#it’s actually just white punks acting brand new hate to say it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mg549 · 3 years

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rainbow high but they each have distinct and varying styles

hi im putting my Disscusion under the post cause ik lots of ppl just wanna rb the art but also i have Thoughts

-ruby’s style is the strongest in the series imo. they designed a butch lesbian and nobody told them ig. my only slight change was giving her cowboy boots cause if shes from “the country” then she should... actually... look like shes from the country. maybe its just cause i grew up in nc but i would love some southern rep from a character where being from the south isnt their whole Personality. anyways i think she should wear western style button downs is all im trying to say

-bella... her style is ALL over the place. since she is a set designer i wanted to make her a theatre kid!!! her style is somewhere in the 40s/50s zone of vintage inspired so that way she has a definite Range of styles and silhouettes to choose from! im a sucker for the new look bc its so Shapes but i could also see her pulling off some long wool circle skirts and peasant top blouses! i also gave her some hearing aids and braces which you can probably only see if you zoom in dhjnf

-poppy got the biggest design overhaul of anyone. i kept the butterfly theme and nothing else fbhdjd. since her music has some definite funk energies i wanted to give her a 70s inspired look with some glam platforms and denim overalls! i think we deserve bellbottom pantsuit poppy. i also changed her hair bc literally the rh main cast all have practically IDENTICAL hair styles save for the direction theyre parted in. i wanted to give her those anime butterfly headphones but toned down slightly hdsjdnd oh and! shes also wearing glasses bc once again we get a whole cast of characters and not one of them is wearing glasses like smh literally like half of all ppl wear glasses?? anyways in terms of personality i wanted to keep her bubbly but instead of just making music thru like Divine Inspiration i think she should take a more realistic and nuanced approach!! show her nerding out abt music theory and talking about the themes her pieces represent and the stories they tell

-sunny’s design is Mostly the same! her hair is slightly changed, i wanted it to match the cover she drew for winnerz! i also made the rainbows on her outfit pride flag colors, and gave her some button pins on her jacket! every Token Anime Kid ive ever met has buttons plastered all over their bags and jackets and its a nice touch that gives her some more Character i feel

-jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaade. jade. i wish she had kept her dark lipstick. and also that she wasnt just billie eilish. and that she was the token goth of the group. her stitched up shirt is inspired by a shirt i wore in high school! it was from the 90s and SUPER beat up to the point where it was literally disintegrating so i just sewed up any new holes that would form with contrasting thread it was a Look. i hc her as wearing contacts bc when she tried wearing glasses she got upset that she couldnt show off her makeup as much gvhbnf! i also gave her a spider necklace bc i think she should still like spiders BUT i HATE the jokes abt “therapy tarantulas” bc only dogs and like 10 horses can actually be service animals and the whole thing w people lying about their untrained dogs/cats (or worse, exotic animals that they should not even own) being service/therapy/emotional support animals just so they can bring them in public is!! Really Bad!! and it hurts people who actually do need service dogs bc untrained dogs are well. untrained and set a bad example for how service animals will actually act! and owners who print out fake certifications also make it harder for disabled ppl bc it leads to store owners thinking that theres some sort of paper they can ask the owner to flash to prove the service dog is trained when that. is not actually true and theres no such thing as an actual certificate for this. if a service dog company offers a certificate/card/whatever to show authority it is specifically for disabled people to do when faced with this issue and has no actual official meaning. and ANOTHER thing that bothers me abt this joke is that.. Therapy For What? it would be really cool to see a canonically mentally ill character as a protagonist for a doll line! it would be fantastic to see them opening up that conversation for neurodivergent kids and their parents! but we have no indication for that at All just haha funy therapy spider :| anyways jade is an nd lesbian my canon now

-skyler is punk now! shes a fashion major and i think it would be a really interesting character to explore, someone who is shy but dresses really flashy and tough! i also changed her theme material from denim to the blue leather she wears at the party bc im biased towards alt fashion. her hair was really fun to design, with a big Cloud of Fluff at the top and long braids underneath bc get it!! its Rain Cloud Shaped :] i dont have much else to say bc this design is def in my Comfort Zone of styles. anyways we stan andershaw here they literally are in love

-vi vi! i didnt change much bc i dooooooont really know that much about influencer/mainstream fashion tbqh... i Did give her That One Halter Top Style that literally 2 other of the main characters are both wearing instead of a loose 1 piece dress tho. i also decided she should be into holographic fabric bc its very Sleek and Future Is Now and Influencercore. i also think the sleek tight fitting holo shirt/skirt is a good contrast to Big Fluffy Fur Jacket. she also has a prosthetic leg idk i just thought it would be a good Touch

overall rh def has some MAJOR problems with diversity in all aspects and it shows in their fashion design as well! if you put the characters in black and white save for a few patterned pieces they would all be interchangeable and i honestly think that its representative of the larger problem! maybe i do follow the monster high design philosophy that every piece should only make sense on the character its from, but the fact that they cant even diversify FASHION despite it being a Fashion Doll Brand really Says It All.

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alysemeadfad · 3 years

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𝕽𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖎𝖔𝖓

Most would say its easy for a teenager to rebel at any point in time, but I find it hard to rebel in any way, most teens get tattoos, piercings, cut and dye their hair to rebel against their parents, but growing up with a mom who is tattooed, hair in fun dyed styles and piercings, I’m really just following in her footsteps she practically encourages.

The only thing I rebel against is tidying my room and making cups of tea, cant really say I could start a world changing rebellion on that.

Rebellions i find important

1903–18 — Women’s Suffrage Movement The foundation of the Women’s Social and Political Union by Emmeline Pankhurst in 1903 began a more militant phase of the call for votes for women, which had been growing through the end of the 19th century. The Suffragettes used militant tactics like vandalism, arson, bombing and hunger strikes, with one member committing public suicide by throwing herself under the King’s horse at a race in 1913. The movement was wound up when some women were enfranchised in the 1918 Representation of the People Act, before all women over 21 were given the vote in 1928.

Suffragette Vera Wentworth in 1909, and the dress by Vaquera that it inspired

Stonewall riots 28 Jun 1969 – 3 Jul 1969 The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

It is said that Marsha P. Johnson was the one who started the rebellion. Supposedly, throughout the bustle of the raid, Marsha threw a shot glass into a mirror and shouted, ” I got my civil rights!”. With this inspiration and resistance against the police, other patrons began to follow.

Present day- Me Too movement.The Me Too movement, with variations of related local or international names, is a social movement against sexual abuse and sexual harassment towards women, where people publicize allegations of sex crimes.

The Punk Rebellion

the punk involved no protests or riots, it impacted people, fashion, music, society and everything to be honest.

The punk subculture advocates a do-it-yourself (DIY) ethic. During the subculture's infancy members were almost all from a lower economic class, and had become tired of the affluence that was associated with popular rock music at the time. Punks would publish their own music or sign with small independent labels, in hopes to combat what they saw as a money hungry music industry. The DIY ethic is still popular with punks.ideology's of punks

Ideology

Punk political ideologies are mostly concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment views. Common punk viewpoints include individual liberty, anti-authoritarianism, a DIY ethic, non-conformity, anti-collectivism, anti-corporatism, anti-government, direct action and not "selling out".

Some groups and individuals that self-identify as being a part of punk subculture hold right-wing views. The belief that such views are opposed to the original ethos of the punk subculture, and its history, has led to internal conflicts and an active push against such views being considered part of punk subculture at all. Two examples of this are an incident during the 2016 American Music Awards, where the band Green Day chanted anti-conservative, anti-racist, and anti-fascist messages, and an incident at a show by the Dropkick Murphys, when bassist and singer Ken Casey, tackled an individual for giving a nazi-style salute and later stated that nazis are not welcome at a Dropkick Murphys show. Band member Tim Brennan later reaffirmed this sentiment. The song "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" by hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys has come to be considered an anti-nazi anthem.

VIV WESTWOOD

Rejecting the hippie ethos that was fashionable towards the end of the 1960s, Westwood and McLaren created clothes that referenced youth culture's recent past, selling rock'n'roll fashion in a shop unit at 430 King's Road in Chelsea. In 1974, the shop took on its most notorious identity: SEX, with Westwood and McLaren designing fetish wear that they sold to prostitutes, those with 'underground' sexual tastes, and young proto-punks brave enough to take a seriously edgy look out onto the street. The pair enjoyed shocking people, designing garments and shoes that referenced 'deviant' sexual practices, including rubber dresses and stilettos bristling with spikes.

How punk influenced me, because it influenced the world

My take on rebellion

Westwood inspired tights.

after watching a documentary on vivien westwood and the birth of the punk revolution i created some westwood inspired tights as a little spontaneous brainstorm, did not develop any further on the tights.

i used a pair of brand new white tights and put holes all in them, this is non conformist as if a regular pair of tights had a hole you would bin them as they were no good any more, but purposely putting holes in is quite rebellious in that aspect, i used sharpies to draw triggering symbols and words such as a swastikka and ‘punk fag’ .

crayon drawings

i used crayons to create these images as i thought it was a more rebellious medium and its created for kids so that is non conforming and it gives a rough diy finish look making it look slightly unfinished

i created a lesbian nun, this was a spur of the mind thought whats socially good and respected? a nun? whats the opposite of what a nun preaches, homo behavior.

here i did a little barbie series drawing from observational on one and on another from mind and another from an image which i created by burning a barbie ehich is quite a rebellious act in a way.

Collages

i decided to do some collages as its a way of just slapping ideas out in a visual format, my first one was using a fashion magazine and i realized this was the way to go so i printed some punk imagery and even used my own crayon drawings to create more collages.

photo shop

i wanted to mess with these collages more on a digital format so i put them in to photo shop to play with them and generate more ideas this was giving me a poster vibe which reminded me of punk posters.

Final ideas

i used images from the new york trip to create a vision on photo shop, using a light of the american flag,sign posts, bins with posters on them.a clip art image of a chain and lock,street art and stickers i saw on poles in the street which is another form or street art which is quite rebellious as its not socially acceptable to vandalize and graffiti on public areas.

i took a few elements from the last board and included them in this vision board, i really wanted the main focus to be on the pipe that says “the rich killed nyc” i feel like it has a deep meaning behind it and it is quite rebellious as it reminded me of the punk rebellion in the uk as it was mostly lower class working people who used art, music and fashion to rebel against society and social constructs and actively non conform to the “rules” in a way. i also used a sticker that says jesus loves you and i crossed it out and wrote hate you over the loves you part as that is fitting to my rebellious visions.

in this board i again used “ the rich killed nyc” pipe as that’s my main surrounding element, i uses another pole with stickers on though you cant really tell what the stickers are, it just fits the aesthetic. i used a statue of liberty as she is known as a symbol of freedom, and along side it i used a photo of a photograph i saw in the modern art museum where this person had dyke tattooed on their neck which is a derogatory word to gay women, and that’s quite rebellious to take a bad word and own it by tattooing it on your body .

in this board i moved away from “the rich killed nyc” pipe as i felt i needed to come away from that one element for one board and to broaden my ideas. in this one i used a sky line image i took when on the ferry to liberty island, i changed the colour to black and white as the original colours of the image are quite blue and orangy, i used a sign post that says one way as it for some reason reminded me of like “one way to hell” or something and that there feels like there is no choice or individuality in the phrase “one way” . i used text over the sky line that says “the rotten apple” as new york city is known as the big apple and i thought, when i was there it did not remind me of a big fresh beautiful apple as the homeless people on the streets and the graffiti that has no artistic intent, so it was more of a rotten apple in a way. i used an image of the american flag i took on liberty island as i used an image of an american flag light, so i thought i could link back to that idea and use an actual flag, as its to represent freedom. i also used a art piece from the modern art gallery which was just a male mannequin wearing a bra which does not fit the social constrict of what men should wear there for its quite rebellious and opposite to the one way system.

in my final board i included the american flag, a chain over it completely doing the opposite of what the flag means which is freedom, i used the bun that says don’t be afraid of anyone with an edited red paint drip on it which kind of looks like blood, i used text that says “ the rich killed nyc” as i loved that phrase bit i over used the pole in the other boards and i liked that my main message is that the rich killed nyc, i used an image of my dr martens that i took while my feet were up against a pole as i sat on a tube, showing anti social behavior basically which is stereo typically rebellious,and also dr martens were quite fashionable in the uk punk rebellion so i’m hinting to my idea that was inspired by the uk punk rebellion, and finally i have a set of traffic lights which are about order and control, the light is also on red which signifies danger, and the word stop which fits to my idea.

