#feminie fashion

[kirstysdreams]

Looby Loo 👗

[q-kanbas]

hating that every ultra fem/frilly/cute aesthetic gets called creepy. first lolita. then the selkie dress trend. now coquette. almost no one is thinking about men and how men will view them when they're painstakingly putting on 300 ribbons and bows i promise you

[fdmlovesfashion]

designer VICTOR DE SOUZA delivers fashion with flavor at NYFW

[varinastix]

Whose style should I post next? Whose fashion do you all like or hate? Send in your requests. Or maybe a collage of best fits and worst of woso in general?

[mysticarts]

Do you have any fun facts abt your OC's? (Any Fandom would do.)

Have a good day/Night! :)

OHHHHH YEAHHHH THIS GONNA BE A LONNNNG POST.

So I have a lot of LMK ocs, like a A LOT. Some I never even introduced on this blog yet. And I know some people may even forget some of my LMK ocs. So imma draw some of the OC's introduced in the past. So let's start!-

LMK OCS:

Jingwei

Jingwei here is Aroace! She never really liked the idea of romance in her head.

Jingwei is Hui Ying and Tai's grandmother! (She found a way to make their father without doing sexual reproduction)

Jingwei is a actual person in Chinese mythology, being transformed into a goddess after dying by drowning, and Transfroms into a bird to try and fill up the sea! (This oc of Jingwei still does that, but does have breaks once and a while)

Absolute Fashion Icon. Jingwei loves fashion. She loves dresses, she loves the pretty hairstyles and crowns, she loves Absolutely anything girly.

When Jingwei died and became a goddess, she was only fifteen years old. Because of this, most Celestials never took her seriously except the workers assigned to her and Chang'e

Due to dying by drowning in the sea, Jingwei regularly cuts her hair short because with long hair, Jingwei can feel the weight holding her down, and Jingwei hates that feeling.

Jingwei was Peng's NUMBER 1 HATER since the moment she saw him. She saw his arrogance and wasn't vibing with it.

Daiyu

(first pic is younger Daiyu, second pic is Daiyu during the LMK series)

Daiyu is literally a shadow. Like, her body is made up of shadows, sometimes when feeling extreme emotions parts of her body turn into shadows. Most of the time it's her hair.

Daiyu was created by the Chinese God Xuanwu. Xuanwu wanted more workers and maids, so he made people out of shadows, Daiyu was one of these many people

Daiyu was actually taken away from Xuanwu at a young age, as Xuanwu noticed that Daiyu would make a great soilder, so He sent Daiyu away to properly train and become a soilder for the Celestial realm.

For most of Daiyu's life after becoming a soilder, was to protecting the Mother of the West. She graduated as she kid, and spent her teenage years protecting the mother, she never really had a proper childhood. Although she stopped being a guard for the Mother of the West when she was chosen for an important quest with Jingwei and one other.

Daiyu has a lot of battle scars. I mean A LOT of them. But she takes extreme pride in them, She'd tell stories of her battles to more younger kids.

Due to being raised as a child Solider, Daiyu never got to experience feminine things, or enjoy them. Daiyu does try to be more Feminie, but she still feels a bit uncomfortable whenever she is. Jingwei helps her with that though!

Daiyu is Macaque's mother! (Suprise!)

Tai

Doesn't like physical touch much. Despite Hui Ying trying to hug Tai sometimes, Tai usually dosent hug or touch anyone, and that extends to family. He usually leaves or makes things for people tp show his affection.

Absolutely loves animals. He protects them with his life. Especially Cats and Dogs. He loves those two animals the most. That's why he usually helps out at the local pet adoption center.

Weird enough, Tai loves classical music. He knew how to play the cello really well at one point, but due to his teachers shaming him for it, he quit. The only time Tai ever pulls out his Cello now is when Hui Ying is sad.

Tai, lucky for him, got his mother's powers, which involve light. Because of this, Tai can sometimes be a menace, turning invisible and pranking people.

Tai was rather taught not to express or show his feelings. He was basically shoved Toxic masculinity since he was a kid. Tai would have been a much bigger jerk if Hui Ying and his dad didn't encourage him to speak his mind and to be himself.

Hui Ying

Funny enough, Hui is terrified of animals. Especially dogs. No one really knows why, but she just is. Tai is trying to make her get rid of that fear however

Hui Ying like her grandmother, absolutely loves Fashion. She loves dresses styling her hair, and all the girly stuff. But also Hui Ying likes to sneak around and be rebellious once in a blue moon.

You know in Tai and Hui's design they have the sun and moon tattoos on their arms? Yeah well, they didn't get those willingly. When they both hit puberty and their powers got heightened, they got those tattoos. However, while Tai's Tattos where celebrated, Hui Ying got reprimanded for them, as the other Celestial Maidens stated that it was a sign of impurity.

Hui Ying usually would hide her tattoos, but when she arrived down to the Mortal realm with Tai to live with Yujin, she would show her tattoos as a attempt to fit in. Luckily enough, it did work.

Loves music! However, unlike her brother, Hui Ying likes Jazz more than classical!

Yujin

Yujin is biologically related to PIF, being her younger sister. Yujin did look a lot like PIF when younger and in past designs, but she grew more into her own person.

Yujin, as you all know, had a emperor as a husband. Until her husband died, leaving her to rule his empire alone. And due to them not having children, Yujin's Husband's bloodline ended.

As much as Yujin loves dresses, her royal duties require her to be outside and walking around a lot. Because of this, Yujin has more pants in her wardrobe than dresses.

You know the horns Yujin has in her design? Yeah, that's her royal crown. It was a gift from DBK, as Yujin was friends with DBK since she was a teen.

Due to committing Several Felonies as a teen, Yujin got kicked out of the Celestial realm, becoming a human. However, Yujin kept on traveling with friends until she found immortality.

before Redson had the Sahmadi Fire, Yujin was the holder of it. However due to Yujin not having a child, the power was passed onto the nest blood relative who had a child, which was PIF's family. Let's just say Yujin cried for hours when she found out.

If you're wondering why Yujin never had a child, it's because she's infertile. She's rather sensitive about the topic, because she always wanted to birth and raise a child.

Shuimu!

Shuimu has amnesia, she totally forgot who she was before Tai and Hui Ying freed her from her prison. However, her body remembers. So whenever Shuimu eats noodles, no matter how good they are, she'll throw it up.

Sometimes Shuimu is afraid to talk or that she can't due to being chained underwater by her mouth for millennia. Sometimes even Shuimu dosent know why.

Shuimu feels very uncomfortable around Wukong. Again, her mind may not remember what happened, but her body does. So of course you're gonna feel uncomfortable when the guy who chained you is by you.

Shuimu dosent really know affection, as she never experiences it. That's why whenever she gets treated with affection, she gets suspicious.

Even though Shuimu is close to Hui, she's also a pretty close friend to Tai on his own terms. Tai would usually teach Shuimu about the modern world.

Ling!

Ling, like her father, has tattoos on her arms! But instead of moon motif, it's waves. However, Ling dosent take pride in this, and regularly uses Glamour to hide them.

