when i started this calendar project 6 years ago, there wasn’t a single stud model to speak of. now i see them everywhere. mostly on the internet but i don’t doubt that i’ll see them in magazines, billboards etc in no time. so i thought i’d give some pointers to all the young stud models breakin’ into the biz.

now b4 i go on, i have 2 preface everything that i say this week about modeling is coming from the point of view of a photographer (me). i am not a model. what i do is observe and record what i c. i c things that the models doesn’t. and having said that, i have compiled a list of posing do’s and don’ts based on my experiences behind the camera:

STUD POSES DO’S AND DON’TS

DO be mindful of the lighting. if there’s a bright light on your left, don’t turn your head to the right. i know u think that’s your good side but if your good side is in the shadows, no one will see how good it is.

DON’T: tilt your head too much in any one direction. it can make you look like your neck is broken or catch an unpleasant “up your nose” shot. tilting too far down makes your chin disappear.

DO: use magazines for inspiration when learning to pose. i honestly don’t see too many “club squats” in GQ. so if that’s your first urge when the camera is pointed at u, think twice. k?

DON’T: refer to pop stars as modeling role models. they are not models. some are great in pictures and all but seriously, if i get one mo’ stud imitating Uncle L.L. lickin her lips repeatedly i’m gon scream. stop it. besides, it’s a still picture not video. when i catch u in mid-lick it looks crazy.

DO: practice posing in front of a mirror to be comfortable with your body and learn what feels natural.

DON’T: be rigid and uncomfortable–it will show on camera.

DO: fake it. some people say that u shouldn’t but i disagree in this instance. fake it until u make it, i say. if u’r feeling self conscious in front of the camera, pretend that u’r not until the confidence comes. and it will with practice.

DO: learn how to experiment. even if you think the pose won’t look good, try it out anyway and find out for yourself. variety, variety, variety. whatever ‘new’ pose u come up with just might turn out 2 b your signature piece that makes u stand out from the rest.

DO:practice facial expressions in front of the mirror in addition to posing your body. get your Zoolander on! lol seriously. i know the whole Zoolander thing is a bit of a joke but i notice that everyone has one whether they know it or not. everyone falls into that one expression in front of the camera. and that’s ok, if it’s a good expression. try other expressions. think of moods. being a model is very much like being an actor. u have 2 create moods and feelings. try happy, sad, mischievous, mysterious, pensive… everything can’t b sexy. or can it? ;) and even if u r doing your “sexy” look makes sure it truly is sexy. Sometimes it comes across as mean or for some: blank.

DO: practice posing with another model or looking at magazines to get inspiration for how to interact with one or more models, male, femmes and other studs. I will go into more depth on posing with another later.

DON’T: ignore the small stuff. pay attention to your hands, fingers, feet and toes when posing. doing weird stuff with them can ruin an otherwise great pose.

DOlearn how to extend your neck when appropriate to prevent it from looking short and stumpy. also learn how to create nice lines using your arms and legs.

DON’T: only learn how to pose standing up. It is important to know how to pose while sitting down, crouching, running, jumping, walking, lying down, etc.

DON’T:go overboard with posing or feel you need to do a completely different pose every time the camera takes a picture. many times simple changes to existing poses is more than enough. example, your body is perfect but your hand is in your pocket. instead of moving everything. just take the hand out of the pocket. then in the next shot, change the direction of your eyes.

DON’Tdo poses that make you look short, stubby, or appear that you’re missing limbs. be aware of your appendages when you do a pose that involves being seated or call for you to crouch. i have yet to photograph a really tall stud. so make the most of what u got. extend!

DO: learn how to be completely at home in front of the camera. in fact, find a photographer that u like 2 work with and work with them as much as possible. Then..

DO work with your photographer to create the appropriate poses for each modeling gig. it is actually a part of my job to pose u. some models require a lot of help. some don’t. don’t feel bad if u do. sometimes i get real quiet because i’m working with the technical side of the photograph. if u need feedback. speak up. not just with me but any photographer. but….

DON’T expect the photographer to tell you how to pose or direct you for every single shot. It is up to you to create that flow. the photographer will assist you when needed but don’t expect them to show you how to do your job.