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atrainernamedradish · 4 years

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Top 5 Favorite Rivals

Least Favorite list: https://atrainernamedradish.tumblr.com/post/190290513502/top-5-least-favorite-rivals

Top 5 Favorite Rivals:

5) Barry [Diamond & Pearl; Platinum]

I think people can agree with me when I say Barry either needs to lay off the sugar and caffeine, or needs some Adderall, because holy fuck he was so damned hyper it was unreal! And before someone gets mad at the joke let me remind you that there is some dialogue where he tries to count to ten, and proclaims he can’t even sit still to do so! Like sweet Lord Barry calm the fuck down lol!

Jokes aside, I thought Barry was a solid rival. He wasn’t mean-spirited about being so or always trying to act better than you about it. Sure, he was cocky, but he eventually learned that he had to put his ego aside to actually learn how to be that much of a better trainer. His teams were pretty solid too. He wasn’t the hardest person to face, but he wasn’t a pushover by any means. Sometimes his hyperness was a bit annoying, but nothing that bugged me for too long. He was a good rival to have when you’re trying to deal with the headache that is the other rival that is your boring opposite gender.

4) Marnie [Sword & Shield]

Marnie is an interesting character. When I first saw her in the reveals for Sword & Shield I thought she was going to be this arrogant punk (I blame the black leather and spikes :P), but when you actually meet her that isn’t the case. She’s actually someone who doesn’t have that much confidence in herself, at first though, but as you progress through the game she builds up to that. In fact, the only thing she was confident in was not taking over her brother’s gym and setting out to do her own thing. Besides believing how confident she was going to be, I was also expecting Marnie to have this annoying personality (but I feel like that was due to Team Yell being there more than anything), but once again she blew my expectations out of the water! Her personality was sweet and likeable and it was refreshing! Her team was actually a pretty powerful one and was actually fit her aesthetic! That’s actually rare for a rival in this series if I’m being honest… From her aesthetic that mixes hard and soft (which yay the girls will be getting her outfit which I adore and can’t wait to have on my alt character!), her sweet shy personality that eventually gets some quiet confidence behind it, and her battle prowess, I enjoyed her as a rival as opposed to the other two who either got shafted by the overdone formula, or the one rival trying to be the OG rival who we’ll never truly get back.

3) Blue (Green) [Pokemon Red & Blue (Green); Yellow (Pikachu Edition); FireRed & LeafGreen; Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee]

And speaking of the OG, here he is: Blue (or Green if your Japanese). Many Pokemon games after the originals have tried to replicate this character, and haven’t quite made one that is up to snuff. This character is a perfect blend of cocky asshole and a strong trainer. You almost liked how much smack he talked then enjoyed kicking his ass after the fact, and doing so wasn’t always an easy feat, even in the remakes (excluding the Let’s Go series since he isn’t your rival in that). He had almost the perfect team not only against your starter but to also counteract your team members that made up your team for said starter’s weaknesses. That’s why kicking his ass was all that much sweeter because he didn’t just hand it to you. He made you work for that victory. While I’m not necessarily someone who is looking for a rival that has to be an elite trainer or anything, it’s nice to not have a friendly rival who talks a big game but is always going to face defeat, and quite easily and quickly too, by your hands. There have been some other rivals that have been pretty tough to deal with, but not as challenging as Blue will ever be… There’s a reason you will find this asshole on almost every top rival list. He earned that spot. Because despite being that smack talking asshole that you have to work extra hard to beat… he is kind of charming. He’s the rival you love to beat.

2) Bianca [Pokemon Black & White; Black 2 & White 2]

I want to make this clear with about my opinions on characters in Pokemon: they don’t have to be the strongest to be my favorites or even liked for that matter, and Bianca is one of those characters as far as battling prowess is concerned. I like Bianca for her character arc as well as the character herself. I think this character gets a lot of hate for no reason other than her not being a strong trainer, or not automatically being this confident cool character that should be ready to adventure which is honestly sad…

For me, Bianca is a very relatable character who in my honest opinion is a very underrated character. She is a character who wanted to do something with her life, but wasn’t sure how to start or go about doing it. Her first attempt is by doing what all the other characters her age do and that’s to set off on her own Pokemon journey, even if she wasn’t exactly ready. As her story progresses she comes to realize that that isn’t for her, and honestly not every person in that world is going to go out there finding out that this is for them. Not to mention not everyone who sets out on their Pokemon journey is going to find themselves being these super powerful trainers who are always going to confidently beat everything in their path. Bianca getting picked on by Team Plasma was not all that farfetched. She was a brand new trainer experiencing new things making her an easy target for them. Your character could have easily been just as privy to Team Plasma. Generation V showed that anyone was susceptible to them. But anyway, I’m going a little off topic, Bianca did struggle, but her struggles eventually took her to her calling: being a professor’s aid. Which fits her and overall is a good story arc for her. She’s not your typical rival of going around trying to one-up you and getting on your nerves trying to do so. She’s a friend, a main character, and unlike the typical power hungry overused rival archetypes, she grew and I was happy for her.

Not to mention, Bianca is one of the first few characters in the series to actually really… notice that there is this big new world around you and it’s something to explore taking it in as opposed to rushing into filling the Pokedex or doing the Gym Challenge, and honestly that’s refreshing for a character! Because you cannot tell me that if you were to leave your home setting off on a journey traveling to many new places that you’d overlook everything? Probably not. You’d want to explore all the new sites. That’s the whole point of an RPG is to explore. I felt more immersed in Black & White than most Pokemon games because I had a character in my journey to make it feel like it was actual exploration instead of bare bones places with much to be had. Unova, as to other regions, had a lot more sightseeing options and a lot more to explore. Unova just felt big, kind of like Johto and Kanto for GSC/HGSS. Just, thanks Bianca for feeling like a real person, instead of one-dimension rival who either wants to kick my ass or is so boring that I wish they were annoying lol…

1) Wally [Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire; Emerald; Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire]

It’s like I stated with Bianca: a rival for me doesn’t have to have battle prowess to be liked by or be a favorite for me. Not gonna lie, I wish Wally had a better team, but unfortunately Wally falls under the earlier formulas of forcing trainers to use entirely new Pokemon instead only peppering their teams with a few new ones, but whatever…

Wally has one of my favorite rival arcs. He is a sickly kid who wants so badly to be healthier and have a Pokemon of his own so he could one day to set on his very own Pokemon journey like the other kids who have probably left by now on it. Nicely enough your character is there to guide and watch over him as he finally catches his very own Pokemon, even if later you were there to kick his ass a bit later on… While I do like how ORAS gave more facial expressions for this character to make you more sympathetic to him in the story… I wish they hadn’t had him show up after your battle with your dad to keep that mysteriousness of him actually progressing along side you on your Gym Challenge (yes I know you could read the gym signs to see that he’s doing it, but no one thinks to read those, let’s be honest!) before running into him at the end of Victory Road, but oh well. Honestly I wish they had had him in the Champion spot, kind of like what RBY did with Blue, but instead of knowing your rival was one step ahead of you as always you had the sickly kid you thought you sent home after a crushing defeat there instead who actually overcame it and decided to meet you there to prove he did so.

Overall Wally was an underdog and I like characters like that. You don’t expect him to become much more powerful after Mauville. He takes his defeat and he does his best to make up for it by having it push him. He wants to be stronger to prove to everyone, but more importantly to you, the person who was there to witness his journey from the start, how capable he was. Yeah, you do inevitably beat him, which is the fate of the main player in Pokemon, but when you do it you don’t think “aw man I beat another weak rival” or “hah! I beat your smug ass again!” you think of how it was a fun battle and a great progression in a well developed character’s story. And even then, Wally doesn’t take the defeat as a loss, but more as a way to push himself even further. He sees losing as a way to overcome something as to trying to cover up his frustration or to go packing home, and that is an admirable trait. Plus the final battle with him on Victory Road was pretty epic with that new theme of his as well as made me a bit sad because I had to beat him and all he did was smile and thank me… Made me want to cry lol… But that’s why Wally is my favorite rival. He has a great character arc, personality, and he makes me feel so many emotions that I feel like other rivals or characters couldn’t give me… Good job Wally you will always be the rival.

#rival barry #rival marnie #rival blue #rival wally #rival bianca

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fulloflesbeans · 7 years

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Hazel Eyes & Cake Pops [Ch. 6]

Read on Ao3 here

It was finally the weekend. I was still livid on what happened in the library. I was up late until four AM, actually finishing homework and signed up for the two classes, and finally went to sleep when every channel on TV was some paid programming.

I was at home with Rachel while Chloe was at work, lazing around on the couch while the TV was on. We were still in our pajamas and paying more attention to our phones than each other.

Most of the time, Rachel was on her Instagram and checking her likes and comments. I was surprised Rachel was able to stay up to date with her Instagram account; Chloe must have been taking her to more places than she tells me. However, I, on the other hand, was still getting random text messages from a random number. I knew who it was, but it has been a year since I have seen him.

"Rachel," I put my phone down, wondering if I should block the number, "How do you deal with an ex that won't leave you alone?"

"Like in person or by phone?" She looked at me right away. She was bundled in her oversized hoodie and sweatpants, her hair up in a ponytail and sitting against the very end of the couch with her legs to her chest.

"It's by phone right now. He keeps texting me and asking to hang out." I crossed my arms. I leaned back and saw on Rachel's phone that she was Twitter now.

He has never texted like this before. Asking so many questions, wanting to see each other again, I was more freaked out then anything.

"I would block him. How do you know it's him and not some creeper that got your number?"

"Well, the first things he sent were like "miss you" and some lovey-dovey stuff. Plus, he's the only person I've dated, I don't know anyone who would give my number like that."

"That's true. If it took this long to text you again, he must still be single too."

It was a possibility. The thought of even seeing him again made my heart sink. It didn't end bad, but I felt like I just lead him on. I left Arcadia Bay to get away from all that shit and if it was following me, I would lose my mind. I took my phone again, went to his number, but my thumb hovered over the "block" option. He seemed hurt enough through these messages, but I never wanted to see them again.

"I can see you hesitating." Rachel addressed it in a worrying tone.

"I don't know why I am."

"Okay, then," she grabbed my phone and turned the screen off, "You don't have to do it right now. We should do something."

"What is something?"

Last time she made me do something, I ate at the bar of a club. I didn't hate her ideas, they really did help, but they were still more in her terms of "fun." It was an experience, at the very least.

I was back to my old habits of only drinking coffee, against Rachel’s plans, but she tolerated it for the day.

"Is there something you want to do?" She asked with a smile.

I thought about it. There were a lot of things that we've done, but not just the two of us. I answered, "I kinda always wondered what it was like to shop with you. We could go to an outlet and go into—"

"Done," she stood up and went into the bedroom, "I need to shower. Would you like to Uber?"

Her head was peeking out of the door as she asked.

"Yeah, I had enough of that limo."

"You got it."

Rachel threw on yet another flannel and ripped jeans. She loved her blue flannel and wore it for most occasions. I was back in my grey jacket and blue jeans; she was still dressed better than me. I never realized how far we actually lived from all the places we went to; I just went along with Chloe.

We walked out the apartment complex, greeted a few neighbors on the way out and into the warm weather. Our sleeves were way too long for the heat, we were already sweating and we were only out for a minute.

“Holy fuck, it’s hot today.” She fanned herself. She didn’t seem to mind, though.

“Yeah, we shouldn’t have layered so much.”

"You're right about that," Rachel turned to me, "Listen, I'm thinking of shopping for you. Your style is getting there, but I want to get something for you. You're literally wearing the outfit you wore every single day at Blackwell."

"I was going to ask you to. I need help." I laughed at my outfit I had on. It was the first thing I saw in my closet. It didn't help that I had my hair down again.

"I got you, Max. I already have some ideas and it just might impress Kate." Rachel winked at me.

"You should've seen her yesterday. She had her hair in this braid and wearing all black. I was losing my freaking mind."

"I thought you were losing your mind when you were hitting your head, but sure, it was her."

I shrugged my shoulders. I was surprised I didn't get a headache from it.

Rachel said it was a red car, a brand-new Honda Civic, so we waited for it while we continued talking about random things like her time in Tokyo and my time stuck in an elevator with the crazy conspiracy guy from the seventh floor. I learned more from him about Hollywood than I ever did in school, I felt like I was starting to believe it all after two hours past.