Ling loves diving, even at the local beach, she'll wear a normal suit, hop into the water, and not come back up until a few hours later. This is because Ling can breath underwater!

Has a personal vendetta against her magic. Ling refuses to use her magic, and relies on potions and her smarts for combat. Ling is pretty physically strong to!

A professional honor roll student. Ling always had straight A's since grade seven. This isn't because of her parents pressure. Ling strives for good grades to make herself proud, to make herself feel accomplished as to avoid the feeling of loneliness

That's not all of my LMK ocs, but I haven't finished the other ocs lore yet, so yall will have to wait!

So, onto Lackadaisy!

Carmen!

Absolutely a hopeless Romantic. You'll never find more of a hopeless romantic and a hypewoman than Carmen. She'll always support you!

No filter, unless if speaking in German counts. If something happens that Carmen called out, she won't hesitate to say: I TOLD YOU SO!

Funny enough, Carmen dosent like chocolate much! She prefers vanilla flavors over chocolates.

Carmen is a daddy's girl, she loves spending time with her dad it makes her happy. Without her dad, Carmen would probably not know how to weild a gun!

In a sequel series when Nia is a full fledged adult.......Carmen's dead. The reason why? It depends if Carmen ever gets a lover/shipped with someone: Either Childbirth or getting killed by a gang when she tried to protect Nia.

Avis

Avis has a small amount of Japanese heritage in her, but her parents hid it as much as possible.

Avis loves anything with Carmel In it. It's one of the main reasons why she named Carmen, 'Carmen'

Avis's Maiden last name was Parr

Elias taught Avis how to weild a gun, just wanting to make sure she's safe. Little did he know that the same gun used to teach Avis was the same gun involved in her death (ooooo lore :D)

HAS THE MOST STRONGEST LOUISIANA ACCENT IN HISTORY!

Thatll be all! Be free to ask more questions!

[kquil]

🧁 — character shipping !

im in university, and I’m majoring in political science. im very extroverted but don’t like being forced to talk to people, and I’m very stubborn and probably have minor anger issues, but I keep them in control most of the time. im an ESFP and im a virgo, im an avid reader, and i speak seven languages including english.

im a ravenclaw, id like to say im very adventurous and don’t let fear stop me from doing anything scary/cool, and my love language is physical/acts of service. i love to cook, i love spicy ramen, and im a perfectionist who likes keeping everything neat all the time. my aesthetic is probably old academia/preppy princess.

i love love wearing skirts, big fat cardigans, and cozy socks. my makeup style is soft and light, ( no eyeliner, lots of pink/blue eyeshadow and mascara ).

im straight and a cisgender female, and i love going to the library, cafes, and boba shops.

thank you !

goodness, reading about you, i feel like we could become great friends haha! we have so many things in common! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ nevertheless, thank you for celebrating my milestone event with me and im so sorry for taking so long to deliver on it!

i ship you with, Sirius Black 

i. it's funny how you don’t like being forced to talk to other people because that was exactly how you met sirius. As a result, the two of you got off on the wrong foot but because the two of you had mingling friendship groups, you saw each other often and were forced to interact often and eventually…eventually sirius started noticing how fun it was talking to you and how similar the two of you were to each other when it came to doing things spontaneously despite the dangers, in fact, the two of you got closer because you did something together that the rest of your friendship group were too hesitant to do that being playing on a swing that looked to be 100 years old. 

ii. you and sirius often talk together in french (let's pretend that french is one of the languages you speak!) and end up giggling with each other over the inside jokes the two of you have in french. your friends just look on, rolling their eyes but grinning at how adorable you two are together; as much as they hate you two giggling over something they can’t giggle along to as well, they love the fact that you two were having so much fun more.

iii. however, as much as the two of you have your sweet moments together, that can’t be said when you two have an argument because you’re both as stubborn as the other. you quickly got into the routine of walking away from each other to cool down before returning to reconcile later on when you’re both level headed again. when you return to each other, you both feel so guilty and always end up cuddling in silence but comfort as well, sharing a loving kiss every once in a while. the first time you had a major argument, you two had to walk away from each other to calm down after saying some things that didn’t need to be said. and when you finally reconciled the next day, you had taken the time to bake sirius cookies to apologise and he vowed to sort his anger issues from then on, encouraged by the swell of affection in his heart for you.

iv. as a perfectionist, you appreciate sirius for also being neat. you assumed that he would be pretty messy or keep his room relatively disorganised but he was habitually very neat and tidy because of his upbringing. you appreciated his habits but kissed him every time you saw him actively tidying up his space or organising his things in his environment, slowly replacing his bad memories at home and reinforcing his tidy habits with kinder, more loving memories instead. 

v. aesthetics wise, you and sirius appear as exact opposites, sirius with his biker bad boy appearance, clad in black leather, belts, spikes and unconventional accessories. and then there’s you with your old academia and preppy princess fashion. exact opposites. but sirius adores your aesthetics; he thinks you look adorable, elegant and feminine. and his absolute most favourite thing to do, whenever you wear one of your fat cardigans, he likes to reach under it and wrap his arms around your waist and press his face into your neck for cuddles.

vi. and even though you look amazing in your skirts, he’s always extra cautious when there are other guys around and will subtly cover you so you don’t accidentally flash anyone. he wants you to be able to wear whatever you want comfortably without anyone making you feel uncomfortable or violated in any way. you don’t really realise what he’s doing at first but when you do, you can’t help the smile that stretches across your face and you get into the habit of kissing him sweetly every time he does a gesture like that for you. 

vii. another thing sirius loves doing is watching you do your makeup, you look beautiful before and after but watching you elegantly put your makeup on and put so much care into it made him want to stare. and he would stare all while smiling like a complete goofy, heart in his eyes and a dopey air about him. the best thing about it is that whenever you catch him doing that, you would finish up and then pull him into a soft kiss to snap him out of it — you two have become the lovey dovey couple he used to poke fun at hehe~

viii. also! because of you, sirius has discovered spicy ramen and boba and he will be forever grateful for that. whenever you two would go around muggle london together, your first stop would always be your favourite boba tea place before you both stoked up on your favourite spicy ramen. on cold winter nights, where the two of you found it hard to sleep, you would religiously meet in the kitchens, cook some ramen and eat it together. 

1K MILESTONE EVENT : CLOSED | NAVI.

[femini1]

Femini fashion

http://feminitys.net

[transbeautyblog]

Trans Beauty Blog

[deathlessathanasia]

“The color-term yellow was applied only to women’s garments, or to the robes of priestly eunuchs. Women wearing yellow appear in the wall paintings of Pompeii and Herculaneum: in the House of the Tragic Poet, Iphigenia, about to be offered as a sacrifice, is pictured in a yellow robe; Medea also wears yellow as she contemplates the death of her children. The yellow garment most often mentioned by writers is the flame-colored mantle called the flammeum, part of the bridal costume worn at Roman weddings. This tradition of Roman bridal costume remained constant from the first century BCE through the late Empire. Pliny uses the word luteus to describe the color of the flammeum; he also asserts that the color yellow was confined entirely to women: lutei video honorem antiquissimum, in nuptialibus flammeis totum feminis concessum. I observe that yellow was the earliest color to be highly esteemed, but was granted as an exclusive privilege to women for their bridal veils.