DO learn how to do and hold difficult poses. With practice you’ll be able to pose in an unnatural way but make it come across as natural in front of the camera.

DON’T: do stupid Myspace poses or poses that you’d do if you and your friends were clowning around with a camera. If you’re going to be a model then you’ll have to pose like one (but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun). see, note above re: squatting. don’t throw up the deuces, the middle finger or …heaven forbid, a gang sign.

DO: have fun with your poses. don’t be afraid to laugh, smile, or act goofy (within reason and when appropriate) in front of the camera. i don’t think your stud card will be taken away if u smile. i know many of u got some pretty ones, don’t b stingy. share it. besides, it’ll add variety 2 your portfolio.

DON’T: think you have it all figured out. when it comes to posing, chances are you’re going to have to practice.

hope this list helps u up and coming stud models. I wanna c great pics…

p.s. oh yeah, one last one. if u’r not doing an updated artistic take on Rodin’s The Thinker, the whole hand-on-the-chin pose is so played out, y’all. that’s a Hard Candy DON’T. i’m tired of that one.

but regardless of what i think, it still counts as another example of the boxes that people try 2 put us in. check this list out.

I. “touch me not” Butch/Stud

This is usually the type of dyke that has gender identity disorder(she thinks and wants to be a man).She takes on the very dominant role in relationships, the male role to be exact. She dresses like a man and acts like a man. There is nothing feminine about her. She is sometimes more of a man than some men. In bed she will only want to make love to her women with a strap on. She will not want women to touch her breast, or her vagina, go down on her or provide her with any type of pleasure. She wants to do all the pleasuring. She does not want women to touch her breast etc, because it reminds her that she is a woman.

II. New Age Stud aka Totally Tomboy

She also takes on the dominant role in the relationship. She does not mind her fem touching her body, giving her head etc. She likes to be pleasured in bed by her women. She however is the dominant party in bed and is usually if not always, on top. She will use a strap-on occassionally in bed, but it is not necessary to love making. She can either dress very masculine, or she can sometimes be androgenous. On rare occassions or if she has to (like meeting the parents for the first time) she can go femme for short periods.

III. Fem-Stud

This is the type of dyke that is very dominant and is all boy in her thinking. She however has no problem rocking a short tight hairdo that would make a femme jealous. Or she could wear it long. She will usually wear baggy clothes and dress boy on the street, but she will do the femme thing occassionally. These are the type of studs that rule Coperate America. She will throw on a Jones of New York suit like its nothing, but still have a unmistakably boy edge. She is so fly that even men are drawn to her charms, even though she is very obviously gay. She is very similar to the New Age Stud in bed.

IV. Pseudo stud aka the “I wish I was hard” stud

This is the type of stud that is a pretender. She is hard on the street, around her boyz and femmes that she is not dating. When she goes home to her femme, however, she drops the facade. Her girl takes control and may even dominate her in bed. She may even allow her girl to use a strap-on with her. Her girl may sometimes wonder who the femme really is in the relationship. This type of stud may also have a secret attraction to fem-studs, new age studs and in some cases butches. A lot of white dykes fall in this category (u see themwalking around holding hands, butch with butch.) On rare cases you see them in the black community. You know the type, where you are constantly wondering who`s the daddy. This is the type of stud that needs to have her stud card revoked!!!

V. Fake Butch

This is usually a femme who wants to attract other femmes by dressing like a Butch/Stud. She will try to
act the hard role, but her heart is not in it. She is only doing it to
attract a femme. When they get into a relationship with a femme, they usually can`t keep up the pretense and eventually femme out.

V1. The Versatile Dyke AKA “the lost somewhere in between” dyke..***New category***

This is thetypeof dyke that constantly keeps the masses guessing…is she a stud, is she a femme? Sometimes when you see her out, she is dressed totally femme, yet other times she does the Tomboy/Soft butch thing. She is attracted to goodlooking butch types, but just as attracted to stunning femmes. She likes what is pleasing to her eye. If she is with a stud, she acts the submissive part and is totally femme (she does not do Tomboys/Soft butches that often, only because they can`t keep her in check like a Butch can). When she is with a femme, she plays the dominant role, and will occassinally do the Soft butch/Tomboy thing, if her girls wants it like that. In bed she can be dominant or submissive, whatever she is called on to be. But don`t be mislead by this one, homegirl can work a strap-on or her tongue as well as any butch/tomboy can.

