From that article

the divine Ripley from the Aliens franchise, not to mention everyone's favorite vampire slayer

Yup, that's some cultural imbedding there. And, yes, Ripley is my Goddess.

and i liked the last two movies, yes, i did

Another thing from that article

That's something most women struggle with: the fact that we're allowed to take up space, whether it be psychological or physical

Fat as power, hm. Some people get antsy when I don't hunch in on myself or don't try pretend I'm as big as I am. Standing up straight--all 5'2" of me--and letting the pudge fall where it may somehow makes me intimidating.

I can live with that.

(I keep trying to figure out how I learned to stare straight back at the world, to not be a mouse. Because too many people have commented on how tough/strong/etc. I seem, and I don't think I'm doing anything out of the ordinary. What goes on in the minds of the rest of the world, that it makes sense to not be what is apparently perceived as strong?

Has anyone here ever made a life mask? Theatre folk? I'm suddenly curious about them.

You mean like a paster cast of your face? We did them in my church youth group at some point, using what I remember as bandages with plaster imbedded, so we just wet them and slopped them on. The process was pretty cool, and really easy, logistically.

Some people get antsy when I don't hunch in on myself or don't try pretend I'm as big as I am.

yeah. I also don't give up shared armrests without a fight.

ita-

The masks I made involved making a cast of the face, for which we needed plaster strips, water, vaseline, and straws. Then the positive was made after this dried, using alginate. I am not sure how expensive this would be, asI did it in college. Also, our primary need was to make masks, not prosthetics, so we might have less detail than you would need for that.

yeah. I also don't give up shared armrests without a fight.

Totally.

Why does morning keep showing up? Surely it must know by now that it is just not wanted.

I can't understand why today isn't Friday. I mean, this week has already been, like, 13 days long!

That's something most women struggle with: the fact that we're allowed to take up space, whether it be psychological or physical

I didn't read the article, so I might be missing context but my reaction to this statement is, no, women are NOT allowed to take up space. Physical OR psychological. At least, not in the 21st-century world that I live in. Would that it were so, but it just ain't.

t edit So I just read the article, and I see that Ouellette made the same point I made, but with a positive girl-power spin on it. So pls. to ignore this post kthxbai.

I didn't read the article, so I might be missing context, but my reaction to this statement is, no, women are NOT allowed to take up space.

I don't know. msbelle takes up a lot of space and she's physically small. But you know she's in the room.

I don't know. msbelle takes up a lot of space and she's physically small. But you know she's in the room.

I mean culturally, women as a whole are not allowed or encouraged to take up space. Individual women might well take up space, and proudly, but that doesn't prove that it's culturally acceptable for women in general to do so. The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."

I keep trying to figure out how I learned to stare straight back at the world, to not be a mouse. Because too many people have commented on how tough/strong/etc. I seem, and I don't think I'm doing anything out of the ordinary.

It may not seem like it here, or even in F2F experiences, but I'm actually a bit shy when it comes to meeting new people, especially at a big party where I don't know everyone. But, I always fall back on my childhood training of looking someone straight in the eye and shaking their hand firmly when introduced (my mom and dad both told me that a limp handshake is one of the worst ways to present yourself, and giving the sign of peace at Mass is great practice). In addition, my bone structure doesn't allow my shoulders to hunch (it's almost painful to do so), and as a result, I always stand very tall and my head usually is held high. It ends up making me look much more confident than I really am.