The flammeum was worn in the same fashion as the palla, the mantle worn by Roman women for everyday use, but instead of the edge of the cloth resting on the top of the woman’s head, the flammeum was pulled forward to cover half of the bride’s face. Petronius parodies the wedding ceremony in an orgy scene in the Satyricon: Iam Psyche puellae caput involverat flammeo — ‘and now Psyche put a flame-colored veil upon the girl’s head.’65 This flame-colored mantle was the costume of the Flaminica Dialis, the wife of the priest of Jupiter, who was unable to divorce; the flammeum therefore represented marital fidelity and was worn by all brides as a good omen. It was believed to protect the bride from negative spiritual forces as she passed through the liminal space between the protection of her family and her new husband’s home. In the context of the wedding ceremony, this would have connotations of propriety emphasizing the bride’s virginity, as well as producing a pleasing visual effect. The fiery red and yellow of the flammeum would function as a symbol of the change of status that a woman underwent in a wedding ceremony from a puella to a matrona, just as the flammeum combines the color yellow of virginity with the red blood of its loss.

The bride’s shoes were also dyed yellow to match the flammeum. Catullus invokes Hymen, the god of love and marriage, on the morning of a wedding: Cinge tempora floribus suave olentis amaraci, flammeum cape, laetus huc huc veni niveo gerens luteum pede soccum Bind your brows with fragrant flowers of amaranth. Put on the marriage veil, approach joyfully Come wearing on your white foot the yellow slipper. It is not clear why the shoes needed to match the flammeum, but the symmetrical display of yellow at the opposite ends of a woman’s body may have signified visual balance and wholeness. It is possible that the yellow socci were worn by women for daily use and only the flammeum was strictly confined to the marriage ceremony. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the bridal god Hymen presides over the wedding ceremony; he is also associated with a saffron-colored mantle —inde per inmensum croceo velatus amictu. Both the color-term and the name employed for the garment imply that Ovid is not alluding to the flammeum. Perhaps he refers to a wedding garment analogous but not identical. He shows Hymen dressed in a similar fashion to a mortal bride, demonstrating the divine or mythological origins of the wearing of the saffron mantle.”

- Color-Terms in Social and Cultural Context in Ancient Rome by Rachael Goldman

[bridgyrose]

character of your choice has a gay awakening because they sparred with their rival and it got awfully up close and personal

Yang looked up at Mercury and her heart skipped a beat when she realized how close he was. Everything had moved so quickly and she didnt realize she was pinned until after she realized she could feel his breath on her neck. 

Mercury pulled away and smirked at her. “So that’s three for me and… two for you now? I think I wn.” 

“Y-yeah, o-of course.” Yang slowly picked herself up and glanced at Mercury. Her heart thumped in her chest, though her mind told her something about this wasnt right. “Guess you win this time.” 

“You did good blondie,” Mercury said as he tossed a water bottle to Yang. “Maybe we can try this again before the tournament.” 

“If I didnt know any better, I’d think you were doing this to learn all of my secrets.” 

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. But it doesnt matter anyway.” 

Yang shook her head and took a breath to try to calm her nerves. “S-so, you uh… you doing anything this weekend?” 

“Probably going to hit up the local bar with Emerald.” He paused to take a swig from his bottle and sighed. “Though, I wish she’d quit asking me to go. I know I want to start dating, but I’m not exactly desperate enough to start dating the guys who do that kind of thing.” 

Yang felt her heart sink as she listened to those words. “O-oh, so, you’re into guys then?” 

“Yeah, though I’m a bit picky. Most of the guys at the bar are kinda like Jaune. You know, limp noodles that dont have much backbone but like to try to play off that they’re tough.” A smile crossed Mercury’s lips as he spoke. “I want someone who’s not afraid to pin me to the ground and make me theirs.” 

“Oh. Well, I hope you have better luck this weekend.” 

“We’ll see.” 

Yang let out a quiet sigh as she watched Mercury walk off. Of course the guy she fell for wouldnt be interested in her. She paused when her eyes caught her reflection: hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and her chest flattened from the angle she saw herself in. A thought came to her mind as she looked a bit longer and a smile crossed her lips. She knew exactly what she needed to do. 

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This is ridiculous,” Weiss said as she watched Yang fuss with a binder. “Dressing as a guy just for a date is taking things too far, dont you think? “

“Its not *just* for a date, Weiss. If things work out-” 

“And what makes you think things will work out between you and Mercury just because you’re dressing like a guy?” 

Yang sighed and looked at herself in the mirror. Even with the binder, she still looked extremely feminine. “Its… it’s not about that… not entirely…” 

“Not… entirely?” 

“We all know that everything I do is… preformative. The dresses, the long hair, joking around… all of it is my attempt to try to take my mind off of not feeling… right. And… well… maybe part of dressing like this is so I can date Mercury, but on the other hand, if this is me…” 

“Then you’ll probably want to make sure you’re as much of the part as you can.” Weiss walked over to Yang and pulled her hair back into a more masculine fashion. “

“You’re going to help me?” 

“Of course I am. If this is who you end up being, then that’s who you are. Besides, the last thing I want you to do is make a fool of yourself and make it seem like you’re trying to use him.” 

Yang nodded and put on a nice dress shirt and slacks and looked at herself in the mirror. She frowned when she saw her hips still making her look feminie and her chest not as flat as she had hoped. “Well.. this is better than what it could be.” 

Weiss pulled away from Yang and smiled at her handiwork. “You’ll be fine. All you have to do is be honest with yourself and who you are, alright?” 

“Right.” 

Yang took a breath and walked out of the dorm once she finished. All she had to do was find Mercury and talk to him, tell him how she… how he really felt. That this is who he wants to be-

“Yang, is that you?” 

Yang froze and turned to see Mercury behind him. He cleared his throat and tried to make his voice sound a bit deeper. “O-oh, Merc, I uh… I thought you were at your dorm.” 

“I wanted to take a bit of a walk before heading out with Emerald.” Mercury smirked and walked around Yang. “So, what’s the occasion?” 

“I-I uh… Its uh… complicated…” 

“Complicated, huh? Well, if its that complicated, maybe I can help.” 

“Help how?” 

Mercury smirked and tossed a pill bottle at Yang. “Take one of these and then we can head out for a bit of real fun. Assuming you can handle it.” 

Yang nodded and opened the pill bottle to look at the pink and blue capsules inside. “This… isnt going to kill me, is it?” 

“No, it wont. And I promise you wont regret it.” 

Yang swallowed a pill and smiled at Mercury. “Then lead the way.” 