The ride was uneventful. The driver was playing a playlist of just Gucci Mane and Drake and Rachel was dancing by herself in her seat. I rocked my head from side-to-side, but I wasn't really into it.

We get out, thanked the driver, and started to walk through the outlet. The majority of stores were places like Coach, Prada, Tory Burch, and Michael Kors—all places I would never shop in. The outdoor mall was full of people, mostly foreign people from what I could tell from their languages, holding about ten bags in each hand, there with their families, or just alone.

"Okay, let's start," Rachel scanned through the stores left and right as we strolled through the middle, "What kind of style are you looking for?"

When that sentence ended, I forgot who I was. I stared down at my body, looking at my jeans and Jane Doe shirt. I just wanted to be casual and comfy, but it made me look very awkward. I might also need a bag that was not a messenger? I wasn’t sure.

Rachel started talking again, "I'm thinking you should try a more skater look right now. Chloe has always been a punk ass, so I'm trying not to copy her style."

"So, more plaid is what you're saying?"

"Exactly, but I know you don't really skate, but Chloe and I can teach that, too. We should order online too! I've seen some cute off-white sweaters you would love."

"That brand costs hundreds of dollars, right?"

"Yeah... and?" Rachel truly had a lot to spend. I thought about it and there were some nice things we could just get online, but what if she turned me into a fuckboy of some kind? Or was it called fuckgirl?

"Are you going to turn me into a fuckboy, Rachel?" I acted appalled.

"Wow, I didn't even realize I was," Rachel cracked up, "If you want to look at it that way, yeah! There is a Vans store, right there, so we're going in there now!"

We ran into the large store, greeted by the smell of brand new shoes, and went to the women's side first.

"Forty dollars is a lot, but don't worry." Rachel started to look through the racks. I was definitely uncomfortable with that, but she was okay with it. The price was just for sweaters, what was she going to do?

We decided to separate and I aimlessly walked around. It was a little packed inside, because Vans always have a two for the price of one for shoes. It was always dark and loud pop music always played inside. I always liked the brick walls and how lots of jackets and backpacks would line them all the way up to the ceiling. Everything was so expensive now that I paid attention. This was going to the most expensive closet I've ever own, thanks to Rachel being so giving. I past the backpack three times before I decided to stay there.

About thirty minutes pass before I finally heard someone stumbling behind me.

"Max, there you are!" Rachel's arms were full of shirts and flannels.

"Oh, my dog, Rache, what did you find?" I grabbed all the clothes in her left arm.

"A lot of their shirts are really cute, but they're called "boyfriend tees" and that's yikes. I found a bunch of these flannels in red and blue. I found some baseball tees and hoodies and sweaters; I can't wait for you to wear them!"

Everything she had was at least four hundred dollars; I felt lightheaded. I could buy a textbook with that! I knew this wasn't half of it.

"I'm going to buy these, for now, and keep looking." She took the pile back and then went to the line. I snickered a bit, but I appreciated what Rachel was doing. I left the store for a bit and called Chloe. I had to call her twice because she didn't answer the first time.

"Yeah?" She sounded pissed off.

"Are you okay?"

"Sorry, there was this customer that made me want to lose my shit," She growled, "What's up?"

"Rachel and I decided to leave and we went to the outlet. It took a long time, but Rachel is paying for everything."

"Oh, that's cool."

"Do you want anything?" We should get something even if she said no.

"If you want, but I'm happy with everything I have right now."

It wasn't a no, but we should get something small. I was given about fifty dollars from Chloe, so I wasn't left with one dollar anymore. Rachel came up to me with two huge bags; she looked so excited from her smile to the shine in her eyes.

"We'll think about it. Gotta go now, we have more shopping to do."

"'Kay, have fun. Oh, pick you up later?"

"Yes, please. See you later." I put my phone back into my pocket. I took the bags from Rachel and I immediately felt ten times heavier.

"I need to go in there one more time. I saw pants and shoes on the way out for the both of us." Rachel was very animated, but it was also contagious.

"We should get Chloe something," I advised, "That's what I was talking about with her."

"I was planning on it, but in a different store. Is there something in here you want to get her?"

"I was just thinking of a beanie. I want one too, so could you get two?"

"Yeah, just sit somewhere and I'll be out."

I watched as she went back into the store. I faltered a lot towards a nearby bench. It was empty, thankfully. I sat down, loudly. I took my phone out and went through my apps, greeted by those damn text messages again.

It was another thirty minutes before Rachel came back out again, holding three bags. I could tell one had two boxes in it.

She plopped herself next to me; she was still smiling widely.

"Being recognized is tiring sometimes." Rachel flipped her blonde hair. She placed the bags on the empty seats next to us.

"I can't imagine," I sat up straight, "Must be annoying sometimes too."

"That hasn't happened yet. When I'm irritated or it's, you know, the week, I won't leave home. I wouldn't want anyone to feel like I hate them."

I nodded, "I would do the same. So, where to next?"

"I need to go to Versace and Lacoste," she stood up again, "I want to buy Chloe some nice outfits for dates I want to take her on. I'll go to Jimmy Choo and Gucci for myself at the end."

I was rendered speechless by those stores being named so casually.

"By the way, Max, I think a better word to describe your style is just being a tomboy or androgynous, even."

She was doing that to me and Chloe. I was going to surprise myself when we went back home, but I ended up looking in the thirty minutes she was gone. I was actually pretty into it; I think she was just getting me away from the hipster style as much as possible, though.

"Alright, Max," Rachel grabbed two bags, "Let's go."

"Hold on," I took my phone out again, "Strike a pose, Rachel Amber."

She did multiple ones, some she obviously learned from modelling and some she just did awkward poses with two heavy bags. She looked great either way, if it were me, all of them would be bad. I put it away and grabbed the other three bags.

It was a path in the order she named them. When I went into Versace, I felt like throwing up. The prices ranged from as low as three-hundred (for coin purses) and as high as three thousand (for pants). I was intimidated by the name above the opening, black and bold, and it was all gold inside. I couldn't stand being inside because I didn't belong there. Rachel was looking around, got recognized once again and was apparently given a hefty discount. She was looking at pants from a rack next to a mannequin; it was black and looked to be skin tight.

"Do you know Chloe's size?" Rachel asked me.

"Uh... tall?" I choked.

Rachel laughed out, "I know it. I was just testing you."

It was yet another test I have failed.

She ended up with the pants (six-hundred and ninety-five dollars) and a black watch (one-thousand, three-hundred and ninety-five dollars).

"You okay?" Rachel placed her hand on my back. The bags in her hand hit me in the butt.

"... This is a lot of money you're spending." I was barely functioning.

"I'm barely making a dent. I've been checking my account all day."

How much did she have to spend if it was barely?

"I went through hell and back for this career, you know?" She sat down at a bench and I followed her, placing the bags on the floor.

She continued after a deep sigh, "When I met Chloe, she was going through a lot of terrible shit. She thought everyone was out to get her and that she was driving everyone in her life out. And you, I can see you still trying, to this day, to redeem yourself for shit you did. Chloe is a lot more grateful than you think. I admire that and I admire her for getting here. She has changed a lot for good. I just want to spoil you guys because I feel it's deserved."

I nodded as she spoke. Rachel was an amazing person. She was charming and she just knew how to connect with everyone. She wanted happiness in general and did a lot in order to help herself and us. I hoped I didn't look like I was taking any of it for granted.

I finally smiled, "I'm sorry, Rachel. I do love everything you're doing. Even when our furniture is complete garbage.”

"Well, Chloe told me she wanted to earn a better apartment herself," Rachel admitted, "So, clothes are the nicest things I can do for you two."

For the rest of the trip, I only got down what she bought: Lacoste polo and belt, Jimmy Choo heels, and a Gucci leather jacket. I couldn't name all prices, but I'll always remember it all costed five thousand dollars. That made me lightheaded as hell.

Our hands were completely full. Clumsily, I managed to call Chloe again.

"Hey," Chloe answered right away, "I'm in front of Gucci."

"Holy shit, we just came out of that." I said.

"I'll drive closer." she hung up right after.

Rachel and I walked to the street, where the parking lot was, and saw the matte finish car coming up.

When it parked in front of us and Chloe came out, her eyes widened at everything we had.

"Holy fuck, did you buy everything?" Chloe grabbed the ones in Rachel's hands. She gave her a quick peck on her lips and started placing everything in the trunk.

For some reason, my heart skipped a beat watching them. I don't know what the feeling was, but maybe... I was envious?

"I bought you guys new closets." Rachel said very confidently.

"I said it was fine. You didn't have to buy me things."

"I know, but I wanted to."

Chloe put the bags I had into the trunk and shut it loudly, "Alright, time to head home."

Chloe and Rachel spoke to each other in the front seats. It was about her day, Rachel's time at the outlet, what clothes we got, and going out tomorrow. I stayed out of it. They were a happy and normal couple, talking about normal things, and there was me, who looked on. Maybe it was jealous and I wasn’t admitting to it yet; I stared at them with the overwhelming feeling.

Back at our place, we all stumbled as we got out of the elevator with the ten bags we had. We all placed the new articles of clothing on the bed.

I went to the kitchen, I wish we had time to eat at the outlet. All I grabbed was water. Chloe went into the bathroom, after saying that she needed a shower for later. What was she going to do later? I had no idea. Rachel was in the living room, turning the TV on to Fox and it was TMZ. She probably worries a lot about showing up on it. I grabbed two water bottles instead.

I sat next to her, handing the other bottle.

"Thanks." she said and watched the commercial.

I was curious about something. Rachel only briefly talked about how she gained the fame she had. When I compare her to other runway models, she wasn't as tall or as skinny as everyone else. Yet, she showed up on high fashion shows, fashion magazines, commercials for makeup and hair, and had millions following her on her social medias.

We heard the shower stop and Chloe came out, her hair was still damp. Her outfit was just thrown on and it showed enough skin for the warm night.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Dana called earlier and she had to teach me how to do everything," Chloe forcefully put her shoes back on, "I said it was fucking stupid, but it was important. So, I have to go now to watch and learn."

"You'll be back in the morning?"

"Yup. Luckily, it's a busy night and I have no work with crabby old assholes tomorrow." She gave Rachel a quick kiss on the lips and then ruffled with my hair, "Love you, I'll see you later."

"Love you too." Rachel's eyes were stuck on the TV.

"See you." I waved.

She left, slamming the door and locking it.

"I saw Rachel Amber at HUE sf last week, with two other girl friends." It cut to a video of all three of us going inside. "She was seen dancing with one of them on the floor and it was getting a little touchy." It cut to a video from afar and zoomed in on Chloe and Rachel grinding and dancing with each other.

"Do you think she's actually gay?"

"I mean if I saw a girl that close with another girl, I would assume so. Or just real drunk."

She only laughed.

"Okay, okay, now everyone knows I'm really gay," She turned to me, "I went out a lot with Chloe and that's all they have? I wasn't being that discreet about it. I need to check my Twitter after this."

I stayed quiet. Every other person would be freaking out right now, but Rachel was such a carefree person. She was going to say it outright and then let it be.

"I can tell there's something on your mind." Rachel put her phone into her back pocket.

"I've always wondered how you got here," I shifted in my seat to face her, "In your career, I mean. You never talked about what you did or how you did it. If it's touchy, I'm sorry, but it was on my mind."

"It's okay. It just never came up and some of it is a little blurry for me," Rachel turned the TV's volume down, "My manager is hella awesome. She took a chance on me and made me work my fucking ass off with classes on walking and posing and how to carry myself. She taught me a lot about being independent and being extra sneaky. She was really strict, especially about Chloe, because I was going to be away a lot and being gay is never talked about. She was just looking out for the both of us. But, what I'm trying to get at is, I always did two-hundred percent more than everyone else did. I don't look like anyone else, but I did everything more and better almost, and that's what attracts people."

I tried to think of ways that could apply to me. Work my ass off and work two-hundred percent more than everyone else. It would be a good mindset to have for school right now. Especially right now with the bad test grade. It could make me more confident and help me talk to Kate, even.

"You're an incredible person, Rachel," I complimented, "I'm grateful to have you in my life and Chloe is beyond grateful, whatever that word is. Usually by now, Chloe would be out drinking and then come back to go out cold. But sometimes, she would cry and bellow about missing you."

I never liked saying the second part. I spent a few nights comforting her and helping her sleep again, and the fact that Chloe has no memory of it, it made those nights surreal. Those times when she would rest her head on my lap and cry on and on, me trying to say something, but she wasn’t listening to me or even herself. I don't know if I should ever bring it up to her; every time I try, my words get caught and I would ignore it once more.

