Romans take her alive. (though this fact isn't completely set in stone, it's still a good example of her sacrifices for the betterment of her people). ✤ She was almost forgotten from history, but regained fame during the Victorian times as a result of Queen Victoria's want to be associated with a she-warrior so brave and stubborn. ✤ She had poetry written about her by Lord Alfred Tennyson.
Reasons why I love Anne Bonny: ✤ Like Mary Read, she was a bad-ass female pirate during the eighteenth century, when piracy was super trendy. ✤ Read and Bonny were like soul sisters or bosom buddies - kindred spirits that were initially attracted to one another until they reveal they were both women. ✤ She seriously beat-up a would-be rapist; “…once, when a young Fellow would have lain with her, against her Will, she beat him so, that he lay ill of it a considerable Time.”(Johnson, 164). Clearly she wasn't about to do anything she didn't wanted and stood up well for herself. YOU GO GIRLFRIEND. ✤ Also used pregnancy as a "condition" to escape prison.
Reasons why I love Anne Boleyn: ✤ She was a woman that knew what she wanted and would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, so she pretty much got her way in life (despite her untimely ending). ✤ She had style and a flair for fashion - her time in France allowed her to acquire a taste for beautiful and elegant clothing. ✤ Anne wasn't an easy lover - she had a sharp wit and proved to be a challenge for the overtly pompous and spoilt Henry VIII.
Reasons why I love Cecily Neville: ✤ She was dubbed 'Rose of Raby' and 'Proud Cis' because of her pride and temper.
✤ She was a SURVIVOR of her time, outliving her husband as well as eleven of the thirteen children she conceived during her lifetime. In a time where it wasn't easy to live due to the numerous civil wars, plus being a woman, that's no small feat.
Reasons why I love Grace O'Malley: ✤ Another babin' femme pirate - one of the most famous and accomplished female pirate that existed. ✤ She managed to protect her lands of Ireland with keen political know-how and strength of fighting ✤ She loved the sea. She wanted to be a sailor instead of a lady. ✤ Piracy made her rich! ✤ Negotiated with another favourite historical female of mine, Queen Elizabeth I. ✤ She died as a respected and independent noblewoman. ✤ As a child, she frequently accompanied her father on ship expeditions, even saving his life during a pirate attack. ✤ She attained the nickname of "Grainne Mhaol" after trying to board a ship dressed as a boy.
Reasons why I love Isabella of France: ✤ Known as the "she-wolf" of France. That's pretty bad-ass. ✤ Don't mess with Izzy - or she'll hang, draw and quarter you like she did to Hugh Despenser. The younger Despenser suffered a a slightly more humiliating death - dragged through a mock parade whilst food and trash was thrown at him before being executed in a super nasty way, involving beheading and disembowelment. They were awful people so it was totally okay. ✤ She ordered the execution of the English King. Enough said. ✤ She was vengeful. A woman scorned. She took no prisoners ✤ She was well-liked by the general populace - giving to the poor and supporting charitable institution by donating money.
I've also finally got around to watching three films that I have been wanting to see for some time now: Deep End, Moonrise Kingdom and Never Let Me Go. I've read the novel of Never Let Me Go, which I found really heart-rendering and thought-provoking, making different facets of the topic of organ donation come to the forefront. I shed a few tears, so if you're as empathetic and prone to tears like me, then you might have a little weep too. Moonrise Kingdom made me want to ditch normal life and go live in a forest and befriend all the different species of trees and read fantastical books whilst eating freshly cooked fish. I just loved the way the film was shot, the characters and their little quirks and the costumes, also the colouring and lighting - everything seemed so candy-coloured and saccharine sweet, like a fairytale land. Deep End was interesting, the main character's obsession becomes increasingly manifested over the course of the film and leads to a bittersweet, sort of fantasy-becoming-reality ending. I quite liked it, largely for the 60's to early 70's fashion (mini dresses ahoy!) Plus Jane Asher is totally babin'.
Here are the instagram updates this week:
1. Finished my portrait of Boudicca, one of my favourite females EVER. 2. Looking forward to reading Frankie back to back, and eating sweet nectarines before the weather is too cold to again. 3. My Valentine's Day illustration, to celebrate cats and cake and high tea which are infinitely more useful than the day itself. 4. Drawing a deer. 5. So incredibly happy that I found these darling t-bar flat shoes - I have been wanting an all leather comfortable pair of flats for so long now, and these happened to be on sale and the last pair in my size, for $30! 6. Scored these little hairpins as freebies, they have a cute little yellow floral design on them and are just too sweet for words.
I also love this advertisement for Galaxy Chocolate, i know there's been a fair bit of criticism towards it (it can be seen as disrespectful to the deceased and possibly misuse of Audrey's physical representation), but I just love it so much. I suppose it is a little creepy how similar she represents her live, living breathing self as if she were still alive and immortal, but Audrey is immortal and timeless and I think that the carefree essence of the ad complements her spirit and presence, even though it is only a 3D representation of her actual self.