[cicadangel]

ok i am going to be talking some more about my oc soomi (the one i drew earlier today) not that anyone cares or asked i just think she's very cool and deranged

OKAY FIRST NAME MEANING!!! soomi is a korean name written like 수미 in hangul, and can mean a bunch of different thing based off how it's written in hanja! i'm really bad at hanja but i believe it could be written as 秀美 (it's read soo-mi in hanja but maybe not chinese idk) which means beautiful. now that may sound basic but soomi is very obsessed with beauty in like. a deadly scary feminie monster way!

inspirations for soomi's character are:

(left to right top to bottom: live through this from hole, electra heart from marina and the diamonds, liliko from helter skelter, and tomie from the junji ito manga.)

soomi's design was actually based off of tomie! she has two moles under her eye :') the reoccuring themes throughout these characters and albums is the view of womanhood, feminity, and beauty as something destructive and dark as well as, well, beautiful. live through this and electra heart both have common themes of beauty/body image, suicide, and destruction kind of like a beautiful downward spiral. it's kind of hard to describe the albums themes with words but. you get it like if you've heard them you get it. anyway... liliko is from the manga helter skelter (which has been adapted into a movie as shown). i'd really recommend reading helter skelter, it's a great manga about a young self-absorbed supermodel who is terrified of leaving the spotlight and will go to any extent to stay beautiful and not be forgotten. its main message is to showcase what can happen in a society where womens' value has a time limit. tomie is an iconic figure in horror. she's a beautiful monster demon thing that seduces men, causing them to fall madly in love with her, and then driving them to murder with the victim often being tomie herself. her beauty and feminity are portrayed as dark and weapon-like, and tomie is written to be truly malicious and scary because of what she drives men to do.

seeing beauty and feminity as something that is disturbing and compelling instead of just 'nice' is a big inspiration and foundation of soomi's character.

soomi worships her own suffering. in her mind, if she is going to be sad, she might as well make it the most beautiful thing about her. she's very obsessed with her own appearence, and sees herself as more of a dress-up-doll than as a real person. she frequently dresses in j-fashion such as yamikawaii (which combines sweetly cute aesthetics with darker themes, often having to do suicide. it means 'unwell cute') and kogal gyaru (gyaru is a fashion style that aims to be the opposite of ea beauty standards). i havent drawn her in either of those styles yet but i'm excited to because i love j-fashion!! ^-^

i'm really excited to draw soomi spiraling into despair where she'll get real unhinged and do unhinged things and have a lot of #girl moments.

(this is soomi btw)

[shadika]

MARLINA: Penggal Kepala, Harga Yang Layak Untuk Pemerkosa

https://twitter.com/jakartabeat/status/935544081115054081?s=20&t=MycRuKei8zQnXCGWxMkhgQ

(menyalin tulisan saya beberapa tahun lalu untuk jakartabeat.net, yang entah mengapa kini platform tersebut berubah menjadi web judi online. lol. sangat disarankan untuk terlebih dahulu menonton film sebelum membaca review ini.)

Entah sebuah kebetulan atau semesta memang sudah membuatnya demikian. Saat isu mengenai kesetaraan gender sedang marak dibicarakan, film Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak langsung merebut panggung dan mencuri begitu banyak pasang mata masyarakat Indonesia dan belahan dunia lainnya. Film ini disutradarai oleh Mouly Surya dan naskahnya ditulis oleh Garin Nugroho. Sebuah kolaborasi yang amat apik dalam menuturkan narasi melalui audio-visual indah tentang perempuan Sumba Timur yang diri dan peranannya terepresi. Tidak heran jika sebelum diputar di bioskop Indonesia pun film yang berdurasi 90 menit dan dibintangi oleh Marsha Timothy (Marlina), Egi Fedly Markus), Dea Panendra (Novi), dan Yoga Pratama (Franz) ini sudah masuk dalam Directors’ Fortnight Cannes Film Festival 2017 dan memenangkan penghargaan NETPAC Jury Award di Five Flavours Asian Film Festival.  Jika para perempuan dan laki-laki di dunia dapat berkolaborasi dengan padu seperti ‘ibu dan ayah’ dari film ini maka ujaran seperti “Dibilang cantik katanya catcalling tapi dibilang gemuk katanya body shaming” tidak perlu diperdebatkan panjang lebar lagi karena kesadaran berempati sudah dimiliki.

Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak bercerita tentang perjalanan seorang janda dari latar belakang pendidikan dan ekonomi terbelakang di pelosok Sumba Timur dalam mencari keadilan setelah ia diperkosa oleh para lelaki. Film ini mampu ‘mengawinkan’ isu sosial yang relevan di Indonesia dan nuansa western cowboy yang seperti dijungkirbalikkan melalui potret seorang perempuan – Marlina. Betapa film ini sangat menohok para feminis atau pemerhati isu kesetaraan gender di kota, termasuk saya, karena mencari keadilan tidak harus selalu dengan berisik berteriak tetapi justru gigih bergerak. Ya, dalam keheningannya Marlina mampu menggugat.

Menonton Film, Membaca Masyarakat

Film hadir sebagai salah satu media yang persuasif dan efektif dalam proses sosialisasi budaya. Oleh sebab itu, sekali lagi saya pertanyakan apakah hadirnya film Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak ini hanya sebuah kebetulan di tengah masyarakat yang kini begitu riuh dengan isu kesetaraan gender. Kini semakin banyak film yang berbicara sebagai karya mandiri bukan hanya ilustrasi atas tulisan fiksi maupun nonfiksi. Sebagai media massa, film digunakan sebagai refleksi bahkan pembentukan realitas baru.

James Procter menyatakan bahwa produk budaya (film, sastra, musik, berita, fashion, dan lain-lain) bersifat ideologis karena merupakan refleksi atau wujud legal berbasis ekonomi dari perpanjangan tangan kultur dominan (Marx, 1859). Mengingat bahwa produk budaya berarti meliputi segala hal yang kita temui dalam hidup kita maka kita yang pada awalnya hanya dibiasakan membaca teks tertulis, kini harus peka untuk membaca segala hal yang ada pada semesta ini sebagai ‘teks’. Upaya kritis tersebut diperlukan karena setiap harinya kita dijejali begitu banyak informasi yang dengan sengaja disusun oleh apa yang sebelumnya telah disebut sebagai ‘perpanjangan tangan kultur dominan’ yaitu pemerintah, media, perusahaan yang produknya diiklankan, selebtweet, termasuk sutradara sebuah film.

Tidak jarang kita terbawa alur dalam sebuah film – tertawa, menangis, bahkan mempersalahkan tokoh tertentu. Sekilas mungkin kita terlihat menjiwai tetapi kita lupa bahwa film adalah second hand reality, seperti yang disampaikan oleh Stuart Hall, “The dog in the film can bark but it cannot bite!”. Perspektif kamera, pilihan kata dalam dialog, pakaian yang dikenakan, musik, dan unsur pendukung lainnya yang mendukung realitas sebuah film (Mise-en-Scéne) menjadikan film sebagai representasi budaya. Kembali Hall mengungkapkan bahwa film sebagai representasi budaya tidak hanya mengonstruksikan nilai-nilai budaya tertentu di dalam tubuh film itu sendiri, tetapi juga menjelaskan bagaimana nilai-nilai tersebut diproduksi dan dikonstruksi oleh pihak yang ‘berkuasa’ untuk dikonsumsi oleh masyarakat yang menyaksikan film. Bagaimana ‘sistem tanda’ dalam sebuah teks budaya direpresentasikan, dalam hal ini film Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak, inilah yang menarik untuk dibaca lebih jauh dan dijelajahi lebih teliti.