Rachel looked like she was caught off guard by that statement. Saying it aloud, I’ve realized Chloe had a problem. I froze in my seat and we stared at each other. Neither of us knew what to do, except sit in silence and stare each other down.

“Do you want me to talk about it with her?” She sounded ready to pule.

I pressed my lips together, “If you don’t mind.”

She turned the volume back up again. We watched the TMZ segment until it was a commercial again. I couldn’t stop looking at Rachel as she started to become aloof and distant. I’ve seen her like this before. She had her arms crossed and her knees up to her chest, her eyes wide toward the screen. I took a hard gulp.

"Do you want to model the clothes or order more online?" I asked her first. I was sick of watching TV and I hated seeing her like this. I was afraid she was going to snap at me or raise her hand, instead she looked over to me and then smiled.

"I'm offended you think that I wouldn't want to model," Rachel stood up and stretched her arms, "Let's wear these clothes."

#life is strange #max caulfield #kate marsh #marshfield #my fanfiction

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svfedotov · 7 years

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Punching Nazis for Freedom: Comics VS Fascism

With the world one button away from destruction and hate-rhetoric swarming the streets of America like a million cockroaches, your favorite comic reviewer has decided to do a very special article about the evils of Nazi Fascism through the that wonderful medium of superheroes (and a villain) punching Nazis. It’s no surprise that comics and Nazism have never gotten along, going way back to Captain America slapping the dickens out of Hitler during WW2, and the comic genre hasn’t slowed down since. Superman fought the KKK, Shazam punched Captain Nazi, and Hellboy, well Hellboy just likes punching people with goofy mustaches. With so many wonderful examples, it was hard to narrow it down to only a handful of samples, but hopefully the ones I chose prove that hate not only has no place in our comic books, but no place in America either.

Punisher: War Journal Vol 2 #6-10 (2007)

Punisher is man who takes no shit. Having survived Vietnam, his family being killed, and being hunted by mobsters, he’s a one man hunting machine that’ll see all villains dead at his feet. In War Journal Vol 2, Punisher meets a brand new villain known as Hatemonger, a 6’ 2” slab of beef who preaches white supremacy and looks a bit like Captain America (a fact that sends Punisher to find him and “and shoot that guy in the face.”) Even in the Marvel database, Hatemonger’s occupation is listed as terrorist, another thing that Punisher hates and he who is hated by Punisher feels the sting of the Punishers bullets!

As a special treat, I have included two priceless pics of Punisher beating up Nazis. The first is him slamming a Nazi into a cactus full speed and the second, of course, is the kill shot of Hatemonger himself. Classic Punisher.

Wonder Woman #240 (1978)

Oh Wonder Woman. What can’t be said about her that hasn’t been written a thousand times by a thousand talented writers? But did you know that she also punches Nazis? I’m sure you’re not surprised, she did emerge in the 1940’s when the Great War the Second was in full swing and you bet your last yellow onion that she jumped right into kicking some ass for America. In Wonder Woman #240, our heroine dukes it out with mysterious Nazi agent known as Siegfried the Speedster. Oddly enough, this Nazi accidently proves Wonder Woman’s innocence after she stands trial for treason when she was mind-tricked into seeing the American army as Nazi soldiers. So, all’s well that ends well? Either way, check out this pic of her knocking that punk right the fuck out!

Captain America Comics #1 (1941)

You can’t have the name America in your moniker without knocking out a few fascist, so obviously, the very first Captain America comic has him giving the ol’ American Hello to Hitler himself. Hell, the first issue proved so effective in stirring up some pots, that on top of the overwhelming support, his creators Kirby and Simon, even got some serious hate mail, proving that it’s not art until someone threatens you’re life. But death threats aside, Captain America went on to be the symbol of American hope and kept fighting Nazism, fascism, and all things that threatened the American way of life for decades afterwards (current Hydra arc notwithstanding.) Pictured here is the famous first cover itself, complete with a first introduction of his sidekick Bucky, who goes on in his own comics freeing concentration camps.

Action Comics #59 (1943)

Despite its alluring promise of Superman peeling open Nazi tanks like an orange and eating the delicious German fruit inside, Superman doesn’t actually fight Nazis in this issue. In fact, the majority of Action Comics that feature Superman versus The Reich did not have an accompanying story-arc and instead had other heroes out on the war front, as each issue acted more of an anthology than a one-man comic. Action Comics #59 has two war-related stories, one featuring The Three Aces blowing up a Nazi base and the other featuring Americommando delivering the last message of a British spy while managing to blow up one of Mousselines military bases. Still, I chose this cover because one, I thought it was funny, and two, what’s more awesome than an American space alien dismantling tanks to the horror of Nazi soldiers? Nothing, that’s what.

Every Hellboy Comic Ever

Hellboy was born to fight Nazis. Well, he was actually born to take over Hell, but he was also born to fight Nazis. Even his backstory started off with him being called up by Nazi occult leaders only to be adopted by an American doctor and raised to fight those that brought him to Earth. This is what he does. Hell, there were so many issues and so many images to choose from, I almost didn’t know which one to go with! I decided to use this slash page as a representation of his Nazi-kicking powers; Hellboy keeping the world safe with only a fist and a quip. I don’t even know which issue this is from, that’s how much Hellboy loves beating up Nazis! Seriously, go grab one, he’s probably punching one three pages in!

Saga of the Human Torch #3 (1990)

Before there was Johnny Storm, the Human Torch was originally a humanoid android created by Carl Burgos in the 1939. Though he only had a handful of comics under his belt before being adapted to his more popular form by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he has definitely not been forgotten as proven by The Saga of the Human Torch, a 4-issue mini-series released in 1990. The series retells the origin of android Torch and in issues two and three, commences with a hearty Nazi ass-whooping ending in Hitler being set aflame! That’s right, true believers, Hitler set on goddamn fire! Though Hitler asks that his death be kept secret, we know the real story now. It was the Human Torch all along.

Batman and Captain America (Elseworlds) (1997)

If you’ve been around the internet long enough, I’m sure you’ve seen this picture of Joker working with the Red Skull only to immediately turn the tables when finding out his partner was an actual, honest-to-goodness, Nazi. What the picture doesn’t answer is the many questions that surely follow such as: how did Joker and the Red Skull get together despite coming from two different comic companies and when did Joker get so cool? The answer is Elseworlds, a series of DC comics that basically answers every what-if question you ever had, this one being, what-if Captain America and Batman met up in WW2-era Gotham to secretly hunt down the Red Skull? With Red Skulls villainy and Jokers untethered hate (love?) for Batman, it’s no surprise that the two would naturally work together, but Joker will be damned if he’s caught trading hijacking tips with an actual Nazi. As he says, he may be a criminal lunatic, but he’s an American criminal lunatic. Trust me when I tell you, Joker punches the crap out of him.

**********

I’m going to end this article on a special message from Stan Lee himself but I will say this: wherever there is evil, there is hope, and where there is hope, heroes will emerge. Be that hero, stand up and fight.

#comics #anti nazi #superhero

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213hiphopworldnews · 5 years

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The Most Anticipated Concert Tours Of 2019

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2019 is here and it’s not too early to start planning out how to spend your nights, weekends, and hard-earned money. Festivals have begun announcing their lineups and already there are a bevy of tours, ranging from massive stadium productions to intimate club affairs. The through line with the following 35 recommended concert tours are that all the artists are formidable performers with the songcraft to match. It’s reason enough to get out of the house, visit a new city, and support the arts, because live music is one of the great pleasures of being alive.

35. SZA

Philip Cosores

Our Lady of Top Dawg Entertainment went from self-deprecating tweets to festival headliner in a matter of months, and who knows what level she’ll catapult up to in 2019? Showing no sign of slowing down following her CTRL tour and a slew of festival dates since, SZA is probably going to release something new that blows the competition out of the water before too many months of this new year go by. In the meantime, run not walk to any stage where you can witness her dynamite live presence and diva-ready voice in person. This woman is a legend in the making, and wouldn’t it be nice to say you knew her back when, before it becomes back when?–Caitlin White

Check out the current tour dates for SZA here.

34. Tyler, The Creator

Philip Cosores

Somehow, Tyler The Creator‘s show never seems to get old or stale, no matter how many times I’ve seen it. After watching him tear down Coachella and his own Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival (twice), I can confirm that Tyler just knows his fans. He knows his music. He’s comfortable on stage and he knows how to cut loose. In his post-Flower Boy era, he’s softened just enough to broaden his appeal, but not so much that he loses the gravel-voiced edge that endeared him to legions of teenage rebels in the first place. That he dedicates just as much attention to detail to his stage presentation as he does all his other creative endeavors from fashion to animation makes his live set that much more entertaining, each and every time.–Aaron Williams

Check out the current tour dates for Tyler The Creator here.

33. Idles

Speaking as someone who has yet to see Bristol punks Idles live yet, this feels like essential viewing for any fan of guitar rock, particularly after they made one of the best rock album of the year. Clips from live shows paint the group as intense and endearing, putting their all into every breath of their performance. After playing for the first time locally last year, the band will return with a massive American run this spring. Coupled with some festival and international dates, including stops at Oya and All Points East, the gospel of Idles should be taking over in 2019.–Philip Cosores

Check out Idles current slate of tour dates here.

32. Mumford & Sons

Philip Cosores

Mumford & Sons’ singalong brand of indie folk was made, well, to be sung along with, meaning that they fully realize their tremendous potential live in front of an audience bouncing their energy back to them. With Delta, the band’s most recent album that released in 2018, the band returned to a more traditional-for-them sound, unlike the rock-oriented direction they explored on 2015’s Wilder Mind, so a message for fans who thought the world ended after that album: Emerge from your bomb shelters and look into the light, because the banjos are back. The new tour is also promising to be the most ambitious of their career.–Derrick Rossignol

Check out the current tour dates for Mumford & Sons here.

31. Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj will be looking to shake off the bad press from an up and down 2018 during her spring and summer tour, which was initially set to feature Future (and the incarcerated Tekashi 6ix9ine) before she announced a plans to “reevaluate elements of production on the NickiHndrxx Tour” amid cancellation rumors in August. The new tour is set to start in May 2019, and she’s currently “working on a M&G experience for the tour & will update [fans] ASAP,” according to an Instagram post.–Andre Gee

Check out the current tour dates for Nicki Minaj here.

30. ASAP Rocky

Philip Cosores

When ASAP Rocky‘s video for his Injured Generation tour literally promises injuries for attendees, you should definitely go. There is no better concert story than one that involves an injury — just ask all those Travis Scott fans who’ve raged their way into the hospital (just don’t go jumping off any balconies because that’s a different kind of injury you don’t want). Anytime the mosh pit gets that lit, you know a real party went down and with Rocky peaking creatively of late and jumping off in outrageous new directions musically, you’re sure to hear something entirely new and different when the Harlem favorite hits the stage.–A.W.

Check out the current tour dates for ASAP Rocky here.

29. Jeff Rosenstock

How many instruments do you expect a punk band to have on stage? Three, maybe four? Usually, somewhere close to the number of individuals that actually comprise the band, right? Well, Jeff Rosenstock’s band Death Rosenstock certainly doesn’t care what you think — the quintet requires more instruments than any punk band has a right to bring on stage, including xylophones, glockenspiels, a saxophone, synthesizers, drum machines. This is all in addition to their respective guitars and drums. Two and a half years after the release of his 2016 magnum opus WORRY, Rosenstock and his band — some of the hardest workers in rock music — somehow managed to release another album (POST-), while spending 90% of their time touring the world. Now, the never-ending tour is finally coming to an end with a run of four sold-out hometown shows at New York’s Bowery Ballroom during the first week of February, all of which will be put to tape to commemorate the final gigs of almost three years spent on the road.–Zac Gelfand

Check out the announced tour dates for Jeff Rosenstock here.

28. Jenny Lewis

Philip Cosores

It’s been widely said that the best contemporary indie rock is coming from women, and Jenny Lewis has been showing that to be true for nearly 20 years. Her work now as a solo artist is practically as important as her work with Rilo Kiley, and this year finds her hitting the road to bring her upcoming album, On The Line, to fans around the world. She’s playing mostly theaters along with scattered festivals, including Bottlerock in Napa and High Water Festival in Charleston.–P.C.

Check out the current Jenny Lewis tour dates here.