NOW TO DO YOU FEMMES

I. Pillow Princess or Ultra Femme

This is the type that usually gets with a “touch me not” Butch/Stud. She is used to being taken care of by her butch. She is also used to being pleasured totally in bed. She will not give her women head (because she does notknow how, or never has had to learn how.) She will treat her butch like a woman would treat a man. Their roles are old fashioned and rigid.

II. New Age femme

She is all woman and very feminine. She will however like to play an active role in the bedroom. She will enjoy pleasuring her woman, and especially like to give her head. She will usually get with a “touch me not” butch and be unhappy, or get with a new age Stud/Fem-stud and be satisfied totally. She will also mess around with femmes ocassionally,
for the sexual gratification, and to be able to explore her like a Butch or a Tomboy won`t allow. She however won`t be able to form long lasting relationships with femmes, because she loves the dominance of a Butch or a Tomboy.

III. Dominant/Aggressive femme

She will dress and act totally feminine. She will however be very dominant. She willonly date feminine women, and will usually take on the dominant role in sex. This category of femme also occassionaly do the fake butch thing.

New Category****and a lil` something for you bi-sexual women that hit me up asking about where you fit in..

1. True Bi-sexual

This is a woman that can form meaningful relationships with both sexes. When she is with a woman, she is with her, and fits totally intothe gay world with no problems. When she is with a man, she fits totally into the straight world, and totally loves him. She is not really confused, she just falls in love with a person and not a gender. She usually prefers sex with women, but some can enjoy both equally. She is usually attracted to stud/tomboy types but may have a lot of problems in the relationship, because of the stud`s/tomboy`s fear that she is not true to the game, and will eventually go back to men. Sexually she is usually aggressive in bed.

11. Fake bi-sexual

This is the type of woman that most of us lesbians hate to deal with. This is the type of woman that is not really bi-sexual, she is just having sex with a woman for the “freak factor.” In other words she is just freaky in bed, and that is all it is to her “just being freaky.” She will usually have a boyfriend and want him to join in on the fun. Though sometimes, if their man is cool with it, they will have sex one on one with a woman. These are the type of aggravating h@es that hit your page up asking if you are down for a threesome. Or have personal ads asking for threesomes. These are also the women on Bp who put on their page “I already got a man..just looking for a feminine female friend…so men don`t respond.” A lot of the time they are just having sex with a woman to please their man. They are mostly only attracted to femme women, because this is the only type of woman that their man will allow in the bedroom. Also they are just doing it for sex, so they want a woman that looks and acts like a woman. This is thetype of woman that most of us “real dykes” run from. She will usually date other fake- bisexual women, or luck up and get with a bi-curious woman and turn her off or on, to sex with other women.

the news this past week wore me down. no lemme correct that. the reactions 2 the news wore me down. i have this little guilty pleasure of reading comments to news stories. sometimes, i scroll down and read the comments b4 i actually read the news. can’t help it. it’s where i get my drama fix.

anyway, last week Palin said something controversial (what else is new) and it sparked a whole man vs. woman debate. being a womanis one label that i cannot shake and it’s one that carries a lot of responsibilities, stereotypes, privileges and hinerances. then there was our president. it’s almost hilarious that when Obama was elected folks started throwing around the term “post-racial”. seriously? his win actually brough out more racism. every time he’s in the news, the worst of the worst racists come out 2 hate him. i feel more threatened now then i’ve ever felt in my life. now mind you, my age puts me after the atroscities of slavery, jim crow, segregation and the like. we’re moving away from the quiet covert racism to the very upfront, i hate ni&&ers kind. now mind u, i don’t hate whites (or any other group). but that doesn’t mean, i don’t stay on my toes when i’m around them. being on the alert all the damn time is exhausting.

now the courts are making headway on the gays getting married thing (yay). but now here comes the Bible toting hypocrites. i know my Bible is wrong cuz it’s not the “hate only gays” kind. stories about gays getting married always gets thousands of comments. u know, outside of my family, i rarely associate or socialize with str8? i don’t have a problem with them, i just… *sigh* staying on my toes again ya know. a lot of folks r cool but a lot of folks are not. a lot. i just need to relax.