Perempuan Menghidupi, Perempuan Dialienasi

Dalam masyarakat Sumba, perempuan dapat dikatakan merupakan pusat dari sendi dalam keseharian hidup, mulai dari mengurus kebutuhan rumah tangga, bekerja, bahkan menyiapkan salah satu syarat mahar (dalam bahasa Sumba disebut mamoli) adat pernikahan yaitu kuda (dalam bahasa Sumba disebut belis). Perannya yang vital sayangnya tidak didukung oleh sistem sosial yang menempatkan perempuan sebagai individu yang independen. Hal ini bukan karena perempuan yang tidak cukup mampu, melainkan sudah terbuat ‘jarak’ antara diri perempuan itu sendiri dengan apa yang sebenarnya dibutuhkan perempuan. Gadis Arivia dalam bukunya Filsafat Berperspektif Feminis mengutip pendapat Ann Forman bahwa laki-laki sangat eksis dalam dunia sosial dan pekerjaan sehingga berkesempatan lebih besar untuk mengekspresikan diri dan mengalienasi perempuan yang seringkali lebih banyak di rumah. Batasan-batasan yang dikonstruksikan oleh budaya patriarki dalam masyarakat ‘berbuah’ menjadi ketidakleluasaan perempuan dalam menentukan pilihan dan identitas perempuan itu sendiri sebagai individu.

Dalam babak pertama film ini yaitu Perampokan Setengah Jam Lagi, kita langsung disuguhi dengan gambaran nyata tentang budaya patriarki yang begitu mengakar dalam masyarakat. Sejak awal, salah satu perampok bernama Markus, tanpa malu-malu mengatakan bahwa ia dan gembongnya akan merampok harta benda dan ternak yang dimiliki Marlina, serta meniduri Marlina. Ia mengatakan bahwa malam itu akan menjadi keberuntungan bagi Marlina karena bisa tidur dengan banyak lelaki, sementara menurut Marlina pemerkosaan itu akan membuatnya menjadi perempuan paling sial. Alih-alih Markus meminta maaf, ia justru menganggap bahwa perempuan selalu menempatkan diri sebagai korban. Tidak hanya Markus, para perampok lainnya juga terbuka melecehkan Marlina baik itu secara verbal dengan mengatakan bahwa masakan Marlina lebih enak daripada masakan istri salah satu perampok. Pada dialog tersebut konteks yang disampaikan adalah menggoda bukan memuji, bahkan perampok tersebut pun secara fisik melecehkan Marlina dengan tanpa malu-malu memegang pahanya. Kelakar khas masyarakat patriarki sudah begitu sarat sejak babak pertama film ini, terutama tentang persetubuhan, bahwa lelaki yang menikmati dan perempuan digagahi. Kelakar (secara lebih luas juga bisa dalam bentuk anekdot, jokes, meme, dan lainnya) yang turun temurun mengakar dan parahnya lagi dianggap lucu, ternyata menjadi medium ampuh untuk melecehkan perempuan. Jika kelakar yang seperti itu dianggap wajar maka tidak heran jika tidak pernah diusut hingga tuntasnya kasus-kasus pemerkosaan seperti Sitok Srengenge pun dianggap wajar.

Tidak hanya di Sumba Timur, tetapi juga di Indonesia secara umum, kasus pemerkosaan sayangnya dianggap kurang ‘seksi menantang’ bagi media, ketimbang kasus korupsi atau penistaan agama saat pilkada DKI Jakarta kemarin. Jika menurut Anda di sini saya menjadi bias, perlu Anda ketahui bahwa saat mendapati fenomena tersebut pun saya juga merasakan bias. Bukankah korupsi dan pemerkosaan adalah sama-sama bentuk nyata seorang manusia dalam menistakan agama? Dalam film ini, Marlina dipaksa menggosok kemaluan pemerkosanya, ditampar karena menolak disentuh, ditarik celana dalamnya, vaginanya diterobos paksa, dan saat diperkosa pun masih juga dihardik, “Kau juga suka kan?”. Korupsi berarti mengambil hak orang lain dan pemerkosaan berarti merajam jiwa, menjajah tubuh, dan merampas kemanusiaan orang lain. Mungkin kasus pemerkosaan dianggap terlalu duniawi, sehingga perangkat hukum yang bau mani ini, suatu saat nanti perlu diganjar dan diracun sampai mati atau penggal kepala seperti yang dilakukan Marlina kepada para pemerkosanya.

Lebih jauh lagi, budaya patriarki memuat relasi kuasa yang tidak pernah imbang dan melulu bernafsu, agar yang mendapat manfaat selamanya tetap kuat dan perempuan yang diperalat semakin sekarat. Dalam masyarakat Indonesia, kita tentu sangat akrab dengan mitos atau takhayul yang mengungkung, terutama bagi perempuan, misalnya seorang janda cantik tidak boleh terlalu galak agar bisa ‘laku’ lagi, persis seperti ucapan Markus terhadap Marlina. Kita dapat melihat bagaimana budaya patriarki bekerja melalui mitos turun menurun dan menilai peran perempuan hanya dari sisi transaksional – cantik atau tidak dan laku atau tidak, bahkan sampai perlu repot-repot menentukan standar baku tentang bagaimana seharusnya perilaku seorang janda dalam masyarakat. 

Dalam film ini dikisahkan pula seorang perempuan yang tengah hamil sepuluh bulan yaitu Novi yang dicurigai suaminya bahwa anaknya sungsang. Bagi masyarakat Sumba, jika perempuan tidak kunjung melahirkan dan anaknya sungsang maka berarti perempuan tersebut berselingkuh. Yang menarik dalam film ini adalah keluhan panjang lebar Novi mengenai mitos tersebut berhasil dibuat menjadi komedi satir. Betapa hal yang selama ini ditabukan, salah satunya adalah perempuan yang juga berhak mendambakan dan ingin dipuaskan dalam persetubuhan, kemudian diutarakan oleh seorang korban budaya patriarki, ternyata menuai gelak tawa penonton dalam bioskop. Respon penonton begitu kontras jika dibandingkan dengan tanggapan dingin mereka terhadap kelakar tentang persetubuhan dari dialog para perampok, yaitu para laki-laki. Budaya patriarki itu sendiri tidak hanya diteruskan secara turun temurun oleh para lelaki, tetapi juga perempuan. Seperti yang juga dikeluhkan oleh Novi, justru ibu mertuanya yang menjejali mitos tersebut sehingga awet bersarang dalam benak suami Novi. Di sini kita bisa melihat cara kerja sebuah ideologi, salah satunya yaitu budaya patriarki, yang terus tumbuh tanpa pernah disadari karena adanya stigma atau label tabu, serta kurangnya pendidikan yang berkualitas. Budaya patriarki melanggengkan nafsu untuk menguasai dan menyulap akal sehat menjadi ‘impotensi’.