I have been doing a little sweep up and dusting off the cobwebs from my blog, as you may be able to tell - I've altered the layout and colours slightly and added some new little bits and bobs such as the email and follow button and other social media buttons, as well as change the icon of the date in the post headers. I am happy with how it looks now, so I shall leave it be for the time being. Now onto the topic of today's post!
This post will be dedicated to all the fab femmes of the 90's which inspire me today still today and as still as fresh and awesome as they were in their peaks. I'm going to do this in two posts as there are so many women of the 90's that inspire me, particularly through their style. So here they are, in no particular order:
❀ aka Claire Danes ❀
My So Called Life rolls everything about the 90's into one package - the teen angst, the clothing...it's all so nostalgic. Angela Chase was great at an angsty teen at a pivotal time during the 90's, heralded by Kurt Cobain's death. There were plenty of miniature floral dresses to go round as well as a healthy dose of skivvies and plenty of layering. She was full of super wisdom and wise words; for example, School is a battlefield... for your heart. Pretty much summed up my entire high school experience. Her portrayal of a teen-aged girl struggling with everyday life and its trials and tribulations is something to admire and relate to. I like her because she's real. I really wished the show lasted longer than it did.
❀ aka Sherilyn Fenn ❀
Twin Peaks is one of my favourite tv series with one of my favourite characters in it - Audrey Horne. Her style fits her "I get what I want" attitude to life and its so rad. Saddle shoes, 50's style sweater tops with fitted knee length skirts and tartan prints totally fit the scenery of Twin Peaks and are part of a wardrobe I would adore. I like her because of her defiance and persistence towards achieving her wants and needs.
❀ aka Cher Horowitz ❀
Alicia Silverstone as Cher Horowitz from Clueless is a perfect example of a mid-nineties rich teen girl who is good at heart but is incredibly superficial, although the superficiality factor comes in great handy with the virtual wardrobe she has! I'd love to own something like that so I wouldn't have to worry about my daily outfits for uni (first world problems to the extreme). She seems to have it all together - popularity, attractiveness, match-making skills and a fashion sense to die for (the Calvin Klein white singlet dress and the yellow tartan ensemble to name but a few) she's really totally CLUELESS to her epic crush on Josh (and who can blame her, Paul Rudd is so attractive in this film)! I like her for not only her virtual wardrobe, but her ideas on high school boys and life wisdom in general - "she's a full-on Monet...it's like a painting, see? From far away, it's OK, but up close, it's a big old mess." - BEST EVER. Plus her facial expressions in the film are priceless.
❀ aka Mayim Bialik ❀
Blossom seriously has great taste in clothing - I'm partial to crazy hats she wears and pulls off so effortlessly and I know that I'd never be able to pull such wacky outfits off like her! I find her look to be a bit "grandma chic" if you will, I really love her haircut too! I just love 80's/90's teen sitcoms such as Blossom, while they can be pretentious and cliche, they can also be hilarious and kind of relatable to some degree. Blossom was a fun little show made so by its main character.
Courtney Love is a massive inspiration to me. Hole is one of my all time favourite bands as their music is so angry, yet sometimes quiet, defiant and then submissive, and incredibly fearless. Courtney herself is so fearless and nonchalant to the opinions of others, which I greatly admire as I try to take some of her strength and utilise it in my own life. She is a rock goddess, basically. Besides her awesome presence, her kinderwhore style is a perfect blend of childish girliness and grungy grimy edge; dirty messy hair and sloppily applied makeup with cute lacy collared frocks and patent mary-janes, it's one of my favourite trends that was populated by many from the late 80's to mid 90's. To this day, it can still be observed through the changing trends in fashion, establishing its longevity.
Etheral and mystical, D'Arcy Wretzky totally fits the sound of the Smashing Pumpkins. I think she was really ahead of her time in terms of style, and she was amazing at bass guitar. She looked like a Nordic goddess/queen with her pale skin, white blonde hair and dark red lips, I can just imagine her fitting the role of the Snow Queen so perfectly.
Daria Morgendorffer will always be my favourite cartoon character ever. Her apathetic, nonchalant approach to life and witty little one-liners are always entertaining. The caricature presentations of the various characters in the show was. One of her true pearlers is this - "I don't have low self esteem ... I have low esteem for everyone else." I completely understand this sentiment and I just love her snarkiness so badly. I know a lot of people say they relate to Daria on so many levels and they're exactly like her, but I while I wont say that I relate to her, I can UNDERSTAND her and where she's coming from, despite her only being a creation of the human mind as a draw out character in an MTV tv series. She does have real elements and HUMAN elements in the facets of her character, which can be observed in the episode she pierced herself for Trent (oh, Trent ♡) and became "vain" for wanting to wear contact lenses, until she realised she didn't care what people thought about her exterior. Her hurt over Trent's oblivion to her pining for him is eventually and realistically suffocated though, when she pictures what it might be like to be married to him. I really loved that take, it's an angle not frequently imagined in teen situations like this, so it's really refreshing to see. Also, she rocks that outfit she wears in every episode - Doc Marten boots, classic.