small little nitpicky labels: went 2 the beach last week. work a bikini. yeah, it was little bit too tiny. but i’m small, i could get away with it. that is until a “thick” gyrl comes along and decides to hate. been struggling with body image my whole life. it is what it is. skinny. that’s another one my labels. i actually allowed a couple of young gyrls make me feel self concious. damn shame. almost forty and i let someone make me feel bad about my body? really? it was a moment. i got over it. just not as quickly as i’d liked. some chick from american idol was in the news. got her teeth fixed. is it news? nope. did it matter? not at all. not to me or anyone else. instead the commentary centered around her locs. i love locs. but soooooooooo many people hate them. i’m a dread head. another one of my labels. not a burden. just another label.

everyday was another label placed on me like bricks in a knapsack. black… female… gay…then i look at my gyrl and realize she has one more brick 2 carry. black… female… gay… butch…

i think about the stares. the rude remarks. the fights we’ve had. over the role of “daddy”. tryin 2 find your place in a society that doesn’t want 2 make room for u has got 2 b taxing. i’m surprised more studs aren’t permanently angry. pissed that they are treated like everyone’s enemy. the label of stud does carry a stigma. it carries the pressures of what u’r supposed 2 b. come on y’all, everyone has heard someone talk about what a stud is supposed 2 wear. how she’s supposed 2 walk and talk. what her role is in a relationship. all that despite the fact that in general (homohpobic) society a stud is not even supposed to exist. it’s like a damned if u do, damned if u don’t type of thing. if u gon b a stud u gotta be this way. and it’s not just one way. it’s a million ways. folks got so many different versions of what a stud is, it’s not even funny. i love studs. (hence the calendar) but sometimes, i do think the whole concept is ridiculous. it’s unecessarily complicated. and too much trouble. so much work. i watch studs and get tired. (i’m sure they watch femmes and get tired too. wearing stiletos ain’t no joke. LOL) but seriously. i admire studs. i sympathize with them and sometimes feel bad for them. femmes don’t get half the shit that studs do. all the more reason why they need our love and support. by ‘our’ i mean the entire community. not just femmes.

yeah, i said labels are necessary. but i wish the world could focus on just one. one that we all share. one that binds us. one that makes all those other labels stick. one that encompasses everything. the good and the bad. a label without stereotypes and stigmas. one that has no pros or cons. it just is.

at the end of each day. and at the beginning of every tomorrow, i reject most of the labels and sit in a quiet place and just allow myself to hold on to that one label. and that’s the label of… human.

here we go again. labels. stud, tomboi, androgyn, butch, domme, aggressive… u know the list. “why do we need labels?” the question echoes in every conversation about the subject. well, i think we need them so folks could know what the hell we’re talking about.

“what kinda wall calendar is it, jennifer?”

“ugh… umm… a uh… calendar of womyn who don’t wear skirts too often…”

does that work? is that better? is that less harsh?

i get it. no on wants 2 b pigeon holed. hell, my gyrl doesn’t even go by the term stud and the calendar is dedicated to her! doesn’t really matter. or does it?

there was even a slightly heated conversation regarding the androgynous model Milon at her runway show (TOTR) here in Chicago. Someone felt that she wasn’t androgynous and shouldn’t have even used to the word 2 describe herself. really? really, really? so now we have people who reject labels and tell other folks what labels they should carry.

when Hard Candy Calendar started, there wasn’t a dominant female model in sight. it just wasn’t accepted imagery. now six years later (yes, i know the math: 6 yrs but only 3 calendars. i’ll explain later), there are androgyn models everywhere. i’ve received emails/letters from gyrls/womyn who are inspired an encouraged because they see faces like theirs in print. labels b damned. they know who they are and they see that the calendar is about them. Hard Candy Calendar’s motto has always been “Bringing the Dominant Womanhe Forefront”. Now in 2010 they’re being seen adn presented in full glory but we still don’t know what 2 call them?! really?

