June 2013
“
For most of America, Psy is a funny name, a funny face, and a funny personality. He doesn’t sing in English and most people just don’t get it leaving most of them to not take him seriously. It’s easy to strip the significance behind “Gangnam Style” down if you don’t know what it means and solely find entertainment in the Asian guy shaking his hips. But what most people don’t realize is that Psy doesn’t take himself seriously. He’s a satirist and political dissident. “Gangnam Style” was a commentary, not just a fun pop tune with a silly dance.
Gangnam is Seoul’s wealthiest and flashiest neighborhood. For South Koreans, Gangnam represents the ideal life of excess and consumerism. Psy’s character in the video is a wannabe Gangnamite. He dreams he’s living the flashy, excessive lifestyle while he’s really just like everyone else, swimming in a public pool and riding the subway. But never in the video does it seem that Psy’s character is unhappy. He’s content to play in a children’s playground and meet the girl of his dreams in the subway. “Gangnam Style” is much more that we have made it, but that’s not surprising considering Psy’s background and how little we know about it.
In America, it seems like “Gangnam Style” was Psy’s big break when in fact the song had been released on his sixth studio album and his music career hadn’t been about making flashy and catchy songs. He believes music is the key to overcoming the intolerance embedded in his country’s political systems. Throughout his career, his songs have been banned for inappropriate content and have been surrounded by controversy, not to mention the fact that he fought his mandatory military draft.
Psy is a voice for his people. He’s fighting the oppression and intolerance he sees in his culture through his music. And by ignoring his worth and his value, we’re reducing the culture of South Korea into a short man with funny pants doing a ridiculous dance.
” —Opinion: American media chooses to undervalue artists like Psy from “Gangnam Style” (via pag-asaharibon)
^^^ THIS
I honestly think that if I didn't have Studio Ghibli- I probably would have been suicidal a long time ago.
Studio Ghibli has helped me through so much. It’s helped me through:
- emotional abuse/neglect from my father
- dark high school years where I felt alone and wasn’t understood
- serious depression I’ve had since I can remember
- having to ‘grow up’ fast to help take care of my younger brothers as a child
- losing my friendships with two of my best friends
- My freshman year of college when I had absolutely no friends and would wander alone at night downtown to avoid my roommate who incessantly bullied me and made me feel unsafe
- The multitude of times I’ve experienced existential crisis starting my freshman year in college
- When I fell sick for a semester and couldn’t get myself to pass my classes, because there was literally no will power in me.
- When my family incessantly berated me for ‘letting myself get sick’ and ‘becoming a failure’.
- When I was repeatedly raped little over a year ago.
- And now, when I am picking up the pieces and working on getting my life back.
So far I’ve been doing well, I passed all my classes this semester with great grades, I got into my graphic design program, I am in a wonderfully supportive relationship with a man who helped me get through my experiences, I am an active feminist who finds healing amongst her fellow survivors and feminist sisters….
And I’ve started therapy at the end of this Spring semester and so far it is going well.
And this entire time, I have been clinging onto Studio Ghibli for support, for inspiration, and for solace in my rough healing process.
So thank you,
Hayao Miyazaki,
Goro Miyazaki,
Isao Takahata,
Yonebashi Hiromasa
Hiroyuki Morita
Yoshifumi Kondo
Keiko Niwa
Reiko Yoshida
Thank you for filling the hole in my chest with stories of courage, strong women and girls who fight for what they believe in and exude strength and willpower, and for realistic stories of love and support.
Thank you. I’ve been able to have the stories of Studio Ghibli for support, and ultimately my survival.
~ B
NekoPastels →
nekopastels.tumblr.com
Started a new fashion blog for myself. I like looking at fashion and makeup tips on tumblr and I figured it would be easier for myself if I just made a separate blog for myself.
A lot of what I have been reblogging is pastel, lacey, very floral, or cute. Mostly dresses and lingerie. I have been focusing on plus size clothes that fit my visual preferences for clothing, because I myself am plus sized.
So yeah, if any of you are interested in following feel free, it’s mostly just a blog for me to compile styles that I like and to draw inspiration from.
