Shout Out To Everyone Who Participated In The January-february Mass Depressive Episode

A little chaos is a good thing.

(Photos taken from Pinterest)

𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔟𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔰 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔠𝔞𝔫 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔞 𝔪𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔦𝔬𝔫 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢𝔰 📚

You are a magnificent individual.

On the point about physical beauty - I've always pictured it like a spectator - a shadow, of sorts - that you, a woman, simply cannot escape. Every move you make, everything you do, accomplish, it cannot be seen without the spectator seeing it too.

I play chess myself, soon to become a scientist - some of the fields you've mentioned - and I was starting to question if I was the mildly maniacal killjoy being too pedantic about why a man - and his qualities - are allowed to be human, the 'natural' state - while a woman, no matter how accomplished, intelligent, proficient she may be - must always be accompanied by beauty. As if everything else she does comes secondary to the inherent requirement of being physically appealing.

Thank you - thank you so much. For your kind words and lovely wishes.

For the first time, I don't just feel seen - I feel heard. And thoroughly understood. Have a splendid time. You are amazing.

Your post on 'stop focusing on physical appearances of women' may just have saved something from withering away within me. I thank you, earnestly.

I'm so glad it got received by at least one person. I know it could - and has been - misinterpreted as a "ruining the fun" comment, but I did notice growing up that what made me insecure the most, were the small focuses we put on artists and famous women: was she a singer, chess player, actress, writer, tennis player, we always cared about her eyeliner and bow shoes or perfect hair.

And I wish for women not to internalize this: it teaches us that we can't really escape physical beauty - not through arts, or sports, or our minds. I am still so jealous of male tennis player, for example, who can, seemingly, just exist in their natural and neutral state.

I hope you have a fantastic day! And I also hope you can develop your talents or passions without the pressure of "being beautiful" all the time c:

Antique Chinese Mother of Pearl Opium Pipe Set c. 19th Century

“Find meaning. Distinguish melancholy from sadness. Go out for a walk. It doesn’t have to be a romantic walk in the park, spring at its most spectacular moment, flowers and smells and outstanding poetical imagery smoothly transferring you into another world. It doesn’t have to be a walk during which you’ll have multiple life epiphanies and discover meanings no other brain ever managed to encounter. Do not be afraid of spending quality time by yourself. Find meaning or don’t find meaning but 'steal' some time and give it freely and exclusively to your own self. Opt for privacy and solitude. That doesn’t make you antisocial or cause you to reject the rest of the world. But you need to breathe. And you need to be.”

― Albert Camus, Notebooks 1951-1959

"Beautiful Losers", Leonard Cohen

rare books at the university of toronto

𝔞𝔲𝔱𝔲𝔪𝔫 𝔞𝔠𝔞𝔡𝔢𝔪𝔦𝔞