27. Anderson .Paak

Philip Cosores

Anderson .Paak will be embarking on the Andy’s Beach Club World Tour starting in February, performing songs from Oxnard and the rest of his catalog. .Paak and his Free Nationals band will start the tour with a North American leg before crossing the pond to Europe for 13 more sure-to-be-exciting dates.–A.G.

Check out the current tour dates for Anderson .Paak here.

26. Paul McCartney

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There aren’t many artists that can pull off the stadium show. And though there are a few contemporary musicians who manage — Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Coldplay — a lot of them fall more into the realm of legacy acts. But a Paul McCartney concert isn’t a case of just a Baby Boomer performing to those in his own age range. These concerts become multi-generational affairs as his tunes are rediscovered by further generations. Following the release of his recent Egypt Station last year, Macca is slowly rolling out dates that will keep him on the road throughout 2019, including stops in South America and an appearance at Dodger Stadium.–P.C.

Check out the current tour dates for Paul McCartney here.

25. Metric

Don’t call it a comeback, but Metric put out one of their best albums in a nearly 20-year history last year. Art Of Doubt is a collection of seething, magnetic, incredibly hooky new songs, and Emily Haines and co already debuted them live by opening up for the legendary Smashing Pumpkins. If that didn’t get them pumped up for their own headlining tour, I assume nothing on earth will. And since it’s Metric, I’m more than positive it did. While these Canadians careen all over the US this spring, you’re going to want to see them perform “Dressed To Suppress” and “Now Or Never Now” before these songs join their personal band canon as all-time bangers. Haines has a presence that is palpable, even from the cheap seats, and her connection with longtime collaborator and guitarist James Shaw is musical chemistry that has to be seen to be believed.–C.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Metric here.

24. Blueface

You should go see Blueface because Drake co-signs him and Drake hasn’t been wrong for a really long time (possible ill-advised Chris Brown collaboration aside). But past the big name glamour of being The Boy’s favorite new rapper, Blue demonstrates a palpable love for the game and for performing. Before he received reams of glowing internet profiles and his Youtube views regularly crossed the eight digit mark, he was polling local high school students to find out where we should stage impromptu parking lot concerts and pulling up with rambunctious, catchy turn-up anthems like “Bleed It” and “Respect My Crypn.” You can hate on his unorthodox flow all you want, but you won’t be able to deny his infectious energy or his hypnotic, post-hyphy, ratchet-party-rap beats. You may even find yourself converted from skeptic to a believer that Blueface really is the “Next Big Thing.”–A.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Blueface here.

23. Mitski

Philip Cosores

Uproxx’s Chloe Gilke saw Mitski live towards the end of the last year, and she described her experience, “Mitski has built an invisible screen between herself and her audience. She’s performing for us, but our energy bounces back into ourselves. In a crowd of 1700, we can still feel the profound loneliness of her music, and be simultaneously moved and unsettled by her talent and the show she puts on for us.” For those who missed out on Mitski’s stunning North American shows in 2018, she’ll be returning in 2019 with stops in the eastern half of the country, in March and April.–D.R.

Check out the current tour dates for Mitski here.

22. Travis Scott

Philip Cosores

Astroworld was one of the biggest rap albums of 2018, and Travis looks to capitalize during the second leg of the Astroworld: Wish You Were Here tour which starts on January 25 in Vancouver then heads steadily east, ending in Charlotte on March 24. The first leg of the tour was so heavily anticipated that he actually had to add dates in cities like New York and LA, exemplifying his newfound rap stardom and the near-universal love for Astroworld.–A.G.

Check out the current tour dates for Travis Scott dates here.

21. Roddy Ricch

Despite Roddy Ricch‘s relative newcomer status, this Compton native has already mastered controlling even sizable crowds like the one at 2018 Rolling Loud in Los Angeles. He’s also a rising star whose hit singles “Every Season” and “Die Young” are not only inescapably catchy but viscerally relatable and honest. He’s got a positively jaw-dropping degree of polish about him, from his recordings to his charismatic stage presence, that means you won’t end up watching an out-of-depth Soundcloud star fumble his way through half-remembered bars. Roddy has the business aspect of his product nailed down as tightly as his live show, ensuring it’ll be well worth the investment of both your money and your time.–A.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Roddy Ricch here.

20. Shawn Mendes

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If you don’t have your tickets to Shawn Mendes‘ summer tour yet, godspeed. Shawn Mendes: The Tour went on sale all the way back in May 2018 (over a year in advance!), and tickets in most cities are next to impossible to find. Mendes’ star has grown exponentially since the release of his third studio album last spring, and for good reason — he’s got incredible charisma and real deal talent. Mendes puts on an energetic live show, jumping between acoustic heartbreakers, soft piano ballads, and rock anthems with the ease of a true professional. And he’s headlining his first-ever stadium show in September, in his hometown of Toronto. That one sold out, too, but it certainly won’t be Mendes’ last stadium show. With Taylor, Bey, and Ed‘s North American tours all wrapped up for the year, it’s time to welcome a new generation of stadium pop stars to the stage.–Chloe Gilke

Check out the current tour dates for Shawn Mendes here.

19. Greta Van Fleet

Philip Cosores

88-year old Gretna Van Fleet, after whom Greta Van Fleet is named, said recently, “It’s not my favorite music, and the boys know that, but I think they’re very talented, and I support them.” Even though Gretna might not be racking up the Greta plays on Spotify, the band is still bringing back the ’70s-styled rock sound better than just about anybody else doing it today. Like the music that inspired it, Greta Van Fleet’s music is surely the kind that really takes off live. Fortunately, they’re traveling all over the world this year, including North American stops in spring. If you’re still not convinced, they recently got a co-sign from Billy Corgan, who said that the “sky’s the limit for where they can go.”–D.R.

Check out the current tour dates for Greta Van Fleet here.

18. Maren Morris

2018 was the year country singer-songwriter Maren Morris became a star. With a hit pop song (the massive, inescapable “The Middle”) and a handful of country radio hits, Morris has the kind of cross-over appeal that’s unheard of unless your name is Taylor Swift. Morris has been dropping hints that her second studio album is coming very soon — she teased an announcement to her fan club on Twitter, and has hosted listening parties of the finished album for her fans. Morris opened for former One Direction singer Niall Horan on tour last summer, and although she hasn’t announced anything official yet, I’d place my bets on a summer or fall headlining tour. Her breezy, joyful country would sound right at home at an outdoor amphitheater, and “The Middle” alone could fill the lawn easily. Morris hasn’t officially announced a tour yet, but we’ll let you know the minute she does.–C.G.

Check out the current tour dates for Maren Morris here.

17. Vince Staples / JPEGMAFIA

Philip Cosores

Two of the rap game’s most iconoclastic, hilarious personalities will be joining forces early this year when Vince Staples goes on tour with JPEGMAFIA along with Compton upstart Buddy during the Smile, You’re On Camera tour. All three artists had big years in 2018, with JPEGMAFIA’s breakout Veteran project, Buddy’s eclectic Harlon And Alondra, and Vince Staples’ FM!. Vince has announced more music coming this year, and it’s possible JPEGMAFIA and Buddy may also have new music to perform during the 37-date North American tour.–A.G.

Check out the current tour dates for Vince Staples here.

16. James Blake

Philip Cosores

As it stands now, there’s a lot of mystery surrounding James Blake’s goings-on. Is his new album, Assume Form, really coming out at the end of January? Does the tracklist really include features from Travis Scott, Andre 3000, Metro Boomin, and others? However the questions to those answers shake out, we do know one thing for sure: Blake is going on tour in 2019. In late winter and early spring, he’ll find himself in Boston, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major North American destinations. Seeing Blake live is its own reward, but you’ll also be gifted a copy of his new album if you buy yourself a ticket.–D.R.

Check out the current tour dates for James Blake here.

15. Maggie Rogers

Philip Cosores

Maryland native Maggie Rogers has already won over Pharrell Williams as one of his students, impressed the festival circuit when she had little recorded output, taken to arena tours with Mumford & Sons, and appeared on Saturday Night Live. And this is all before she released her debut album. With that record set to drop this month, Maggie Rogers is ready for the next stage of her career, which will include her Coachella debut and slots at venues across the US and abroad with capacity in the thousands. Maggie Rogers has clearly arrived, and anyone that’s seen her perform can attest to her ability to back up the hype.–P.C.

Check out the current tour dates for Maggie Rogers here.

14. Meek Mill

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We very nearly lost the chance to ever see Meek Mill onstage again, which means we almost missed out on moments like his squashed beef with Drake and the oh-so-intense live rendition of his stirring, fan-favorite “Dreams And Nightmares Intro.” Seriously, you have to see this — thousands of people reciting the lyrics live as the song builds to its emotional peak and the cathartic release when the beat drops is the most spiritual experience you can have outside a church on the last day of revival. Meek is also an impeccable performer with an absolutely ridiculous list of hits that you may have forgotten about but will be delighted to be reminded of.–A.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Meek Mill here.

13. Kacey Musgraves

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Yes, Kacey Musgraves dominated 2018 — but what makes you think she’s going to rest on her laurels when Golden Hour just got done topping year-end lists and picking up prestigious Grammy nominations? With a booking on the coveted Coachella bill — notice that she’s made the jump over from Stagecoach in 2019 — Kacey is ready to enter the mainstream like a full-blown pop star, it’s just that she hasn’t lost any of her songwriting precision or elegant country charm in the meantime. If you haven’t been to a Kacey Musgraves show yet, then 2019 has to be your year, they’re chock full of pitch-perfect renditions of her gorgeous songs, and usually stacked with a must-hear cover or two. A lot of these shows are already sold out, so do what you must to secure your spot, and look out for more dates and festival appearances sure to be announced soon.–C.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Kacey Musgraves here.

12. Chance The Rapper

Philip Cosores

Chance The Rapper has said at the end of 2018 that he’s taking a break from music to “learn the word of God” outside of the country. Once he gets back to the states, it’s likely that the Chicago artist will take his new lessons on the road during a tour — potentially performing a new album? Time will tell, but we’ll be watching.–A.G.

Check out the current tour dates for Chance The Rapper here.

11. Cardi B

Philip Cosores

Cardi B puts on a wild, rambunctious, uninhibited show. At Coachella last year, her stage was relatively simple, yet the level of unrestrained energy on display was enough to make the audience blush. The dancers worked their butts off on the sturdy scaffolding Cardi performed in front of as a reference to her start as a dancer herself. At the time, she was too pregnant to put on any gymnastic displays of her own, but I got the impression that she was itching to get up there and strut her stuff herself. That she did all this while flawlessly maintaining her breath control on empowering, raunchy anthems like “Bickenhead” and “I Like It” just made the whole thing that much more impressive.–A.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Cardi B here.

10. The 1975

Philip Cosores

The state of rock music in 2019 is uncertain; Just look at the list of 2019 Grammy nominees for that. As Uproxx’s Philip Cosores put it, “We knew rock was in a weird place, but this solidifies just how precarious it is.” That said, it would appear that The 1975 emerged as the most important rock band of 2018, and they’ll be bringing their album A Brief Inquiry Into Relationships on the road in 2019. The group will be in North America in the spring, with stops in New York, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, and other locales between March and June.–D.R.

Check out the current tour dates for The 1975 here.

9. Lana Del Rey

Philip Cosores

When “Venice Bitch” came sweeping through toward final days of 2018 to steamroll any expectations the world may have about what Lana Del Rey can do, it became clear that LDR LP6 was going to enter a new dimension for the already iconic pop star. Once you add in the fact that the album is called Norman F*cking Rockwell, well, things get even more interesting. Followed up with the glowy second single “Mariners Apartment Complex” it’s pretty clear that LDR’s next record will be extremely California-focused. Will she put on a special show strictly for the hometown crowd? Will the rest of the LP get even more psychedelic? Which hip-hop stars will she select to collaborate with this time, and is there a chance one of them will head out on tour with her? Whatever she does, it’s going to be massive, mysterious, and unmissable.–C.W.

Check out Lana Del Rey’s current tour dates here.

8. Tame Impala

Philip Cosores

Tame Impala offered up their last album in 2015, the excellent Currents, and toured extensively behind that. After some time off the road, Kevin Parker took his psychedelic troupe back on the road for limited festival appearances in 2018, and 2019 is looking like it could be even bigger. The band has already lined up headlining slots at the likes of Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Shaky Knees in Atlanta, and the crown jewel of headlining Saturday night at this year’s Coachella. In a time when rock music is rapidly disappearing from festivals, Tame is maintaining relevance through collaboration with electronic and hip-hop artists. Who knows if this will manifest in the live shows and expected new music, but regardless, there might not be a more important rock band on the planet in 2019.– P.C.

