My thoughts on LeFou

While I am member of the LGBTQ+ community, I cannot speak on behalf of everyone but I do believe we all celebrated a little when we found out LeFou would be the first main gay character in a Disney film.

Growing up Disney was a massive influence on me, some my favourite movies being 'The Little Mermaid', 'Aristocats', 'The Black Cauldron' and yes 'Beauty and the beast'. 
Every child loves being able to see themselves in their favourite stories; I know that 10 year old me adored Ariel, one of the reasons being her red hair.
I was very confused about my sexuality for years and I think part of that was due to the lack of information and misrepresentation in media. 
Even now there is a lack of accurate LGBTQ+ representation, even when there is its 77% gay men, 23% lesbian women and only 9% bisexuals. Personally I have only seen two pansexual characters, that being Jack Harkness (Doctor who, Torchwood) and Deadpool, so I did a bit more research and...

...Thats not alot

Luckily every year there are more and more LGBTQ+ characters in media. The problem is that some characters come across as stereotypical and 2 dimensional. Stereotypes are there for a reason and yes they are sometimes true but after seeing the punchline 50 times???

If young people are view these 2 dimensional, stereotypical characters then they're going to be confused because they don't feel they fit into certain boxes.

Beauty and the Beast is one of the most famous fairy tales in the world, which then became one of Disney's most timeless classics. Disney fans leapt for joy when we discovered there would be a live action re-make, even more so when we discovered the incredibly talented cast, but it was the announcement that LeFou would be gay that caught the most attention.

While many leapt for joy, others immediately boycotted the film. The fact that Disney proudly released this information shows how far we've come. Sadly the movie was banned in several places or given a movie rating of 16+ or 18+ in others because of this.

Many believed LeFou would be pining for Gaston and possible resent Belle and the other girls because of his affections. In the original Gaston was not the greatest friend and LeFou was a bumbling sidekick, so it was interesting to see how this would unfold.

Thankfully LeFou didn't end up with Gaston (despite appearing to have some feeling towards him, but ultimately saw the toxicity of the relationship) and stepped out of his sidekick roll and became the sassy well rounded character we didn't realise we needed in the original. He still has that love/hate relationship with Gaston and in the end helps Mrs Potts to stop the intruders (I think we can all agree this was better than seeing him rip Babette's feathers out). The final dance brought a smile to everyones face and gave a hint to LeFou's own happily ever after.

Not only was Lefou and well executed and believable character but this means that we can expect more Disney, and it can be expected that many animation creators will follow suite.

Warner Bros & Son's 2016 movie 'Storks' showed families of every kind and Mattel have even hinted at a lesbian relationship between Darling Charming and Apple White (Ever After High) who after falling under a sleeping curse cannot be roused by Darlings brother so she steps up and tries 'mouth to mouth' aka the true loves kiss she needed.

ABC made strides with their show 'Once Upon a Time' with Mulan having feelings for Aurora and Ruby waking Dorothy with True loves kiss and expressing their love. Personally I'd love to see more of Merida and Mulan, who have great chemistry on screen as did Ruby and Dorothy.

While these are all great, they haven't had as much exposure as 'Beauty and the Beast'. 

Personally I think LeFou signified that in the past few years we have come far...buuuuut we still have a loooooong way to go. 

I know a little girl I used to look after who is going to grow up seeing all kinds of different characters represented and she will not struggle to find character she can emulate and that warms my heart. LeFou was a big step for Disney and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Catch ya later xx

To new adventures!

Tabby you beautiful person!

I regret not being able to spend as much time with you in Australia and being unable to see you off. That being said, I hope you find a new adventure and make the most of it. I'll miss your face, but at least we have the internet to contact each other. Namely this blog haha.

Stay awesome, grab life by the horns and ride into the sunset babe because you are gonna be great.

xox

Taz

Content VS Opinion: Today's "debate"

There comes a time where a person needs to separate their opinion from the facts. When you are an educator, particularly in young minds, there needs to be a distinct separation between the two. However, when it comes to uni that separation is able to be more subtle due to the minds educating themselves on current topics. Opinions can be made and though they may not be agreed upon, they can be on topic. Take for example culture and the presidency of America. The decisions made by the president can affect culture in a multitude of ways therefore that discussion would be relevant. Alternatively a discussion on whether Severus Snape from the series Harry Potter is a redeemable character or not, is not relevant in a cultural studies class. However, attacking someone based on their opinion? that is just bad manners.

Here are some techniques to utilize while debating without being an a**hole:

1. It pays to be open minded. Listen to the other person's opinion. Yes you may not agree with it but that person probably has reasons as to why they think that way. Explore and understand them.
2. Have evidence to back up your claims. The best way to develop a healthy argument is to actually be able to discuss the facts. Pros and cons are great!
3. Speak civilly. No one wants to listen to someone rude and accusatory in a debate, the point is to calmly argue your opinion. Blustering and swearing will not help you win your case, keep it clean.
4. There is a time and a place. Pick your times to argue carefully, as some places or scenarios can be inappropriate. For instance during a lecture is not appropriate especially when the lecturer is trying to teach the rest of your class, instead try discussing it with your tutor after the lecture.

