Happy International Women's Day to disabled women, neurodivergent women, poor women, fat women, queer women, women of color, Jewish women, Muslim women, women who are sex workers, women who are addicts, women who are homeless, women who are single mothers. ♀️
As a female director (albeit of Theater and not Film) I have been feeling a little frustrated once again as awards season brings no nominations for women. This led me (as many things do, lol) to thinking about my favorite Muse, Tom Hiddleston.
One of the things that I love about TH is willingness and enthusiasm to work with female directors, and on thinking about it I realized that this allyship has also benefited him as well. Case in point:
1. His first movie, Unrelated, was directed by Joanna Hogg. Now, of course all of us see Hiddles as the perfect Beautiful Boy but imagine if this movie had been directed by a man. In that case, Oakley, the handsome younger man who charms and tempts the 40 something woman, would almost certainly be cast with some young beef cake actor, or at very least had them bulk up in order to play the role. This is who male directors seem to think we desire. Instead, Hogg casts TH and boy does she sell him. Oakley is a little shit, but the way he is lit, framed, directed makes him all but irresistible. The female gaze sees all of his ethereal beauty and shares it with us.
2. Next we have my personal favorite, Henry V in The Hollow Crown. In his big leading episode, Tom is once again directed by a woman, Thea Sharrock. Again, look at how his is shot. The female gaze follows him riding in like a hero from our collective imagination in his opening shot. He is strong and dangerous, savage even at times, without ever loosing that thread of empathy that Henry struggles to clamp down. And do I even have to mention the proposal scene? Watch that and tell me it isn’t pure wish fulfillment for the majority of people who fancy men. I liked him when I watched Loki, but Hollow Crown made me fall so deep down the rabbit hole that I may never climb out again (and honestly, I’m okay with this).
3. Lastly, we come to the role that pushed him over the edge into superstardom, The Night Manager. Can there be any doubt that this miniseries was directed by a woman? The entire show was an advertisement for how gorgeous he is. Yes, there are some lovely shots of Elizabeth Debicki in various states of undress, but Pine is the major eye candy here. See him in finely tailored suits, see him astride a motorcycle, see him bathing, both in a waterfall and in a shower covered in mud, see his much lauded English countryside looking all round and pert... it just goes on and on. It is not just the visual that Susana Biers gets either. Unlike other spies of film and television, Jonathan is emotional, chivalrous, and above all intelligent. Tom nails the role and the world loved him for it.
I am not saying that male directors do not make Tom look good (hello Conrad’s arms) or play to his strengths (see the psychological beauty of Adam). I just believe there is something to be said for the qualities that female directors can bring out.
In short (ha, sorry, this ran on looooong, lol) Tom trusts women directors more than many of his fellow actors, and I think the results are that he shows a vulnerability in his work that helps make him more than just another action star. Women have helped make him the actor he is today, and I don’t believe the fact that his last two directors were women is an accident. He said in his interview for Leading Lady Parts that he needed to work with more directors (he had worked with five at that point I believe) and he has been as good as his word. Another reason to love this man.
* I also want to make a special shout out to stage director Josey Rourke, who has the career that I want and gave us this amazing contribution:
July 25 is the birthday of a 19-year-old woman named Mahsa Mogoi, who was murdered by the rebels of the Islamic Republic in the Steel City of Isfahan.
Mahsa was a female athlete who received many titles and medals in the fields of Taekwondo and physical fitness. She took to the street during the Women's Revolution of Freedom on 31st of May. It is said that in the clash with four Basiji Batoom, all four had beaten her for her mastery of martial arts. The same day, on her way home, she was chased, and in a secluded area, several people in plain clothes shot her at close range with a machine gun and cowardly murdered her
Dear Mehsa, every year your family celebrated your birthday, but this year the good people of Iran and the world are your family. Happy birthday to you❤️❤️
Tonight I finally broke into the top 20 in the streaming contest on tumblr live for top gifted streamer for the first time!! … that may mean little to you but it means a great deal to me.
thank you to the mutuals 🔪👹🥹♥️🤭🫡🎃😮💨
streaming all day Sunday 10/16 AFTERNOONish EST
please follow me on tiktok, it’s shameless promotion these days for dreams to come to fruition and i need 1k followers to go live on TikTok!
