In honor of International Women's Day :)
Title: Of Disney Princesses
Characters: Maddie Sanders, Jude White (judewhite)
Rating: General
Note: These remain written for sksdwrld because she should have told me she shipped these two a year ago. Jerk. ;)
Really, it was all about the sex. Why wouldn't it be. He showed up after matches and the sex was good and it wasn't like she was expecting anything from him but then, one day, he completely surprised her.
"Why do you say it's okay?"
"What?" She paused, her beer halfway to her lips. "What are you talking about?"
"Hitting girls."
She rolled her eyes. "I didn't say it was okay. I've said it's all about context. It's not okay for me to hit you either."
"It isn't like you can hurt me."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. You can. But ... I mean. What? You want the right to hit guys so it's okay to hit girls?"
"At the risk of channeling my mother," Maddie said, "it's never okay to actually hit someone."
"So why ..."
Maddie groaned and leaned back, wondering if she could get him to shut up by taking off her shirt. Instead, she allowed him the teaching moment he was clearly asking for. "When you think of feminism, what do you think of, Jude?"
"Um ..." he blushed a bit.
"Manhating dykes, right?"
"Pretty much."
"That isn't what feminism is. Yes, there are women out there who hate men. But it isn't what actual feminism is. It's about leveling the playing field. It's about transcending the ideas of equality."
"What do you mean?"
"It isn't just about a woman being good enough for the white house. It's about the world respecting the idea that a woman is good enough for the white house. It's about giving her the same opportunity to plead her case and not calling her an emotional wreck. It's about men being allowed to cry. It's about ... it's not about making it so that women can hit men. It's about stopping the hitting in the first place and believing people when they say the violence has occurred."
He stared at her. "You're talking about totally changing the game."
"He can be taught." She sipped her beer. "It's about the media caring as much about women's basketball as men's. It's about people taking women seriously."
He frowned and she waited, watching him roll the thought over in his mind. "What makes you think they don't?"
"Two words, Jude. Legitimate Rape."
He was silent for a long time. She didn't push it.
"I just ..." he finally said. "I never really thought of it like that."
"Remember last year, when I was caught in that relationship with a professor."
"Yeah."
"He was given the green light. I was put on probation. Yes, I'm an adult. I made my choice. But he wasn't reprimanded. I was almost driven from school. We're both adults. He's the guy in the position of authority. But he had his butt covered. What about me?" She shrugged. "Until we stop doing .... that ... to people, things won't change."
Jude frowned. "It's starting to click. I just ... I was taught you treat women with respect."
"But were you taught they're people?"
"Of course."
"Were you?"
He paused. "I ... "
"Sweetie," she said. "Guys wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and see a human. Women wake up and see a woman. Do you see the difference? Do you see where it needs to change?"
"You do?"
"Yes."
"I never ... wow. Just ... wow."
She chuckled a bit. "So yeah. I really don't want you to hit me, Jude. And not because I couldn't take you, because I can. But because we just shouldn't hit each other."
"Unless you are body checking me into bed?"
"Something like that." She chuckled.
"I'm sorry," Jude said.
"For what?"
"Being kind of an idiot about all of this."
"Don't be sorry. You're asking the questions now, Jude. And, last I checked, wasn't that the whole point of humanity anyway? To ask questions?"
He sighed and shook his head at her. "You're too good."
"Not really." She grinned. "But thank you."
"So let me ask you a question."
"Okay."
"Disney Princesses."
She rolled her eyes. "That's not a question, but I can see where you're going."
"So?"
"Mulan defies her father, risks her life, goes and saves China, and she does it without needing a man. Yeah, he shows up at the end, but he chases after her." She took another sip of her beer. "Elsa doesn't need a king. Mereda doesn't need a prince. Anna works with Kristof to save her sister. Tiana works her ass off to open her restaurant. Rapunzel is able to defend herself against an intruder in her home." She raised an eyebrow. "Should I go on?"
"No ...." he laughed. "I get it."
"The princesses get a bad rap because they're princesses. But these women are strong, powerful, and know the value of a good song. Yeah, there are questionable moments, but a lot of that came with the time. You don't expect Snow White to be a pinnacle of modern feminism. So, I find myself wondering why we're spending so much time tearing down these movies that are female-centric. I also find myself wondering why we spend so much time tearing down the idea of love and human connection. No one mocks Shang for going after Mulan, after all. And Anna couldn't save the kingdom by herself. She needed Kristof's help. He didn't take over. He didn't own the place. He helped her. Why are we looking down our noses at that?"
Jude smiled at her. "I've never thought of it like that."
"You'll never watch Frozen the same way again."
"Who says I'm going to watch Frozen?"
"Me." She smirked.
"Really ... we don't have to you know."
"Really, you can stop complaining." Maddie leaned over and kissed him. "I won't make it happen tonight."