Do labels help or hinder? Take the poll on the Hard Candy Calendar website

i must’ve heard the question dozens of times this weekend. my answer varied from “cool” to “awkward” to a simple shrug of the shoulders. i dunno. while the event was played out in front of everyone, i felt like my feelings about it was a bit personal. that’s the kinda chick i am. yeah, i know that’s crazy cuz this was a very public situation. how can one b private? iono but i did.

fate allowed that 2 happen 4 me at the movie premier. much to my joy and chagrin, my mother and my aunt came. they couldn’t stay thru the entire showing so they sat in the back as to not disturb anyone on their way out. they asked me to sit with them. of course i wasn’t gonna say no to my mom. they sat waaaaaaaaay in the back by the door. so did i. thinking that i would sneak up 2 sit next 2 my gyrl after they left, i learned quickly that that would b an impossible task. the theater got waaaay 2 dark and waaay 2 crowded. so i sighed and relaxed back in the last row. a dear friend scooted up beside me and kept me company. thank Goddess he did.

i watch in awe as i saw my D, on the big screen. her head is pretty big in real life but this was ridiculous. seeing it 10 feet tall was surreal. seeing her laugh, smirk and flirt was something altogether different. but i was cool. for real. serious. i really was. then a kiss. then a touch. ok. i found my hand moving up to cover my face. really? really. i thought i was cooler than that. my friend held my hand. i squeezed back hard and never let it go.

during filiming, D told me about everything, every step of the way. i had my own copy of the script. i knew what was gon happen. but knowing and seeing are 2 different things. it was time 4 THE sex scene. i knew that everyone would b watching my reaction. i’m so glad i wasn’t up front amongst the rest. i really didn’t need the pressure. i liked my little private viewing from the back. that way i could relax and actually process things on my own terms. and it was alright. a little long but alright. afterwards i was so proud of my gyrl, i had tears in my eyes. held them back of course. i didn’t want 2 b dramatic and emotional in public. just not how i do.

the evening went by in a blur and so did D. she was buzzing everywhere. everyone wanted a piece of her. i wasn’t surprised. back at the hotel, we were so exhausted, the plush pillows and mattress easily defeated any thoughts we had of going 2 an after party.

the next day was more activities. and that’s when the question was asked. again and again and again and again. yeah, a couple of people mentioned the sex scene the nite of the premier. but only in passing. there was no way 2 have an in depth conversation in all that hullabaloo.

but in the quiet of the park, it was easy 4 people to approach with a “… oooooh gyrl! what about yo’ woman and that chick in the movie?!” some people reassured me as if i had no concept of what acting was. other leaned in close and waited patiently 4 me to vent or something. for real? seriously? was i supposed to be mad? this movie was presented. months and months ago. i saw the script b4 they started shooting. i met the actresses. i visited the set. how the hell was i gon turn around and act all brand new at the end and get mad? how silly would that b?

but honestly, it would b a human reaction. silly, but human. the heart feels what it feels and i felt proud. not jealous or threatened. she’s mine. has been for almost 7 years. if she ain’t mine by now, she ain’t never gon b. not that any of this was every a threat 2 the relationship. but one gyrl told me in the park that she doesn’t believe 2 many womyn woulda been cool with their mates doing such a graphic sex scene. *shrug* it comes with the territory. don’t date an actress if u can’t handle it. i can not only handle it, i loved it.

GENDERBLIND IN SIGHT
by Brandee Young

Continuing to share Hard Candy Calendar’s exclusive interview with the stars of the movie Genderblind which debuts today at the Portage Theater…

Danielle’s Interview:
HCC: Hey D, how are you today? Let me first just say we are so proud of you here at HardCandy and that we love you so much. Danielle: The pleasure is all mine and I love you guys as well.

HCC: Tell us a little bit about your character in Genderblind? Danielle: I play Grace in the movie who is an Independent Business Woman who owns her own home that has plenty of personal and family issues that falls in love with a young lady name Sincere.

HCC: Now Danielle let me ask you are there any similarities between you and the character you play in the movie? Danielle: Yes, Grace and I have a few (similar) personality traits. She is a little quirky, she easily falls in love and so do I. Grace also has a very strong defensive wall that she has placed up, and I could say that my defensive wall is pretty high as well. She is very soft but she won’t be broken, and in that I mean she is a very giving person that can easily be taken advantage of ,but is very strong willed and assertive, all traits that I also have.

