18 Comments

The gun as a 'girl accessory' is sooooo grim. Maybe I'm off on this but...beyond the fact that 'gun as aesthetic' is just gross at its essence, I feel like the only reason it plays as !cute! and a !statement! is by emphasizing that a weapon in a woman's hands poses no threat. Once again we enforce gender roles under the guise of eroding them.

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It freaks me out! It makes the ‘wearer’ look totally insane.

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"For beauty, the boyhood trend takes the form of what I’ll call “wet dream skincare” — a renewed interest in semen and sperm as cosmetic ingredients." This feels so adjacent to other porn inspired beauty trends, i.e., a replication of the "money shot" but in the skincare space.

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author

oooh 100%

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I would love it if this were satire. Unfortunately it is all too real.

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author

I actually started writing this months ago as satire, and then it started coming true lol...

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Jul 15Liked by Jessica DeFino

the gun thing as accessory is interesting. i wonder if i’m being too somber/negative nancy by not liking it. i also wonder who gets to wield it and not come off as threatening. or is it only chic if u don’t mean it? if it’s shock factor ur going after-why? it’s embarrassing to contend with being told “it’s not that deep/it’s a jokey joke” but i wanna know if the girls have thought about it and what their genuine answers are.

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Heading out west for an family vacation in an RV — as much as seeing stunning sites of Yellowstone and Teton, I look forward to hiking, biking and fishing with my family (all boys) and acquiring “boyfriend blush” the old fashioned way … with the great outdoors. And I will never utter “no makeup makeup” when it occurs.

Thanks for another great piece.

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founding
Jul 15Liked by Jessica DeFino

guns for girls😭😭😭😭😭😭

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Jul 15Liked by Jessica DeFino

As the mother of a son, I have been on a years-long journey of trying to determine how to be a good Boy Mom. Women might find nurture in girlhood, but I doubt men find it in boyhood. It's grim out there.

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Jul 15Liked by Jessica DeFino

LOVED this.

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author

thank you!!

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Love watching Boy Room.

On the one hand, it's nice to see women erode gender roles with the accessorization of guns. On the other, guns are still pretty heinous! Life's tradeoffs.

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I think murderous and unhinged is a role neither gender should perform, for the sake of everyone.

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Okay, so sperm on your face is in now. Got it.

The other day I felt disturbed while looking at a site for a moisturizer. One of the headlines was "How to Dieux: Does Instant Angel Splooge?" - referring to how some product seeps out when you first open it. There was also a GIF of ejaculating moisturizer and below it an image of a woman sensually holding a tube against her cheek. I'm not sure if I am a prude or if it's normal to be offended by this. Regardless, I bought the moisturizer.

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author

omg i want to update this article with the dieux example so bad lol. that's so wild... might have to write about it

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I'm still thinking about this. The reason I went on their website was to look at the ingredients of Instant Angel. What sold me was the marketing that says it's a soothing moisturizer and good for sensitive skin. I wanted something that feels nice, looks nice and doesn't fuck up my face. But now every time I use it I imagine the moisturizer splooging on me and I feel mildly degraded.

When the tube runs out I'll probably look for a different product. IA has been making me break out anyway.

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founding

The appearance industry continues to sink to new levels, hell hath no bottom. Sigh.

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