Characters: Maddie Sanders, Jude White (judewhite)
Rating: General
Note: These remain written for sksdwrld because she should have told me she shipped these two a year ago. Jerk. ;)
Really, it was all about the sex. Why wouldn't it be. He showed up after matches and the sex was good and it wasn't like she was expecting anything from him but then, one day, he completely surprised her.
"Why do you say it's okay?"
"What?" She paused, her beer halfway to her lips. "What are you talking about?"
"Hitting girls."
She rolled her eyes. "I didn't say it was okay. I've said it's all about context. It's not okay for me to hit you either."
"It isn't like you can hurt me."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. You can. But ... I mean. What? You want the right to hit guys so it's okay to hit girls?"
"At the risk of channeling my mother," Maddie said, "it's never okay to actually hit someone."
"So why ..."
Maddie groaned and leaned back, wondering if she could get him to shut up by taking off her shirt. Instead, she allowed him the teaching moment he was clearly asking for. "When you think of feminism, what do you think of, Jude?"
"Um ..." he blushed a bit.
"Manhating dykes, right?"
"Pretty much."
"That isn't what feminism is. Yes, there are women out there who hate men. But it isn't what actual feminism is. It's about leveling the playing field. It's about transcending the ideas of equality."
"What do you mean?"
"It isn't just about a woman being good enough for the white house. It's about the world respecting the idea that a woman is good enough for the white house. It's about giving her the same opportunity to plead her case and not calling her an emotional wreck. It's about men being allowed to cry. It's about ... it's not about making it so that women can hit men. It's about stopping the hitting in the first place and believing people when they say the violence has occurred."
He stared at her. "You're talking about totally changing the game."
"He can be taught." She sipped her beer. "It's about the media caring as much about women's basketball as men's. It's about people taking women seriously."
He frowned and she waited, watching him roll the thought over in his mind. "What makes you think they don't?"
"Two words, Jude. Legitimate Rape."
He was silent for a long time. She didn't push it.
"I just ..." he finally said. "I never really thought of it like that."
"Remember last year, when I was caught in that relationship with a professor."
"Yeah."
"He was given the green light. I was put on probation. Yes, I'm an adult. I made my choice. But he wasn't reprimanded. I was almost driven from school. We're both adults. He's the guy in the position of authority. But he had his butt covered. What about me?" She shrugged. "Until we stop doing .... that ... to people, things won't change."
Jude frowned. "It's starting to click. I just ... I was taught you treat women with respect."
"But were you taught they're people?"
"Of course."
"Were you?"
He paused. "I ... "
"Sweetie," she said. "Guys wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and see a human. Women wake up and see a woman. Do you see the difference? Do you see where it needs to change?"
"You do?"
"Yes."
"I never ... wow. Just ... wow."
She chuckled a bit. "So yeah. I really don't want you to hit me, Jude. And not because I couldn't take you, because I can. But because we just shouldn't hit each other."
"Unless you are body checking me into bed?"
"Something like that." She chuckled.
"I'm sorry," Jude said.
"For what?"
"Being kind of an idiot about all of this."
"Don't be sorry. You're asking the questions now, Jude. And, last I checked, wasn't that the whole point of humanity anyway? To ask questions?"
He sighed and shook his head at her. "You're too good."
"Not really." She grinned. "But thank you."
"So let me ask you a question."
"Okay."
"Disney Princesses."
She rolled her eyes. "That's not a question, but I can see where you're going."
"So?"
"Mulan defies her father, risks her life, goes and saves China, and she does it without needing a man. Yeah, he shows up at the end, but he chases after her." She took another sip of her beer. "Elsa doesn't need a king. Mereda doesn't need a prince. Anna works with Kristof to save her sister. Tiana works her ass off to open her restaurant. Rapunzel is able to defend herself against an intruder in her home." She raised an eyebrow. "Should I go on?"
"No ...." he laughed. "I get it."
"The princesses get a bad rap because they're princesses. But these women are strong, powerful, and know the value of a good song. Yeah, there are questionable moments, but a lot of that came with the time. You don't expect Snow White to be a pinnacle of modern feminism. So, I find myself wondering why we're spending so much time tearing down these movies that are female-centric. I also find myself wondering why we spend so much time tearing down the idea of love and human connection. No one mocks Shang for going after Mulan, after all. And Anna couldn't save the kingdom by herself. She needed Kristof's help. He didn't take over. He didn't own the place. He helped her. Why are we looking down our noses at that?"
Jude smiled at her. "I've never thought of it like that."
"You'll never watch Frozen the same way again."
"Who says I'm going to watch Frozen?"
"Me." She smirked.
"Really ... we don't have to you know."
"Really, you can stop complaining." Maddie leaned over and kissed him. "I won't make it happen tonight."