HCC: I know that were some scenes in the movie that both you and Robyn had to be intimate how comfortable were you in those scenes?Danielle: I personally was comfortable. We had to make the love scenes look realistic but I will say that Robyn took direction well and she is a very good actress and I believe we made the scenes work and I hope that everyone enjoys them as much as we enjoyed making them.**wink**

HCC: Danielle in the movie there was a scene where you had to wear make up and a dress, but of course in the Calendar you are portrayed as a Stud/TomBoi . Do you think that the community would view your role differently once they have seen this movie?Danielle: No, cause I look awkward in a dress and with makeup on and off the set, and those who know me know that I am not comfortable with those things, funny thing is during rehearsal I would forget that I had a dress on from time to time, and well let’s just say the tom boi in me would come out…(LOL)

HCC: What advice would you give to someone that wanted to follow in your footsteps? Danielle: Be diligent about whatever is that you want to do and take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

HCC: Do you have any affiliation to the gay community other than doing a movie about a gay related issue?Danielle: Yes I am a lesbian and I have been out and proud for 21 years. My involvement with the community is to make sure that I as a lesbian woman promote a positive image of our community.

HCC: Danielle what is your classification are you Stud/Butch:Danielle: I don’t really subscribe to labels.

HCC: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me I know your schedule has been a little hectic so I really appreciate this.

I am looking forward to all of the Rainbow events this month. Come back and check me out for my exclusive interview with some more of our HardCandy hotties as I interview Milon (Mr. March in the Calendar), and some of the models from Taking Over The Runway. **Ladies you won’t want to miss this** muah** you guys be safe and have a wonderful Pride Weekend..

GENDERBLIND: starring Robyn Daniels and Danielle Jones, written and directed by Lanita Joseph will premier tomorrow at the Portage Theater 4050 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL, 60641 (773) 736-4050 For more information: visit www.genderblindmovie.webs.com

Brandee Young is a recurrent Hard Candy Calendar model and correspondent. For more information write: brandeeyoung@hardcandycalendar.com or call 773.678.5464

welcome back bois and gyrls. please forgive my long delay between posts. as u can c, i had a great excuse. i’ve been preparing 4 the 2011 Hard Candy Stud Calendar (among other things). revamping the website to go along with this year’s theme: Future Stud. no, not young ones who r on their way 2 being studs, but fully formed womyn of the future. sure the calendar might say 2011, but it’ll b more like 3011. so hold on 2 your seats we’re about to travel in time… and i can’t wait!

i’ve remixed the site to contain some thing old, some thing new, some thing borrowed and there’s even a tint of blue. not only can you pre-order your calendar now (and it’s advised that u do, cuz this year will b the hottest one yet), but u can find some fun stuff, some fluff and some valuable resources. all stud related, of course. i had a great time putting it 2gether and am proud of the results.

speaking of proud….while i was time traveling in my mind over these past few months, some of the Hard Candy Calendar models have been breaking ground in ways that i never saw coming. first there’s Brandee, she’s a supporting femme in both the ‘09 and ‘10 calendars. she has been signed to a modeling contract with Four Yours Truly modeling agency. and she’s become a correspondant with Hard Candy Calendar. so expect 2 c and hear from her a lot this year.

my premier model Milon (Ms. March), never ceases 2 amaze as she is hosting the first ever LGBT fashion show and competition here in Chicago. it’s going to be awesome. there’s a link on the homepage of the Hard Candy Calendar site that will give you more information. please check it out and check back here to this blog for more inside details regarding the show.

and then there’s Danielle, my inspiration and always Ms. December of the calendar. she has actually made a movie! it premiers this Friday at the Portage theater in Chicago. check the link on the homepage for more info and of course right back here to this blog for interviews and insight with the Danielle herself and director/writer, Lanita Joseph.

so many great projects and great stud strides have come from the Hard Candy Calendar family, i’m proud, i’m excited and.. whew! i’m exhausted LOL is is gonna b one incredible journey. i invite everyone 2 come with me and enjoy!