Will you be the 1000th follower on tiktok and unlock my lives?
i just posted a NEW edit of my pumpkin carving stream on tiktok, pls go engage if you feel like watching a content creator grow in real time
[disclaimer:: If this is not your jam, please just scroll on by. I know it’s annoying to see a blazed post but i too am just an artist and creator on this platform. I’ve been here for 13 years quietly, minding my business and reblogging other amazing artists, helping their platforms grow and rooting for everyone on here to succeed. I’m just trying to do something I love and maybe one day make a career from that love.
Pls miss me with the unkindness and visceral hate for tumblr live, or streamers, or black people, or women, or 🏳️🌈. Like pls.. just let folks do things that make them happy… maybe even go help this totally normal human woman live her dreams by slapping the follow button on TikTok @borderline.belle … idk that’d be cool and decent of you. 🙂 ]
- i love myself just as i am
- what i am going through is temporary, and i will overcome it
- i choose myself
- i am worthy of love and joy
- i do not need to change for anyone, or anything
- my body is perfect just the way it is
- there are people who care about me
- i deserve to live and take care of myself, it isn't selfish
- i may feel down right now, but i will feel better eventually
- i appreciate my body and all that it brings me
- my weight does not define me, nor do my looks
- i will achieve my goals
To the women out partying tonight in loud ass clubs, I'm in my bed with my dog and reading a book I'm really enjoying - we are not the same.
But we are both valid and free.
To the women who wear hijabs and show very little skin, and to the women who love mini skirts and crop tops, I love you both and all the ladies in between
To the women born with the wrong bodies and to the women who were, I support you and I love you both.
To the girls who are not yet women and to women who are well into your golden years, you're beautiful and I love you both
To the women who are asexual/aromantic and to the women who dreamt of getting married one day since they were little, I love you both.
To the women who stifle their laughter and to the women who's laughter shakes the room with each snort, I adore you and I love to make you laugh
To the women who have big boobs and to the women who are flat chested, I love you both, absolutely exquisite.
To the women who are pale as can be and to the women with the darkest and richest color of skin, I hope you both find your perfect foundation match - you're beautiful.
To the women who wear full faces of makeup and to the women who never wear any at all, you look amazing today
To the women who shave/wax/pluck every hair away that they can and to the women who don't and don't want to, fuck yeah
To the women with cellulite thighs and to the women as thin as a bobby pin, you both are gorgeous
To the women who are queer and to the women who are straight, I hope you find your soul mates.
To the women who love themselves, and to the women who aren't there yet - I support you and I'm so proud.
To every woman in between, to every girl that there is, to every kick ass, loving, beautiful, and amazing people out there in the world, I'm so thankful for you.
Being a good friend means holding your friends accountable
Ignore and avoid Wilbur
SUPPORT SHUBBLE
——
This situation was so genuinely distressing to hear about. Wilburs videos were what got me in to Minecraft youtube again, Lovejoy was my favorite band, i was about to buy some merch before i heard the news. But this serves as a good reminder that A) when you put your trust in people you will be disappointed, i need to get better at putting my trust in God, and B) people online do not show all of themselves, and that is ok, but even at a non parasocial level you have to accept that you do not and will not know everything
There is a balance to this stuff, for a few days i was genuinely terrified of consuming any kind of media, books shows movies games, for fear of someone or something i admired turning out to be terrible, like him, but like Shubble was saying, i refuse to let bad experiences take away my excitement, i would rather be let down again than live without these fun things, and more importantly, this isnt about me
This is about victims of abuse and raising awareness about what abuse can look like, and how to leave a dangerous situation
Shubble has an amazing channel, this event is not what she should be known for, she is known for her entertaining content. For her representation for the ace community. For her bravery and advocacy.
Its women’s history month everyone! It can be incredibly difficult to be a woman in the gaming community, so support women!! Support women gamers! Support woman victims!