The Painted Lion

For her sixth birthday, she asked for a tie Like the kind her daddy wore It made him look regal, and handsome, and strong And she wanted to feel powerful too. “Don’t be crazy,” they said, and handed her a dress.  “This is what girls wear.” So she held herself straight in the pink corset  Trying not to think of doctors, and presidents, and kings. In seventh grade, she met a girl who took her breath away Hair like the sun and eyes like the sea Her heart would beat fast and she would smile every day She thought that she might be in love. “It’s just a phase,” they said, and handed her a bible.  “Girls only like boys.” So she danced with a boy and let him kiss her Trying not to think of rosy cheeks and glossy lips. Sweet sixteen, and she found solace in stories  Adventures, and heroes, and noble quests She wrote and drew and dressed as the characters she loved - An expression of everything she was and wanted to be - And she wanted to show the wor...

WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR LUCY TRIGGER WARNING FOR MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND RAPE A few weeks ago, I saw a little film called Lucy . Now, like many young women, I was incredibly excited about a female-led action film, especially when it starred the talented and beautiful Scarlett Johansson. After all, female representation in the media is still painfully lacking, and the action genre is no exception. An action film with a female protagonist who kicks a lot of ass is, well, nearly unheard of.  But as it turns out, what you see in the trailers is rarely what you get. Before we talk about the film itself, we must begin by talking about something seemingly unrelated, but something that was incredibly important to the viewing experience of Lucy . I don't know if this was the case for all theaters, but in mine, the trailer shown immediately before Lucy began playing was for Fifty Shades of Gray . For anyone familiar with the books or this upcoming movie,...