-Jenn-

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) ― About two dozen women drew a crowd of onlookers when they shed their shirts and marched downtown in Maine’s largest city to promote what they call equal-opportunity public toplessness.

It’s not illegal for a woman to be topless in public in Maine, and police said there were no incidents or arrests.

ok, as lesbian of african american decent, we are no strangers in the quest 4 equality. but do we want 2 b equal in every single way? honestly, i don’t want 2 b topless. if other womyn did, i wouldn’t protest it, or b angry about it but i don’t think i’d b all that cool about it either. then again, i’m also a member of this society and i’m sure that some of it’s rules have seeped n2 my psyche just like everyone else.

this week, i saw Erykah Badu’s latest video and it made folks mad. i thought it was great. didn’t have a problem with it. the artist in my loves it! nudity for art is all good with me. nudity in and of itself isn’t bad. it’s natural. it’s the common denominator between all of us. yet, i’m still caught up in the “ultra femme” thought patterns in thinking that my breasts are for function (feeding babies) but also sexual (low cut blouses turn my gyrl on). so walkin around with them all out for no reason just feels…. odd. that’s just me. is it different 4 studs? Studs don’t really use their breasts in the same fashion as femme womyn (stereotypically speaking, of course). would a stud walk around topless, like a man if she could? i wonder…

“Drag was originally a word used to describe the actual clothing actors wore on stage when they performed as women. As you no doubt learned by watching Shakespeare in Love, female roles used to be played not by actual females, but delicate young male actors. Even so, the term doesn’t actually date back to Shakespeare’s time. Instead, it came into popular usage during the age of British vaudeville shows when the cross-dressing was used for comic effect. The men would dress in drag and the women wore breeches as a theatrical method of satirizing the qualities unique to the opposite sex. It would not be until almost the middle of the 20th century that drag was specifically used as a term to describe female impersonators and this was also the era in which drag began to become more closely associated with homosexuality.”

so Bill S. didn’t come up with it. well at least according to this one unchecked source i found on the internet. another source of knowledge that we all must submit too;).

well at least that explanation helps me out a little bit cuz i thought the drag thing only referred to me, but of course there are drag kings as well as queens. soooo, what’s the difference between a drag king and a stud? while i know that being in drag is the full ASSumption of being a man and being a stud is still a woman who carries a masculine appearance. wow, that last sentence so over simplified my dominant sisters, it almost seems offensive. but y’all know i love ya. hell, i’m the unofficial #1 stud lover, so i’m really not tryin 2 b that way. sometimes, i don’t have the vocabulary 2 properly express my thoughts. so bear with me on this one.

despite that very simple distinction between the two, there is a whole spectrum of womyn that fall in between the drag king and the basic tomboy sporting baggy pants. there are womyn who relate more to male energy. so much so that they emote it. so wearing the clothes aren’t a conscious effort to become manly but more like a result of already being manly. chicken or the egg maybe? does it make a difference? i think it does.

in the end Mulan gets her man. she was just in drag. and how often (if at all, are str8 womyn drag kings?) mulan, didn’t relate 2 the boys at all. barely understood them. whereas i know studs that could walk amongst bio dudes and not miss a beat. have great conversations about sports, drink a beer and genuinely complain about womyn. fascinating. ever heard a stud talk about womyn as if they weren’t one? i hear it all the time. so it’s not drag for them. but then there are other studs who acknowledge their womanhood, only deal with womyn, and only seem 2 relate 2 womyn. r they in drag? do the clothes match what’s inside?

when it is just an outfit and when it is a manifestation of the inner person?

p.s. i like the end of the movie in which this male dominated society that treats womyn like second class citizens all bowed down to her for her heroic efforts. even the emperor bowed to Mulan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDQdFIrrM7Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlGyzfUWKg0

Meanwhile, in another part of our country:
JACKSON, Miss. – A northern Mississippi school district will not be hosting a high school prom this spring after a lesbian student sought to attend with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.

so bascially, they’ll ruin it for everyone just cuz they don’t like what one gyrl is doing. seriously? the hate runs that deep. they don’t stop marriage cuz some(most) couples get divorced. but they’ll shut down a prom cuz they don’t want one gay couple 2 b there. un-freakin-believeable!