Check out Tame Impala’s current tour dates here.

7. King Princess

King Princess‘ entire North American tour has already sold out, but if you’re lucky enough to have a ticket, get ready for an incredible show. I got to see KP at one of her first-ever shows last summer, and even though she’d only taken the stage as King Princess once or twice before that night, the singer had incredible, natural command over her audience. Her stage banter is so funny she could be a professional comedian, and it’s a treat to hear her perform unreleased songs. Since the release of her EP, Make My Bed, last summer, KP has crept her way up to the upper rows of festival lineups and racked up millions upon millions of streams on Spotify. She’s sure to get even bigger in 2019 — catch King Princess playing clubs now so you can see her sell out arenas and say “I knew her when.”–C.G.

Check out the current tour dates (including festival dates) for King Princess here.

6. Sharon Van Etten

In October, Sharon Van Etten announced her new album, Comeback Kid. As far as that title applies to her, she’s not wrong: This is her first album since 2014’s Are We There, and a lot has happened between then and now. In the past five years, she’s done everything from have a baby to go to school for psychology to make an appearance in the Netflix series The OA. It’s been a while since Van Etten has been on a proper tour, so it will be interesting to see how the myriad of experiences she has had since her last one will affect her next one.–D.R.

Check out the current tour dates for Sharon Van Etten here.

5. JID

JID didn’t get to go on the Swimming tour after it was canceled in the wake of the tragic death of headliner Mac Miller last September, but now he’ll be headlining his own international tour during the first quarter of this year. His Dicaprio 2 album was an 11th-hour entry into the rap album of the year conversation, and now he’ll be performing it all over the world at the Catch Me If You Can tour, first during a 34-city college tour, and then in major markets for the second leg.–A.G.

Check the current tour dates out here.

4. Vampire Weekend

Philip Cosores

The last time Uproxx saw Vampire Weekend, it was in Ojai, California last year when they played their breakthrough debut in its entirety. At the time, we thought that new music was imminent, but here we are half a year later with still no new tunes. That should change at any moment and the band has already begun confirming major festival appearances both in Europe and in the US for 2019. There might not be a band in the last ten years that feels more in tune with both where culture was in the aughts and where it has wound up in the decade that followed. And with an expanded lineup to replace the departed Rostam, Vampire Weekend’s best live shows might be in front of them.–P.C.

Check out Vampire Weekend’s current tour dates here.

3. Noname

Philip Cosores

I got the chance to check out Noname last year at Coachella and despite the small stage and the early set time, she was a black hole of engagement, drawing in curious onlookers and longtime fans alike. It helps that she brings an infectious, girl-next-door charm to her live set, and has a kickass live band that teases out all the nuances of her songs’ intricate compositions. If she’s a vocal jazz performer as much as she is a rapper — which many, many publications have seen fit to allow her — then the most effective way to consume and process her music is live, just like with any other jazz performer. Oh, and she’ll probably be touring with Saba and Smino, which makes her the musical equivalent of a Balenciaga BOGO sale, giving you a lot of quality for a really good price.–A.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Noname here.

2. Robyn

Philip Cosores

Late last year one of the most enigmatic pop stars in the world finally returned to her feverish fans, delivering an album that would both surprise and delight them. After an eight year hiatus, Robyn’s Honey swept through the pop world with pomp and circumstance that made it more than an album; this was a statement of purpose and renewal from an artist who had been through tragedy, and re-emerged stronger than ever. The tour scheduled behind her new record promises to bring that same energy to fans in arenas across the world, proving that no matter what obstacles you face, the answer has always been right there, all along, just waiting for the right moment. Robyn is the ultimate example to her fans that you should never give up on your dreams, or your hope, or your honey — because it’s in the music.–C.W.

Check out the current tour dates for Robyn here.

1. Ariana Grande

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Ariana Grande‘s Sweetener World Tour is the can’t-miss concert event of 2019. After the massive success of last year’s Sweetener (one of our best albums of 2018) and the deafening hype surrounding her upcoming album Thank U, Next, Grande has cemented herself as one of the biggest and most exciting acts in pop music right now. The singer, who was just announced as the youngest-ever person to headline Coachella, has a completely wild tour schedule — playing as many as five or six shows a week, with four (!!) dates each in Los Angeles and New York. With rising R&B-pop star Normani opening, and five albums’ worth of material to perform, Grande’s tour is sure to be nothing short of spectacular.–C.G.

Check out the current tour dates for Ariana Grande here.

source https://uproxx.com/music/anticipated-concert-tours-2019/

#hiphop #hip hop legend #hip hop history #hip hop #music #trending #hip hop news #ballin #hip hop scen

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virginiamurrayblog · 6 years

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Teenage Boys Are Slaying the Makeup Game—and I’m Salty

Photo illustration: Ka Lee and Joel Louzado

Whenever I walked into a drugstore as a teenager, I would always feel the hairs on my neck raise as I passed the forbidden land: The Makeup Aisle. All the different brands and products were *so* overwhelming, and also totally intriguing. But as a young, Indo-Canadian man who wasn’t publicly out yet, I didn’t feel like I could partake in its mysteries. Until I moved out for school, that is. By then, I felt less restricted by judgemental high school peers and watchful family members, so I decided that my getting-cute routine could consist of more than just moisturizer. I told my girlfriends that I wanted to buy a concealer, news that prompted immediate screams of excitement. We drove to the nearest drugstore, and they each made their case for which brand I should buy. (None of their picks had options dark enough for me to use, but that’s another issue.) I chose one that seemed close enough to my skin tone and left before anyone else I knew spotted me. I felt quite insecure and anxious that day, but little did I know that crusty little concealer would open up a whole world of self-exploration.

Three years after that fateful Shoppers adventure, men are taking up a larger place in the world of makeup. Social media is full of young male gurus, like James Charles or Manny Gutierrez, who feel confident enough to express themselves using foundation—and so much more. But while seeing them genuinely makes me happy, when I scroll past 10-year-old instabaddies and 15-year-old beauty bloggers, I’m also faced with this overwhelming feeling of jealousy. It’s more than just being envious of someone who has achieved success at a young age—it’s that I can’t help but wish I had that much confidence (and support) when I was that age.

Instagram was just establishing itself when I was in grade nine, so I didn’t have influencers like Charles or Gutierrez to look up to. Until I was about 17, I didn’t even realize that makeup could be for men. In my naive little head, makeup on men was for Halloween and goth punks only. The first time I saw a man wear eyeshadow and lipstick casually was when I stumbled across a YouTuber by the name of Miles Jai. What intrigued me most about Miles was that, at the time, he presented femininely but still identified as male. Though he has since come out as non-binary, his videos were eye-opening for me; for the first time, I realized I could express myself in more traditionally feminine ways, yet still define my own gender.

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Even though my parents know about my makeup and sexuality, I still can’t wear lipstick in front of them without feeling embarrassed

It took time before I felt ready to rock makeup as openly as Miles Jai. Being a teenager is tough, but being a teenager who’s also gay and Indian came with another set of challenges. Homosexuality is still illegal in India, which has a large impact on the way that Indian people, even in the diaspora, view men. Not only is homophobia rampant and common, but older straight men project their toxic masculinity onto their descendants. Just having my relatives chirp me for choosing arts over sports was enough to scare me away from makeup and anything deemed even relatively “girly.”

That’s partially why, when I see white boys who are makeup artists, I see a lot of other things in addition to their outstanding talent.

It is a monumental privilege to be able to do something that’s unacceptable in your culture without having to worry about your safety and mental health. The fear of an auntie or uncle seeing me in lipstick was enough to stifle my creativity for years. I’m not saying that this fear doesn’t exist for other cultures as well—wearing makeup as a man is scary no matter who you are. But issues of gender expression and sexuality are just not the same for a white person as they are for a person of colour.

And even when I did start buying makeup and experimenting with different looks, I still worried about what my family would think—especially when I moved back home after first year to save some coin. After a year of wearing makeup openly, it became something I did exclusively at night, when everyone was asleep. Taking pictures of my makeup and later posting them on Instagram (where most of my family was blocked, thank you) was the one thing that kept me from feeling less frustrated and alone.

follow @joellouzado for more! – Genderisasocialconstruct Dowhatyouwant!!! #MondayMotivation – DETAILS EYES @hudabeauty Mauve Obsessions palette @colourpopcosmetics Golden State of Mind Palette @stilacanada Magnificent Metals liquid glitter shadow in Kitten Karma @nyxcosmetics_canada Epic Ink liner – FACE @fentybeauty ProFiltr foundation in 380 @colourpopcosmetics No Filter concealer in Dark 40 @narsissist Liquid Blush in Torrid – LIPS like five different things that i don’t remember lol yikes

A post shared by joel (@joellouzado) on Aug 20, 2018 at 3:30pm PDT

Knowing how important Instagram was to me, it’s easy to see how much harder it was for feminine men before the rise of social media. Timothy Chan, a 33-year-old PR professional in Toronto, told me that he wore foundation to cover acne scars as a teen, but it wasn’t until he went to university in 2003 that he truly started to explore makeup. That’s when he tried out eye makeup as a form of self-expression, to mixed reactions. “My friends and peers were supportive and appreciated the artistry, but it was not always well-received by others,” he says. “It was common for people to stare and even verbally harass me.”

I’ve definitely had my own experiences with harassment because of my makeup. Recently, I was on the subway alone after a dinner with friends. When I got onto a mostly-empty subway car rocking a subtle smoky eye, a man sitting a few seats over made some extremely non-flirty eye contact with me. I’m used to stares by now, and usually staring back will make them look away quickly (a superpower I hold close to my heart). However, when I looked back at the man, he didn’t look away. Immediately, I looked down—I didn’t feel like this was someone I wanted to challenge. Sure enough, seconds later, I heard, “What are you looking at, faggot?” The five or six minutes it took to get to my stop felt like an eternity. I was just grateful that he didn’t get off the subway with me.

Wearing makeup as a man feels like an open invitation for people to judge my sexuality

Clearly, as far as we’ve come, many straight men are still not comfortable with other men expressing themselves in traditionally feminine ways. Although I came out to my family and close friends by the time I was 16, I wasn’t publicly out until I was in my last year of high school. So, wearing makeup before that would have amounted to raising a question that I wasn’t even comfortable answering for myself. Maybe my jealousy stems from not being able to be true to myself at that early an age? I robbed myself of any opportunity of trying anything in makeup, because I was scared that I would be seen as gay before I was ready for the world to know.

I decided to speak to a real-life Teenager who could give me some insight on what it’s like to grow up with makeup. Kevin Kodra, who recently graduated from a Toronto high school, went viral this year when he posted a pic of his perfectly beat mug in his grad photo. Kodra started playing with makeup before he even got to high school, and by the age of 16 had perfected his skill. “I remember watching [drag queens like] Willam and Courtney Act, and I was mesmerized,” he says. This isn’t surprising, as drag artistry has always had a large influence on makeup practices.

“I couldn’t even get my A’s straight” In honour of my 18th birthday, here’s my senior photo . Really though, 17 was a wild year. I made memories that I’ll never forget. Thank you to everyone who was by my side every single day. From friends to family and even you guys, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Let’s grab 18 by the balls and make it my bitch ps. Can y’all stop with the James Charles comparisons, we’re literally two different people. It’s not fair to either of us.

A post shared by Kevin Kodra (@kevikodra) on Apr 30, 2018 at 4:48pm PDT

Kodra’s introduction to makeup and social media happened at a much earlier age than mine, or Chan’s. The difference shows in the way that people respond to his makeup. He claims that he has never felt unsafe in Toronto. “Of course I feel the stares behind my back, but the second I turn around, they put their head down,” he said. “I’m extremely thankful to live in a city that’s predominantly accepting.”

Though I agree that Toronto is accepting, I’m not sure that I have the same positive belief about the community. I understand that everyone’s experience is different and neither Kodra nor I represent a universal reality. But, I don’t think his story should necessarily be taken as a sign that all gay people and feminine men in Toronto are safe. The number of hate crimes against gay people in Canada has actually increased over the past few years, after all. It may just be that teens like Kodra are now growing up with more access to information about the LGBTQ community, and an overall greater understanding to breaking gender roles. Seeing people in media owning who they are can truly make a difference in the way that they see themselves.