Alienasi yang dilakukan oleh masyarakat patriarki kian mempersempit wahana berkembang bagi korbannya untuk mengembangkan kualitas sebagai individu yang mandiri. Jika kita menariknya ke lingkup yang lebih luas lagi, independensi para korban budaya patriarki, baik itu anak-anak, perempuan, dan lelaki itu sendiri, membuat penolakan atas hegemoni kemanusiaan itu menjadi sulit dilakukan. Terlebih lagi jika pelecehan atau kekerasan tersebut dialami korban dalam ruang privatnya yang sempit, seperti dalam film ini pelecehan dilakukan di ruang tamu tempat jenazah suami Marlina disimpan dan pemerkosaan dilakukan di dalam kamar Marlina yang rumahnya terletak di tengah padang sabana dan jauh dari tetangga. Sebuah ironi bahwa Marlina dijajah di teritorinya sendiri. Selain kamar, dapur sebagai ruang yang erat dilekatkan dengan perempuan, juga dimasuki dengan paksa oleh Franz, perampok muda kesayangan Markus, saat mengooda Marlina. Di dapur pula, Novi harus mengganti pakaiannya saat ia bersiap akan melahirkan karena kamar Marlina justru digunakan oleh Markus. Kita dapat melihat bahwa perempuan dalam masyarakat patriarki, tidak memiliki ruang sama sekali untuk bergerak, bahkan dapur – sumur – kasur pun dalam film ini sudah dirampas dari perempuan. Meskipun demikian, kecerdikan dan keberanian para tokoh perempuan dalam film ini pun lahir saat mereka sedang berada di sana.

Negara Absen Mengupayakan Keadilan

Babak kedua yakni Perjalanan Juang Perempuan dan babak ketiga yaitu Pengakuan Dosa memiliki tempo lebih cepat dibandingkan dengan babak pertama. Pada kedua babak ini, penonton dimanjakan dengan keindahan Sumba yang dicuplik melalui wide dan long-shot angle. Jalan panjang, menanjak, berliku, dan hanya satu-satunya tersedia untuk ditempuh Marlina dari rumahnya ke kantor polisi adalah perumpamaan yang amat tepat sebagai representasi perjuangan seorang korban pemerkosaan dalam memperoleh keadilan. Latar musik etnis - minimalis dari petikan jungga – alat musik petik khas Sumba yang dimainkan oleh Markus tetapi tanpa kepala dan diselingi oleh suara radio walau sekilas itu pun memperlihatkan tentang pemerkosaan yang terus menghantui Marlina sebagai korban dan kegaduhan atau gangguan akan silih berganti selama mengupayakan keadilan.

Alat transportasi tercepat untuk tiba ke kantor polisi adalah truk, yang disetir oleh laki-laki dan kebanyakan penumpangnya juga laki-laki. Satir pun kembali dihadirkan saat adegan Marlina dengan santai menenteng kepala Markus sementara para penumpang truk turun karena takut terkena tulah dan masalah jika berkendara bersama Marlina. Hanya seorang anak kecil yang berujar lirih bahwa tidak masalah jika setruk dengan Marlina, yang merepresentasikan bahwa suara anak-anak adalah suara kebaikan sementara suara orang dewasa sudah dibentuk secara paksa. Supir truk pun awalnya menolak untuk ditumpangi Marlina tetapi akhirnya ia menurut setelah Marlina meletakkan parang di leher supir tersebut. Kita dapat merefleksikan bahwa saat susah payah mengupayakan keadilan pun, korban pemerkosaan kian dialienasi dan dirintangi.

Yang justru sepenuhnya membantu Marlina selama perjalanan adalah para perempuan yaitu Novi, seorang perempuan tua yang juga ingin menumpang truk karena harus mengantar kuda demi mahar keponakan lelakinya, dan Topan seorang anak perempuan kecil yang menjual sate ayam di sebelah kantor polisi. Walaupun tetap sedikit dialog, interaksi Marlina dengan para tokoh perempuan cenderung lebih hangat jika dibandingkan dengan lelaki. Kendala berawal sejak polisi dan suami Novi yang sama-sama susah dihubungi saat Marlina dan Novi membutuhkan bantuan. Kesulitan terhubung melalui jalur komunikasi ini tidak hanya untuk menunjukkan kesenjangan teknologi di Sumba yang merupakan wilayah di pedalaman sehingga susah sinyal, tetapi juga merupakan representasi dari cengkraman budaya patriarki yang membatasi advokasi korbannya dan pelan-pelan membungkam ketidakadilan terhadap perempuan, karena toh Novi sama sekali tidak mengalami kesulitan saat menghubungi Marlina.

Ketidakpercayaan dan kekecewaan Marlina terhadap budaya patriarki semakin jelas terlihat saat ia terpaksa hanya duduk termangu saat para polisi sibuk bermain pingpong. Saat pengaduan pun, pertanyaan dan tanggapan polisi sangat tidak berimbang, seperti apakah hewan ternak yang dirampok itu dicap dan berapa persisnya jumlah hewan ternak yang diambil. Marlina yang berlatar belakang pendidikan dan ekonomi rendah, serta baru saja mengalami guncangan pasca pemerkosaan massal itu salah menyebut jumlah para pemerkosanya sehingga polisi sempat meragukannya. Selama pengaduan, polisi tersebut dengan santai merokok, meminta Marlina mendeskripsikan Markus, bahkan berkomentar “Kalau dia berbadan kecil, kenapa kau biarkan dia perkosa kau?”. Respon Marlina bukannya marah membabi buta, melainkan hanya napas yang memburu dan menjawab dengan pendek bahwa Markus memerkosanya beramai-ramai. Sepahit itulah jalan yang harus ditempuh bagi korban pemerkosaan dalam memperoleh keadilan. Kesan pedih seolah pemerkosaan dianggap sebuah tindakan yang wajar, ditunjukkan melalui adegan ini, dimana korban pemerkosaan harus menunggu lama hingga pengaduannya didengar, dipaksa mengingat rupa pemerkosa dan urutan kejadian saat pemerkosaan, dikomentari tanpa empati, serta diinformasikan bahwa proses visum dan olah TKP membutuhkan waktu berbulan-bulan. Dalam tatanan masyarakat patriarki, tidak hanya dalam bidang hukum, tetapi juga gaji/upah, akses dalam politik dan kepemimpinan, dan berbagai aspek sosial lainnya seringkali tidak berkeadilan bagi perempuan.

