#2 Weapon of Choice
Good Morning,
Happy Thursday! This one’s a wee bit dark, referencing colorful physical violence. So here’s your warning, and a drawing of a teddy bear. (It will all make sense later if you dare stick around).
Initially, when trying to come up with ideas for this newsletter, I started thinking of things that leave me feeling powerful. One thing in particular that always leaves me jazzed is the movie Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn). I know, I know, the box office doesn’t agree, but I’m a big fan of bright colors and also the revenge flick genre. Especially those centering women taking revenge on the assholes -mostly men- in society that have made them feel small. A few more examples: Assassination Nation (2018), Sucker Punch (please ask me about this film - 2011), and Jennifer’s Body (2009). Carrie (1976) is also one of my faves, but she gets bullied by her female classmates, which adds a layer of pure sadness. A gorgeous revenge flick none-the-less!
I’m trying not to make this a persuasive essay (it is), because you either like watching hot women beat the shit out of their predators, or you don’t. If you’re a man who feels threatened by it (none of my readers!), get over yourself. But the above listed movies are also very clever and visually stimulating action and horror films. They are prime examples of art expressing pain (and power) through the use of color, light, cinematography, and all things film. The use of red lighting at the prom in Carrie? So effective. The fight choreo + cinematography in Birds of Prey? Striking! Each of these films has an incredible score and/or a perfectly crafted soundtrack, seamlessly incorporated into the storytelling. In Sucker Punch, the main team are (enslaved) dancers at a high roller’s club and every time the protagonist is told to dance we are taken into a her mind’s eye where she envisions a video game style fight against massive monsters. It so brazenly asserts that sex=violence, and the drama is stunning. I know what you are thinking: These films be a little…cheesy. Sure! And we need to teach movie-goers that Captain America isn’t the only one allowed cheap gags, but I’m getting off track.
The comedic relief that each of these films employs leads the viewer through the story with a firm hand. Hari Nef snaps her way into your heart in Assassination Nation. You’re not alone. Revenge fantasies reflect the ingrained and relentless violence we face on a daily basis (something as simple as the threat of a man crossing the street to breathe down your neck as he passes), while giving us the mental and emotional tools to move through it and recognize it doesn’t have to keep us small. None of these women are scared of being aggressive, ugly, big, or cruel. And in a world that values those things above compassion, I think everyone should learn how to protect their peace.
To note: These women are fighting their own battles. These are no Disney fairy tales, there is no prince charming that appears. Not be a hater, I think it’s very important to show both! Love is care, and we all want someone to save us sometimes right? I’m not denying that human desire, but what I love about these revenge flicks, is that these women find their own power and do not take no for an answer. They are fighters, to the death, with wild strength and violent delights. They are able to lose what society has deemed them to be, and protect themselves from the aggression that comes with that. There’s a line in Birds of Prey when Harley is tied up, nonstop talking, while Ewan McGregor is about to peel her face off and he screams, “You’re so tiresome!” It works, she gets herself out of the situation. Growing up one of my biggest fears was being too much or too loud or taking up too much space, as it might disrespect the people around me. No one ever had a knife to my throat, but it still takes a lot of mental energy to silence that voice in my head. And what else are movies for other than a two hour escape into a world that gives you perspective and ideas to better your own life? I mean, don’t go buy a baseball bat and start smashing people’s knees in, but maybe you’re telepathic? Maybe the next time a man walks too close, you can make him flinch. Just saying.
On the flip side, you know that feeling when someone sets you up beautifully to knock the ball out of the park? Like when your wingman finds the perfect entrance and slides through, leaving you nose to nose with your night? Or someone in the group chat writes the perfect typo for a punch line? It’s a certain type of chemistry, always hard to find but so satisfying when you do. That’s what these movies feel like to me. Carefully crafted home runs. And we love to watch an underdog win.
Okay, we are circling back now! What the revenge genre utilizes so well is weapons. If you were once seen as prey, you have to suit up, get big, and find tools to help fight back. Jennifer and Baby Doll both take their inherent gifts of seduction and use them in stride with their new superhuman strength and incredible powers of disassociation to kick ass. Carrie has her powers of telepathy, and the girls in Assassination Nation definitely live in a town full of guns. Harley Quinn has her bat, that she continues to sling even after the men who taught her violence are gone. Those tools aid her power now. And she has fun with it!
So naturally I started thinking what is my weapon of choice? Immediately my answer is a baseball bat. Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy, let me feel the impact. Let the heads roll! A little brutal but so satisfying.
Bring in the art medium: I have recently been obsessed with this gal Candice Phang from Singapore @puffingmuffin on instagram. Watercolor is so hard, and watching her use it so effortlessly (we love a good edit) is captivating. After watercolor, she goes in with colored pencils to shade. I like her illustrations because they feature soft animals with attitude and a lot of color.
So with the idea of “weapon of choice” + Candice’s process, I drew this guy: Rudy, your unimpressed muscle.
What I learned: I have a renewed respect for illustrators. Mixing the right amount and shade of watercolor is very difficult. Luckily the colored pencil stage really helped clean up the lines and even out the color. I also learned that if I were in the animated Harley Quinn universe, this would be my character. The softness of the teddy bear represents my more vulnerable self: spoiler alert, I’m not actually going to beat anyone up (you pervs heh). Though I like to think that when given a weapon, I can be unimpressed, daunting, and do enjoy the fight.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate you! Your homework for next time is to watch at least one of these movies and tell me what you think and what your weapon of choice would be.
Till then,
xoxo Kirsi
(a mostly misc production)