I need to focus this negative energy into more positive change

Even now, when my parents know (and are proud of) my makeup, I still feel a sense of embarrassment when I have to tell them I can’t come down for dinner because I’m in the middle of doing a glitter cut crease. It is a learned behaviour that comes from years of hiding who I was. But I’ve come a long way since buying that first concealer. I’ve expanded both my makeup collection and repertoire (I learned that I love the artistry involved in makeup, and I’m like, not bad at it TBH), and over time I’ve found met more men who wear makeup, both online and in person. Of course, I know that compared to the men who came before me, I’ve had an easier time. I’m sure that older people look at me the same way that I look at teenagers like Kodra, wishing that they started living their lives openly as early as I did. While Chan and Kodra went through their journey to acceptance in makeup at different times, their stories aren’t that different, and aren’t that different from mine either.

I am grateful for older generations of men who wore makeup before me. They must have felt very alone, not having role models the way that I do, and it’s only because of them that more and more people are accepting me. And I’m also grateful for younger generations of men who are wearing makeup now. They demonstrate that you can never be too young to follow your passions, and exemplify a level of confidence that we should all aim to own.

please show him this picture and/or my insta page. it wouldve changed my life as a child to have seen another brown boy expressing himself. this story made me super happy pic.twitter.com/Z04vFfKTFA

— joel (@joellouzado) June 20, 2018

Ultimately, I’ve realized that this feeling of jealousy is counterproductive to why I started exploring makeup in the first place. It turns out that my saltiness is not with these teenage white boys themselves. It’s with the media that positions them as heroes, failing to realize that they are *still* only talking about white men. I think we have a long way to go before all men of colour feel as free to express themselves as I do. And who knows, maybe down the road, even straight men can feel confident to pop on some makeup. I take pride in the fact that just by applying mascara, I’m making a political statement. It would make me so happy if little brown boys in the future could feel nothing but pride when they’re putting on mascara, too.

Just Kids? How Today’s Teenagers Became Our Role Models This Edmonton Teen Let FLARE Snoop Through Her Phone For a Week What Tumblr Taught Me About My Gender Identity “People Say You Are a Certain Way Because That’s What You Were like When You Were Five”

The post Teenage Boys Are Slaying the Makeup Game—and I’m Salty appeared first on Flare.

Teenage Boys Are Slaying the Makeup Game—and I’m Salty published first on https://wholesalescarvescity.tumblr.com/

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anavoliselenu · 7 years

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Creighton chapter 16

This.

This is what it’s all about. This feeling makes it all worth it. This feeling is part of the reason why I walked into a hotel room and married a perfect stranger only hours later. Because I can’t imagine never feeling like this again.

I let my head fall back and stare up at the blackness before the roadies start rushing around the stage and clearing my stuff out. I take a deep breath, and my mind instantly goes to the man waiting offstage.

I felt his eyes on me the entire time. Before tonight, I might have worried that Justin would spend the entire set watching and judging me, but his actions in the meet-and-greet room tilted everything off its axis. Not just the fact that he went after the drunk punk who decided he wanted a kiss, but Justin’s own kiss after that. I expected the caveman or the possessive asshole, but what I got was something altogether different.

He’s already changing, and I still haven’t figured out the first Justin I met. All day, he’s been nothing like I imagined he would be. He hasn’t once tried to make today about him or his business. He’s been, for the most part, at my side and supportively following me around.

Don’t expect it to last, Selena. Right now this relationship is a novelty to him. It’ll wear off soon enough.

He’s a thirty-three-year-old billionaire; how could he possibly be content to follow me around? He has an empire to run, and I don’t know how he can possibly run it from a tour bus. There’s no way he would have made it through the long haul before our Christmas break. Part of me wished this second leg of the tour was longer so I could let it test him.

And then the cynic in me—or maybe it’s the realist—also chimes in with much more pertinent and troubling questions.

What if he didn’t like the show? What if the best part of me isn’t good enough for him? Then what do I have to offer?

Self-doubt eats away the after-show high I’m riding, because what else do I have to offer? My pretty face and my apparently magic pussy? Is my only use in being seen—with my legs spread—and not heard?

The questions echo on repeat, kicking my heart rate up faster, until all I can hear is the rush of blood in my ears. At least that drowns out the sound of my mama’s voice telling me I’ll never be anything more than a girl from the trailer park, no matter how many stages I sing on.

A roadie accidentally clips me on the shoulder, and I stumble back into reality.

“Sorry!”

“It’s fine. I’m in the way.”

I regain my balance and walk toward the edge of the stage, trying to reinforce the crumbling walls of my confidence and self-respect.

Thousands of fans were screaming my name. Singing along. Begging for more. What is one man’s opinion compared to that? But he’s not just any man. He’s my husband.

Sweet baby Jesus. Why did I do this? I thought I could marry him and be unaffected, but already I’m letting the thought of his disapproval drive what little hard-won self-assurance I have into the ground.

With JC, I never had to worry about that. But I was the girl who chose to jump from a fake, mostly-gay boyfriend to a very real, very out-of-my-league husband.

I search the edge of the stage and see Justin leaning against a speaker. Every woman in the vicinity has her gaze riveted on him, and I don’t blame them. His arms are crossed, and his golden tan contrasts with the rolled-up cuffs of his white dress shirt. Dark hair is sprinkled across his defined muscles. Even in jeans, which I’m still shocked he owns, he manages to look every inch the ridiculously rich playboy.

His eyes drill into me as I dodge roadies, cords, speakers, and instruments, telling myself that I have no reason to feel inferior to this man, but that doesn’t mean I believe it. I’m still in the fake-it-’til-you-make-it stage of the process.

I desperately want to know what he thought of my performance. The question is bubbling up inside me. I will not ask. I have to grind my teeth to hold it in. In my world, that’s just inviting criticism. Despite my vow, the question comes tumbling out as soon as I’m standing before him.

My smile I wear for the cameras when I really want to run away is in place. “So, what did you think?”

He uncrosses his arms and pushes off the speaker. My heart hammers in my chest as he opens his mouth and then closes it again without speaking. He takes one step toward me, his frown in place.

I wrap my arms around my body, prepared to ward off a verbal blow.

“I watched you last night.”

Shock zings through me at his statement. “In San Antonio? I thought you were just waiting outside to drag me home by my runaway-wife hair.”

“No. I watched the whole damn thing, and you’re insane if you think you shouldn’t be headlining these shows.”

I think my heart stutters to a stop . . . and then restarts with heavy, tripping beats.

“What?” I whisper.

“You’re too good to be an opening act. I don’t know shit about the music industry, and I didn’t think I’d like country music, but I like your music. You’ve got this voice that grabs a man by the throat and won’t let go until the last note fades.”

Speechless, I swallow. Justin reaches out to wrap his hand around my upper arm and steady me.

I’m still recovering from his confession when he asks, “Where to now?”

“Um, backstage for a little bit, and then they’ll come get me for ‘That Girl.’”

His hand slides down my arm to lace his fingers with mine. I let him lead me out back into the hallway toward my dressing room. We hear chants and screaming from Boone’s room as we pass.

People try to talk to me, but I don’t hear them. I just follow Justin, staring at the white dress shirt stretching across his shoulders as his words play on repeat in my head.

“I like your music . . . You’ve got this voice that grabs a man by the throat and won’t let go until the last note fades . . .”

You’d think his compliments would banish the insecurity that’s settled inside me, but instead they unleash a way bigger problem.

I think I could fall for my husband.

“Don’t stop. Please. Don’t stop.” My throaty moan is porn-star worthy.

Justin’s growl vibrates against my clit, and the fingers of one hand grip my hip tighter.

Part of me hopes I’ll have bruises to prove he touched me there. I need some reminder that his amazing Grade-A, blue-ribbon-winning skills are real. Seriously. He deserves an honorary degree from some fancy-pants university for his talents in this area.

I buck my pelvis against his mouth, desperate to get more, and eager to find the edge so I can sail off into an orgasm. I earn a sharp slap to my thigh.

“Hold still, or I won’t let you come.”

“Oh God, please,” I moan.

He lifts his head away, his fingers still buried inside me, and I whimper at the loss of stimulation. “You’ll take what I give you, when I give it to you.”

“I’m already begging. What more do you want from me? Just let me come!”

My eyes flick open as a deep chuckle fills the expanse of my brand-new tour bus. Right now, I couldn’t care less how shiny, fancy, new, and overwhelming it is. I just want to come.

“Bossy thing. Guess it works out that I can’t get enough of this sweet little cunt of yours.”

I know I should climb up on a soapbox and tell him I don’t like that word. The c-word. But my brain has no control over the flood of wetness that hits my center when he says it.

He doesn’t miss it. The two fingers buried in my pussy curl forward, stroking my G-spot.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so wet.”

“Say it again.”

“You’re so—”

“No. What you said before.” I’m babbling now, and I don’t care. I just want more of his dirty words and his devastating tongue.

“That I can’t get enough of this sweet little cunt?”

My inner muscles clench, and he groans. I wish I had the coordination to reach down and stroke his cock, but I’m slumped back on the black leather sofa, and he’s down on his knees before me.

The thought that I’ve somehow brought this man to his knees is enough to shove me to the edge of orgasm.

“I’m going to come.”

Justin lifts his head again. “No, you’re not. Because I’m not done eating your pussy yet.”

“But—”

“You’ll wait until I give you permission.”

Justin lowers his mouth to my pussy and laps at the juices before flicking, nipping, and teasing my clit. I dig my nails into the new leather, not caring what marks I may leave, because suddenly I don’t want to disappoint him by coming before he allows me. The pleasure rises harder and faster, and my control begins to disintegrate.

I open my mouth to beg yet again, but Justin’s words come first, directly against my clit.

“Come for me. Now. Hard.”

I slam my eyes shut as the tension inside me bursts, surging within me and spreading out through every nerve ending. I lose complete control, bucking against him and burying my hands in his hair as I scream his name.

I ride the sensations, and his continued teasing, until I can’t handle any more. I tug his head up and melt into the couch. Holy. Shit. I’d say the man’s tongue should be bronzed, but that would be a waste.

I’m still lazily floating in the post-orgasmic haze, enjoying Justin’s hand smoothing up and down my inner thigh and the press of lips on my hipbone, when someone knocks on the door to the bus.

“Tell them to go away,” I whine.

At any other moment, I might care that I sound like a little brat, but right now, I really, really don’t. All I want is to savor this feeling for a few more minutes, and then give my own knees a workout while I return the favor.

Justin complies with my request, and his deep voice punctures the bus’s silence. “Go the fuck away!”

Points for style to Justin.

The knock comes again.

“Ugh. Really?”

I open my eyes and look toward the clock. Something about nine a.m. is nagging at my brain. We already hit a seven a.m. radio spot, and this little interlude was my reward for actually rolling out of bed on time. Well, that’s what I’m calling it anyway.

Justin rises, eyeing my body, which is naked from the waist down. “As much as I hate to say it, you need to put some more clothes on.”

I let out a grumbling groan that is the opposite of sexy. Luckily, Justin just smiles and adds, “I’ll get the door and distract whoever it is.”

As I peel myself off the couch and stumble toward the back bedroom of the bus, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is what teamwork feels like. And isn’t that what a marriage is supposed to be? Teamwork?

This one-week-old marriage of impulse is starting to feel more real every day, and I’m not certain how I feel about that. It was supposed to be simple. Uncomplicated. An easy way for me to dodge the JC-fake-fiancée situation and try to take some control over my own career—and indulge in a lot more orgasms like the one I just had. But it’s quickly morphing into something else entirely.

Do I want it to be something else? Am I really prepared to make this a real marriage? Is Justin?

I press my thumb and forefinger into my temples, which are starting to ache. I need time to sit and consider this change in our regularly scheduled program so I can decide how to react—but it’s not like I’ve got many spare minutes to sit and ponder while on tour. I can’t help but wonder if it’s just the fact that Justin is out of his element that’s causing things to change.

What happens after the tour? The ache in my head ratchets up to a throb. Great. Don’t have time for a headache.

Male voices come from the living area of the bus, and I hurriedly slip on a pair of yoga pants and glance in the mirror. My hair and my expression clearly communicate just been fucked—which isn’t really fair. Yes, I just had an orgasm, but things were just starting to get good when we were interrupted.

Heading back out to the living area of the bus, still bowled over by the granite countertops, leather couches, and dark cherrywood interior that is altogether fancier than any bus I’ve ever been on before, I remember why nine a.m. was nagging at me.

Because I have an appointment scheduled. With a songwriter. Except no one bothered to tell me it was Vale Garcia.

Fudge sticks.

