2 Links

[brigid]

This Plant Changes Shape To Look Like Other Plants
Great article on a plant that can imitate the shape of other plants near it, and just how it might be able to do so. Can plants see, with essentially what are eyes? Can they think? Make decisions? Can trees talk to each other? Probably not! But what plants can do is still incredibly neat!

"Effortless" Femininity
I have rarely identified less with an article. I was somehow able to opt out of traditional American femininity at a young age due largely to being obtuse and also not having parents who enforced it. I'm effortlessly a woman because I put almost no effort into it. I bathe, I try to dress neatly, and that's about it. I do this while also extremely aware of the fact that my appearance, and gender presentation, are more heavily policed because I'm fat. And at the same time I'm aware that because I'm white I don't face the same pressure to conform to established feminine standards as women who aren't white, and as a cis woman I don't face the same as trans women do.


I'd normally share this kind of thing on Twitter.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

I'm so obtuse, I'm not sure I know what traditional American femininity even is. Shaving one's legs? Wearing makeup? I guess?

[brigid]

Yeah, removing body and facial hair, styling head hair, wearing makeup but only the right kind of makeup, wearing the right kind of scent, wearing the right kind of clothing and shoes (not too boyish but not too feminine but not too dressy but not too casual), nails done "right," "appropriate" jewelry, having the right shape body (slender, small nose, boobs but not too much boob, small butt and hips), etc. There's so many fine lines to walk and it's so, so aggressively WASP-y.

[princessofgeeks]

Wow; I totally failed! Thank goodness I was mostly oblivious!