Menolak ‘Dikangkangi’ Budaya Patriarki

Seperti yang sudah dijelaskan pada awal tulisan ini bahwa teks media, apapun bentuknya, tentu secara sengaja menyusupkan pesan yang seringkali kita terima secara tidak sengaja, begitu pula film Marlina Si Pembunuh Dalam Empat Babak ini yang memposisikan diri sebagai film yang menolak praktik budaya patriarki. Jika sebelumnya kita memiliki pengalaman menonton film atau sinetron yang adegan pemerkosaannya justru mengksploitasi korban dengan visualisasi lekuk tubuh secara gamblang dari sorot kamera amat dekat dan menghadap ke bawah, sudut kamera dalam film ini justru dibuat sejajar dan amat berjarak, yang berarti bahwa film ini mengakui dan menghormati tubuh perempuan sebagai bagian dari subyek hidup yang memiliki hak sama dengan lelaki.

Sikap tegas dan berhati-hati yang juga ditunjukkan oleh Marlina dalam menghadapi hidupnya, sekilas tampak seperti sikap yang lazimnya dimiliki oleh lelaki. Sejak babak pertama sampai babak keempat yaitu Tangisan Bayi, Marlina memposisikan dirinya setara dengan lelaki. Dalam masyarakat adat Marapu, di Sumba Timur, perempuan tidak diperbolehkan masuk rumah sendirian. Namun, Marlina yang telah ditinggal mati oleh anak dan suaminya, tetap mampu hidup sendiri. Jika dalam film Novi digambarkan masuk ke dalam rumah melalui pintu dapur tetapi Franz masuk melalui pintu depan, yang amat menunjukkan ketimpangan gender, sekembalinya dari polisi Marlina justru masuk dari pintu depan. Ia seolah tidak gentar saat harus menghadapi Franz yang menyandera Novi di rumah demi kepala jenazah Markus dikembalikan Marlina. Konsistensi sikap dan perjuangan Marlina ini adalah harga mati bagi para perempuan yang ingin lepas dari belenggu patriarki.

Representasi penolakan Marlina terhadap dominasi patriarki juga digambarkan melalui ia yang mendekonstruksi gambaran umum western cowboy. Marlina, seorang perempuan korban pemerkosaan, menunggangi kuda yang tadinya mau dijadikan mahar oleh seorang lelaki dan motor trail yang justru milik lelaki yang memerkosanya. Kuda dan motor trail merupakan simbol maskulinitas, yang keduanya berhasil ‘ditunggangi’ Marlina. Seperti kebanyakan cowboy, Marlina pun seolah menjadi pahlawan bagi dirinya sendiri dan perempuan di sekitarnya, yaitu Novi, untuk mengupayakan keadilan di saat ia sudah tidak memiliki kekuatan apapun dalam hidupnya dan di saat semua orang tidak peduli dengan pemerkosaannya.

Jika dalam kebanyakan cerita detektif disebutkan bahwa racun sangat identik dengan perempuan yang cenderung takut dalam membalaskan dendam, dalam film ini racun yang diberikan Marlina kepada para pemerkosa adalah bentuk kecerdikannya dalam bersiasat. Dalam waktu sempit dan latar belakang pendidikan terbatas, ia mampu bersikap dan mengambil keputusan demi menyelamatkan dirinya. Kualitas tersebut mutlak dibutuhkan oleh para perempuan dan siapapun untuk melawan dominasi patriarki. Kualitas yang direpresi oleh budaya patriarki agar kuasanya tetap langgeng. Bentuk perlawanan yang paling nyata tentu direpresentasikan melalui dibakarnya junggamilik Markus, seolah Marlina mampu mematikan ‘hasrat’ pelaku yang melecehkan perempuan, serta adegan kepala Markus dan Franz yang dipenggal dengan parang saat Marlina diperkosa. Para lelaki ditebas dengan parang – senjata yang mereka bawa mereka setiap hari, yang juga merupakan simbol dominasi dan penaklukkan.

Perlawanan korban budaya patriarki tidak mengajarkan perempuan mendominasi laki-laki dan tidak selalu laki-laki bersifat menyakiti. Terdapat sebuah adegan saat Ian, keponakan sang perempuan tua, menghajar Franz yang memfitnah Novi di depan suaminya. Dalam film ini pula, perempuan yang walaupun sedang dalam keadaan tidak menguntungkan, digambarkan memiliki belas kasih. Kita dapat melihatnya dalam adegan Novi yang tetap menyalakan tungku di dapur dan pelita di ruang tamu. Novi pun sempat batal membunuh Franz karena iba saat melihat Franz menangisi kepergian Markus. Begitu juga perempuan tua yang berkali-kali mengatakan bahwa perannya sangat penting untuk menikahkan keponakannya sehingga ia rela dating dari jauh untuk membawa kuda sebagai mahar. Ia juga yang menguatkan Novi untuk tidak mempercayai stigma tentang bayi sungsang. Selain itu, sosok Topan yang digambarkan melalui anak perempuan tanpa ibu yang justru mengambil peran besar di kedai sate dibandingkan dengan ayahnya sementara teman-teman lelaki seusianya yang tetap asyik bermain di lapangan, adalah cerminan bahwa perempuan pun tetap berkomitmen pada fungsi dan perannya masing-masing. Para perempuan tersebut, termasuk Marlina, bukanlah perempuan dengan nurani yang mati. Mereka tetap menyimpan luka dan membagi tangis kepada orang-orang yang hadir tanpa syarat untuk mereka, yaitu sesama korban patriarki.

Adegan membunuh dalam film ini pun tidak hanya dilakukan oleh perempuan tetapi juga oleh salah satu perampok yang membajak supir truk. Yang membedakan adalah, perempuan membunuh atas dasar membela dirinya dari pemerkosaan, sedangkan lelaki membunuh atas dasar ketamakan dan kekuasaan. Begitu juga relasi yang dijalin antara Franz dan Markus serta Marlina dan Novi. Keduanya adalah koalisi tetapi beda motivasi. Franz merasa berhutang budi karena Markus menjadikannya perampok – relasi modal dan kuasa, sedangkan Marlina merasa berhutang budi karena Novi membantunya mengupayakan keadilan – relasi yang tulus.

Sebuah Refleksi

Saya sempat bertanya-tanya apa makna yang coba disampaikan melalui sosok anjing dan jenazah suami Marlina, hadirnya Topan dalam sosok perempuan, serta siluet Novi saat mengganti bajunya di dapur. Imajinasi saya mendarat pada sebuah kesan bahwa anjing dan jenazah suami Marlina adalah gambaran sosok Sang Pencipta yang Maha Melihat – mereka dianggap tiada oleh para pemerkosa padahal menyaksikan semua yang terjadi di rumah itu, sekaligus yang Maha Adil – mereka dalam diamnya tidak sibuk memberi label pada Marlina dan setia menemaninya mengupayakan balasan yang setimpal.