I plaster on a congenial smile. “Look what the cat dragged in,” I drawl.

Vale’s grin is knowing, and I fight the urge to grit my teeth.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt,” he says.

Justin looks from Vale to me. “I take it you two have worked together before?”

Vale stares at me as he answers Justin. “Selena and I worked very closely together right after she won Country Dreams. Isn’t that right, Hols?”

He couldn’t be any more obvious than if he scrawled the words I did everything but bang your wife in fat black Sharpie on a yellow neon piece of poster board and waved it around over his head. Except to a casual observer, Vale’s smug smile probably did say I banged your wife—which isn’t true.

I respond with what I hope is ego-deflating nonchalance. “The last year has been such a whirlwind, I can barely remember what I was doing a few minutes ago.” I slide in closer to Justin and glance up at him. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Some things I remember very vividly.”

Smiling back at Vale, I wonder if my expression looks half as smug as I think it does. “I apologize; I’m being so rude. Vale, this is my husband, Justin Karas. Justin, this is Vale Garcia.”

Vale reaches out, and he and Justin shake hands, clearly taking each other’s measure.

“I guessed,” Vale says, dropping Justin’s hand after a moment. His eyes cut back to me. “Still surprised you decided to settle down with a one-night stand. Thought you were against those?”

Justin’s shoulders stiffen. “I’d watch what you say right about now, Mr. Garcia. You’re speaking about my wife.” His tone communicates barely leashed anger.

“I don’t mean anything by it. Just jealous, I guess. I’m big enough to admit that I wish I could’ve been the one to catch her.”

I clear my throat. “All right then. Moving on. Vale, while don’t you settle in, and I’ll grab my notes.”

The man might be an asshole who stomped out of my hotel room when I wouldn’t let him complete his slide into home base—only to find his way into another woman’s room only a few hours later—but he’s also a damn good songwriter.

Justin’s arm tenses under my palm, and I’m pretty clear on the fact that he doesn’t want Vale anywhere near me, especially not alone.

I drag Justin toward the bedroom with me. Well, drag is a bit of an overstatement. I’m under no illusions that he’s following my tugging grip for any reason other than he wants to.

Once I pull him into the room and shut the door, I blurt, “I didn’t sleep with him. It was a close thing, which I’m sure you picked up on, but what I told you before was true. It had been a long time for me before you. Anyway, I want you to know that there’s absolutely no reason to get weird about Vale.”

Justin’s eyes are practically burning holes in me. “This isn’t me getting weird, Selena. This is me getting fucking jealous.” He jams a hand into his thick brown hair. “And I don’t fucking like it. I hate knowing that he’s touched you.”

I’m silent, because I honestly have no idea how to respond. But then again, I’m also aware that Vale is waiting. He’s about to wait a little longer.

I grab a fistful of Justin’s T-shirt and yank him toward me. “Then kiss me. Mark me. Let him know that I’m absolutely and completely out of his reach because I belong to you.”

Where those words—hell, those thoughts—came from, I have no idea. I’ve rebelled against the very idea of being Justin’s possession since the day we said “I do,” but this is something totally different. This is something I’m desperate for. I’m not willing to put a label on it yet, and it’s nothing I’ve ever wanted in my life. At least, not that I would admit to before.

Justin studies me, and I’m not sure what he concludes, but he doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arm under my ass and haul me up against him. His mouth lands on mine with an almost crazed intensity. It’s all lips and teeth and tongue as we devour each other.

I throw one arm around his neck and scrape the nails of my other hand along the back of his neck and up into his hair. The kiss lasts only a minute—maybe two—but when he lowers me to the floor, my legs are shaking and my heart is hammering so hard, I feel like it could break a rib.

That just-been-fucked look? I don’t need to look in the mirror to know I’m now sporting it in spades. My panties are soaked, and there’s nothing I want more in this moment than to beg him to bend me over the bed and bang the hell out of me.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” He leans in. “And you’re mine. Don’t forget it, and don’t you let him fucking forget it.”

My nod is jerky, and Justin turns, yanks open the door, and stalks out of the room. I ease the door shut again with trembling fingers and quickly strip out of my yoga pants, change my underwear, and jam my legs into a pair of jeans.

I take a deep, relaxing breath, attempting to slow my heart rate back down to a level that doesn’t feel like it’s about to explode. When I exit the bedroom, notebook in hand, Justin is lingering at the front of the bus and Vale is settled into a chair, notebook propped up on the arm and his guitar in his lap.

Justin’s eyes snap to me, and my feet take me directly in front of him without any conscious thought on my part. He brushes my hair away from my face and cups my jaw. “I need to go take care of something. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

His explanation is vague and my curiosity is piqued. What could Justin possibly need to do in Dallas that would take a few hours? But I don’t question him.

I’m learning to trust, I tell myself. After all, isn’t that what he’s doing by leaving me alone with Vale?

“Okay. Want to plan to meet up at noon for lunch? I’ve got a radio thing from two to three, and then I’m free until I have to get ready for the meet and greet.”

“That works for me,” Justin says.

I close the distance between us and lean up on my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. “One more for the road,” I whisper, feeling very wife-like.

I’m still absorbing that thought when he steps away and again brushes a lock of hair behind my ear, leaving my own taste on my lips. I like knowing I’ve marked him too.

“One will never be enough,” he replies before his lips skim across mine once more. He turns and heads for the door.

I’m still standing there like a love-struck fool when he steps off the bus.

I lower my guitar with the last chord of “Lost on Fifth Avenue” hanging in the air between Vale and me. He’s silent for long moments, and my heart rate kicks up, waiting for his opinion. I might think it’s awesome, but he’s the one with a couple of Grammys on his shelf, and all I have is instinct.

Finally, Vale speaks. “You’re going to kill it with that song. Absolutely kill it. You’ve come a hell of a long way since the last project we worked on, if all your stuff is like this now.”

My heart thuds even harder. “You think it’s . . . good?”

“Selena, this song is the shit. I’ve been doing this long enough to know what’s good and what’s really fucking good, and you’ve just written a chart-topper, girl. I take it you wrote this one recently.”

He raises an eyebrow. Given the lyrics, it’s clear that I wrote it after I met Justin in New York. The song is all about feeling small in the big city, and realizing that as long as you have at least one thing anchoring you, you can’t get too lost.

When I originally started writing it, the anchor I was talking about was my music . . . but listening to it now, I know that the anchor is not a thing, but a person. This man that I’m way too attached to.

I remember that Vale asked a question. “Yes, I wrote it recently. I’ve got two more, if you don’t think we need to rework this one.”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t want to fuck with this one. Besides, if we start messing with it, then I’ll have to take credit for part of it, and this one is really all you, babe.”

His endearment hangs in the air, just like the earlier chords did.

“I probably shouldn’t call you that, huh? The billionaire will come rip my balls off and feed them to me.”

A chuckle slips from my lips. “He’s a little territorial.”

“With good reason. I’m just glad the man knows he’s got his hands on someone he needs to treasure. I didn’t get that before it was too late. You’re a special woman, Selena Wix, and whatever emotions he’s pulled from you, they’re going to shine bright in your songs. Have you played them for him?”

I blink a few times. “Played them for him? Um, no. No, I haven’t.”

I think about the next song I’m going to play for Vale, and my stomach rolls. I bare my soul in these lyrics, and to an average fan, it’s not a big thing. But to someone who actually knows me? I might have written the thing in my own blood because that’s my heart written right on the lined notebook paper. My hopes, but mostly my fears.

“You realize he’s going to hear them eventually, right? That’s kind of what you do.” Vale has his head tilted and he’s speaking slowly, like I’m an idiot.

“I know, but . . . I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

His eyebrows go up. “Didn’t expect the marriage to last long enough for the record to come out first?”

My glare is automatic, but the answer is probably written on my face anyway. I still, even now, have a hard time seeing how this is going to work, and long-term isn’t a concept I’ve let myself get comfortable with. My life has been so focused on just making it from one day to the next that I haven’t spent much time thinking about it.

“How about we move on to the next one? We’ve got,” I glance at the clock on the wall, “a couple more hours, so we should use them wisely. After all, I’ve got five more songs to deliver for this big-box exclusive.”

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virginiamurrayblog · 6 years

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Teenage Boys Are Slaying The Makeup Game—And I’m Salty

Photo illustration: Ka Lee and Joel Louzado

Whenever I walked into a drugstore as a teenager, I would always feel the hairs on my neck raise as I passed the forbidden land: The Makeup Aisle. All the different brands and products were *so* overwhelming, and also totally intriguing. But as a young, Indo-Canadian man who wasn’t publicly out yet, I didn’t feel like I could partake in its mysteries. Until I moved out for school, that is. By then, I felt less restricted by judgemental high school peers and watchful family members, so I decided that my getting-cute routine could consist of more than just moisturizer. I told my girlfriends that I wanted to buy a concealer, news that prompted immediate screams of excitement. We drove to the nearest drugstore, and they each made their case for which brand I should buy. (None of their picks had options dark enough for me to use, but that’s another issue). I chose one that seemed close enough to my skin tone and left before anyone else I knew spotted me. I felt quite insecure and anxious that day, but little did I know that crusty little concealer would open up a whole world of self-exploration.

Three years after that fateful Shoppers adventure, men are taking up a larger place in the world of makeup. Social media is full of young male gurus, like James Charles or Manny Gutierrez, who feel confident enough to express themselves using makeup. But while seeing them genuinely makes me happy, when I scroll past 10-year-old instabaddies and 15-year-old beauty bloggers, I’m also faced with this overwhelming feeling of jealousy. It’s more than just being envious of someone who has achieved success at a young age—it’s that I can’t help but wish I had that much confidence (and support) when I was that age.

youtube

Even though my parents know about my makeup and sexuality, I still can’t wear lipstick in front of them without feeling embarrassed

It took time before I felt ready to rock makeup as openly as Miles Jai. Being a teenager is tough, but being a teenager who’s also gay and Indian came with another set of challenges. Homosexuality is still illegal in India, which has a large impact on the way that Indian people, even in the diaspora, view men. Not only is homophobia rampant and common, but older straight men project their toxic masculinity onto their descendants. Just having my relatives chirp me for choosing arts over sports was enough to scare me from makeup and anything deemed even relatively “girly.”

That’s partially why, when I see white boys who are makeup artists, I see a lot of other things in addition to their outstanding talent.

And even when I did start buying makeup and experimenting with different looks, I still worried about what my family would think—especially when I moved back home after first year to save some coin. After a year of wearing makeup openly, it became something done exclusively at night, when everyone was asleep. Taking pictures of my makeup and later posting them on Instagram (where most of my family was blocked, thank you) was the one thing that kept me from feeling less frustrated and alone.

A post shared by joel (@joellouzado) on Aug 20, 2018 at 3:30pm PDT

Wearing makeup as a man feels like an open invitation for people to judge my sexuality

Clearly, as far as we’ve come, many straight men are still not comfortable with other men expressing themselves in traditionally feminine ways. Although I came out to my family and close friends by the time I was 15 or 16, I wasn’t publicly out until I was in my last year of high school. So, wearing makeup before that would have amounted to raising a question that I wasn’t even comfortable answering for myself. Maybe my jealousy stems from not being able to be true to myself at that early an age? I robbed myself of any opportunity of trying anything in makeup, because I was scared that I would be seen as gay before I was ready for the world to know.

A post shared by Kevin Kodra (@kevikodra) on Apr 30, 2018 at 4:48pm PDT

I need to focus this negative energy into more positive change

please show him this picture and/or my insta page. it wouldve changed my life as a child to have seen another brown boy expressing himself. this story made me super happy pic.twitter.com/Z04vFfKTFA

— joel (@joellouzado) June 20, 2018

Ultimately, I’ve realized that this feeling of jealousy is counterproductive to why I started exploring makeup in the first place. It turns out that my saltiness is not with these teenage white boys themselves. It’s with the media that positions them as heroes, failing to realize that they are *still* only talking about white men. I think we still have a long way to go before all men of colour feel as free to express themselves as I do. And who knows, maybe down the road, even straight men can feel confident to pop on some makeup. I take pride in the fact that just by putting on some mascara, I’m making a political statement. It would make me so happy if little brown boys in the future could feel nothing but pride when they’re putting on mascara, too.

The post Teenage Boys Are Slaying The Makeup Game—And I’m Salty appeared first on Flare.

Teenage Boys Are Slaying The Makeup Game—And I’m Salty published first on https://wholesalescarvescity.tumblr.com/

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