90's incarnate, Drew Barrymore was always central in the 90's fashion scene for me. I particularly loved her outfits in the 1992 film Poison Ivy, which I adore - her hair was perfect as well as the cowboy boots, bodycon skirts and dresses and shoulder padded leather jacket she sported throughout the film. I also love how she incorporates daisies in her hair - daisies are so reminiscent of the 90's to me as so much of the fashion featured prints of daisies during that time, as well as hats and headbands. She was just an all-round 90's style goddess.
❀ aka Heather Matarazzo ❀
Can we all take a small moment to appreciate the wonder and splendor that is Dawn Wiener's anniversary party outfit in Welcome to the Dollhouse? Frilly blue polka dot crop top paired with green fitted pants/leggings and massive bobble hair-ties in her hair - OUTFIT COMBINATION HEAVEN. But basically all of her outfits in the film are stand-outs, from floral skater dresses to off the shoulder tops and high waisted skirts, I'm pretty sure she was the one who created the floral clothing phase that still underlies in the clothing of today. The film can be hard to believe at times due to Dawn's social outcasted-ness and bullying (its a black comedy, which is always going to be wary for the faint-hearted among us) but I'd say give it a go, its definitely worth a watch. I think Dawn is cool because she tries to stick up for herself and I think we can all relate to feeling isolated at some stage of our lives, but we make the best of bad situations and try to rise above them, as Dawn tried to.
Gwen Stefani rocked the bindis and midriff tops hard during the 90's, and her band No Doubt had some great hits (now they're back together again!). I'm pretty sure she's one of the only people I can find acceptable to rock the bindi and pull it off so well, plus that blue hair she once rocked and the pink hair. Just all round mega greatness. I just love her style and voice so much, so that's why she's one of my favourite 90's femmes.
Feminism is important to me, as it is to many women worldwide, and one of the front runners of the 90's female revolution movement was Kathleen Hanna, fronting a band called Bikini Kill. The movement was termed "riot grrrl" and from the movement stemmed many amazing riot grrrl groups which I love today. This third wave feminist movement still bears relevance with me today and my ideologies, particularly with the zines that were created at the time which feature statements such as "I can decide when not to keep my legs shut" and "stop the j word jealously from killing girl love". She's still so relevant today, and I'll always admire and look up to her and her voice on feminism. I'll end this section with a quote by Hanna - "You don't have to have magic unicorn powers. You work at it, and you get better. It's like anything: You sit there and do it every day, and eventually you get good at it." - Inspiring stuff and so true.
❀ aka Christina Applegate ❀
Kelly Bundy's "dumb blonde" persona was kind of appealing to her character in Married...With Children. Her style reflected a lot more of the grungy side of 90's fashion, but with the girly factor still present in bodycon dresses. It's a bit like groupie girl style, with those rockstar ~vibes~. She's all lace, black leather, velvet massive cross necklaces and ankhs, crop tops, tie dye, bustiers and tight miniskirts. I'm just going to say it - I am COMPLETELY in love with velvet fabric, if I could wear only one fabric for the rest of my life it would have to be velvet (it's not very practical I know, but I can dream)! She also had amazing rock chick hair, similar to Kelly Kapowski's in the way it was layered and feathered - just amazing. In the wise words of Kelly, "I want to do nothing, I want to be nothing", which I think we all feel at some stage of our lives.
❀ aka Tiffani Thiessen ❀
For me, Kelly Kapowski defines everything about early 90's female young adult fashion to a T. Floral dresses, crop tops, stone wash denim jeans, bodycon skirts, boxy jackets and button up shirts - its just like heaven. The 80's was trying to die, but it's still alive and well in Saved by the Bell, but I'm not complaining. While the show hasn't aged well and is super cliche and predictable, I still love watching it, if only for a laugh and the eye candy of the constant outfit changes in every episode. I like Kelly because of her PERFECT HAIR (seriously it is amazing) as well as her amazing fashion sense. I'd raid her entire wardrobe if I had the chance!
Here are a few snapshots of things that have related to my life at this present moment. (From L-R, top to bottom):
1. I adore my new Minkpink dress, (yes, I'm growing quite a collection!) it's just so beautiful and I can't stop looking at it! 2. The moon was crescent shaped and looked so cute in the sky that I decided to take a photo. :3 3. Lemon cheesecake and green tea, my reward for exercising like a madwoman everyday! 4. More vintage classics for my book collection - these titles are Little Women and Alice in Wonderland. 5. Discovered my ye olde collection of My Little Ponies, still in love with them. 6. The moon in waning gibbous stage and what I believed to be a star (it is barely visible at this size, although if you have keen eyes you will spot it), but I think it is actually Jupiter. So beautiful.
I made another playlist for you all to enjoy while you day-dream, drink cups of tea, study or eat cake. ♡
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