Yang juga membuat saya begitu mengapresiasi film ini adalah riset yang tidak main-main, yang terlihat dari penggunaan ‘tanda’ khas masyarakat Sumba Timur, khususnya adat Marapu, seperti kubur batu di depan rumah sebagai cara untuk selalu mengingat keluarga yang telah berpulang yang walaupun dalam rangkaian adatnya menghabiskan banyak sekali biaya sampai Marlina dan suaminya pun harus berhutang, jenazah keluarga yang dibalut kain ikat dan diposisikan duduk seperti bayi dalam lindungan rahim ibu selagi biaya untuk upacara adat belum cukup dipenuhi, serta penggunaan nama Topan pada anak laki-laki Marlina yang telah meninggal dan anak perempuan yang menjadi pelipur Marlina. Dalam masyarakat Marapu, saat upacara adat dalam menguburkan jenazah itu dihadiri oleh seseorang yang namanya sama dengan nama jenazah maka ia akan amat diistemewakan karena dianggap sebagai bentuk baru yang dihadirkan kembali oleh Tuhan. Seperti halnya babak terakhir dalam film, siluet Novi berganti baju di dapur pun seolah menyambut kelahiran baru dalam wujud anaknya dan harapan baru bagi hidup Novi dan Marlina.

[miusejournal]

ARE YOU A PRADA GIRL OR A MIU MIU MUSE?

Prada, the more sophisticated, serious business woman that has her life in order, in contrast to Miu Miu, the rebellion who strives for creativity while also acting on impulsivity. Both established brands have their own place in the world and in this case study I will be doing a deep dive into the sister brands and how distinct they are.

Prada is the more serious brand out of two. It is tactical and outwright serious while Miu Miu is more feminie, carefree, and impulsive. In an interview with Another Magazine, Mucia Prada states, “Miu Miu is its intuitive, impulsive counterpart…Miu Miu has the sensibility of sibling rebellion… Miu Miu’s intellect is light-hearted compared to Prada’s heavyweight approach; Prada questions luxury, whereas Miu Miu toys with its trappings. While also profoundly radical, Prada is more serious…”. 

Prada, the more serious of the two brands is the family dynasty, the public face of Miuccia Prada since her takeover of the family brand after Prada’s founder and Miuccia’s grandfather, Mario Prada, stepped down in 1978. Miu Miu which launched in 1993 is Miuccia’s own creative outlet to express herself freely and personally. Prada is now co-creatively directed by both Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons.

“Miu Miu is its intuitive, impulsive counterpart…Miu Miu has the sensibility of sibling rebellion… Miu Miu’s intellect is light-hearted compared to Prada’s heavyweight approach; Prada questions luxury, whereas Miu Miu toys with its trappings. While also profoundly radical, Prada is more serious…”

— Miuccia Prada (Another Magazine)

• Background on Miu Miu & Prada

In order to differentiate the two, it is important to note that Prada is the older and more sophisticated sister of the two, while Miu Miu is the youngest and most impulsive.

Miu Miu was first launched in 1993 at 34 avenue Foch, a hotel which has a specific niche of chicness. In the first launch Miu Miu’s first collection was a cowgirl themed collection that showed Miu Miu’s spontaneity, and spirit of a young free spirited girl. Miu Miu exudes youthfulness with its all puffed sleeves, pie crust collars and sequined party dresses. Many of Miu Miu’s clothes play with childlike elements and that is one of the things that make Miu Miu what it is known for. Its gentleness with a hint of bravery and courage. The Miu Miu girl is youthful and loves her freedom. She loves creatively expressing herself through her clothing and not having to deal with the technicalities of it. That's what differentiates Miu Miu from its older sister Prada.

In 1913, Prada was first founded by Mario Prada and opened the first Prada store in Milan’s grand 19th century Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where he sold mostly old travel cases and luxurious leather. 

It wasn't until 1978, Miuccia Prada took over her grandfather's company and grew it to mainstream success. Her  minimal black nylon backpack was a huge hit in the 1980s and the 1990s, Prada became even more successful. With its minimalistic, sophisticated but modern styling, Prada’s first fashion under Miuccia Prada was held in Milan and the fall/ winter collection focused on cline lines and silhouettes that were meant to showcase the timeless and chic style. And that has followed Prada into the present day. Unlike Miu Miu, who is much more avant garde and spontaneous, Prada is more sophisticated and refined.

With such a diverse fabrication and silhouette, Miu Miu and Prada are so immediately identifiable and distinct from one another, it's almost enchanting to say the least.

The creative process for both Miu Miu and Prada is vastly different. Prada is more complicated than Miu Miu. Rather than being a young spirit that is full of spontaneity and imagination, Prada is more sophisticated and full of reverence, all things considered.

“The solution, when I am working on Miu Miu, has to come immediately, instinctively, spontaneously with whatever is available at the moment. If I think three times, I stop.”

— Miuccia Prada, September 2014

• Difference in design

Prada has always been known for its more tactical and traditional style with a hint of modern. 

When describing Prada, Miuccia has always made it known that Prada’s clothing design is drawn from her personal experiences and personal tastes. In the 1970s through the 1980s Miuccia Prada was rebellious, going against the direction of contemporary fashion and finding her own strategies of acquiring clothes. Whether that was buying clothes from children's tailors or from suppliers of uniforms for nurses or maids. It wasn’t until later that she created and designed her own clothes.

Miu Miu began as a small collection of vintage inspired pieces that were minimal with a hint of femininity that Miuccia Prada lacked in her childhood. Miu Miu was the creative outlet for Miuccia to express herself and that side of her that wanted to wear pink and hitched up skirts. Growing up Miuccia’s mother would dress her in navy, a gender norm color that is usually associated with boys or men. In regard to this Miu Miu was the release that Miuccia so desperately needed in order to voice that side of her that just wanted to wear pink. In many Miu Miu designs it is common to see a more proactive side than Prada, which reflects a feminine businesswoman who has her life together. Instead Miu Miu is courageous and imaginative, with a hint of avant garde. Miu Miu evokes a sense of bravery and freedom in a classic but spontaneous style.

Both Prada and Miu Miu are well established brands that have their own distinct style. Both sisters in their own right bring something to the fashion world that is very much needed. Sophistication with a hint of femininity and a more youthful, rebellious type that is impulsive but creative.

So with that being said, are you a Prada girl? Or a Miu Miu muse?

(Dec. 13, 2021)

[my-chemical-rot]

"choice feminism" isnt real and is idiotic to get upset about

“Source: just trust me bro” 

And if you can’t be bothered to read an actual article or do an ounce of actual research, here’s a fuckin Reddit thread for you https://www.reddit.com/r/AskFeminists/comments/zr92h6/what_exactly_is_choice_feminism_and_why_is_it_so/

Anyways, you’re right that choice *feminism* doesn’t exist, because simply put: it’s not feminism! Feminism is a political movement, built on challenging patriarchal systems and the misogynist status quo; it isn’t just When Woman Exist And Do Things. That mindset is exactly how you get late stage capitalism’s girlboss “feminism” where exploiting labor or outright imperialism are fine as long as a girl’s doing it.  But I’m guessing if you’re sending this ask, you’re probably not actually a feminist looking for a good faith, nuanced discussion about the movement in the first place sooo. Go shave your legs or smth idc you go girlboss 🙄

[styleavenue8]

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