Today I witnessed someone who did the opposite of these techniques during the first lecture I attended this year. It was so ridiculously out of the blue and surreal that hours later, I cannot stop thinking about it. As students at University I would think we know the difference between the lecturers opinion and the course content. Waving a bag around the air and storming out? That is blatantly immature and rude. Certainly not the way to go about a debate in a tertiary setting. Entertaining nonetheless, an interesting start to a year that is sure to be memorable.

Seriously just use manners, xox

Taz

News: Medibank Madi Gras Madness

So medibank released an ad that had same sex couples kissing and tons of people loved it, but there were some homophobes who were being horrible in the comments on Facebook. 

The 'think of the children' line they alway use confuses me because they themselves aren't thinking of the children - its this hatred and bullying (yes if you're a 40 year old man hiding behind a computer it's still bullying) that is the reason an estimate 30-40% of lgbtq+ teens have attempted suicide so yes, please think of the children and keep your homophobic comments and bigotry to yourself!

More info on Australian LGBTQ+ mental health and suicide

The other comment that stuck me as odd was someone brought up reproduction and said "if a gay person produces a child I'll eat my hat"...

Well enjoy that hat because surrogacy is a thing, I have a family friend who is gay and father to two beautiful young girls. Not to mention the billions of kids who are orphaned every year.

For gods sake its a company spreading a positive and loving message and bigoted idiots can't help but spout nonsense because seeing two people of the same gender kiss is too much for them (whats the bet that they've all watched lesbian porn though).

Spread love not hate,
Catch ya later xx

Book review: Percy Jackson Series books 1-5

Recently I read the Rick Riordan series; Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I have to say it was immensely enjoyable and I would honestly recommend the series to anyone who wants an easy read... As long as you have a brief understanding of Greek Mythology and whatnot. If not you will probably either find yourself searching the web for answers or just not caring and reading the book anyway. I have a degree of fascination when it comes to mythology and ancient stories so I am not quite sure why it took me so long to read this series. 

|Spoiler Warning|

Long story short, Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon which causes mass drama in Olympus by itself, not to mention Zeus's most powerful lightning bolt is stolen. So of course, everyone blames Percy who only finds out he is the son of a God (a demigod) after one of the Furies comes after him. It's highly convoluted but with the help of a saytr he manages to get to the relative safety of camp Half-Blood. Like I stated, unless you have a basic grasp on Greek mythology, most of the beings and creatures in the series will have you reaching for Google in no time flat. He befriends a daughter of Athena by the name of Annabeth Chase and they bicker all the time.

Side note: Annabeth's birth is touched on during the series. Given that Athena is a Maiden Goddess all her children are brought to life through thought, not the usual means if you know what I mean...

Percy seems to always be attracting the attention of the gods who tend to visit him on his quests, whether it be to aid or hinder him (Ares is a piece of work by the way). Percy himself however has one fatal flaw: he will do anything to protect the ones he loves. He would gladly sacrifice himself if it meant that others would live, that being said I personally think he made some rather idiotic decisions in the books; bathing in the river Styx, trusting Luke in book one, straight up calling the Gods and Goddesses out on their bad behaviour and almost getting blasted to smithereens because of it to name a few. Seriously, I'm not sure he ever actually held his tongue when it came to the gods and while that made me laugh it also made me frustrated because he was toeing a very fine line. The Greek Gods were not known for their tolerance of insolence after all.

Overall the books were very enjoyable, it was interesting to see how certain monsters blended into the human populace as well as lured in their prey in a modern setting. Given that the books themselves were not incredibly long (between 200 and 300 pages each) they were easy to devour, I found myself loosing hours from being so absorbed in the story. The narrative style itself was in a way, funny. You get an insight into Percy's own thoughts interspersed with the story which leads to an almost dry sense of humour with an abundance of sarcasm which had me giggling in my seat.

~ 9/10 would recommend ~

Stay safe! xox

Taz

Unforgivable Curses Collection

 And why are they so named?

Because they are unforgivable...

'Torture'

Crucio

The Cruciatus Curse

Model: Abigail

Photographer: Abigail

'Control'

Imperio

The Imperius Curse

Model: Jacob

Photographer: Abigail

'Death'

Avada Kedavra

The Killing Curse

Model: Taylor

Photographer: Abigail

This year I am hoping to do more photography projects, so stay tuned xx

Catch you later xx

~Tabby

Film Review: Assassin's Creed

Image taken from Google

First things first, I was so excited to see this movie. I've been fascinated with the concept of the Assassin's vs the Templars ever since I was introduced to the game series (that being said, I still have not completed the game as I do not own a console on which to play it). Assassin's working in the shadows to ensure the free will of mankind; plus their parkour and free-running skills are so awesome it motivates me to get fit and learn some of that cause wow. I took my younger brother to see the movie with me and he loved it too.

Without any major spoilers I can tell you that the movie itself is about an assassin that has only been introduced in the recently released movie, his name? Callum Lynch and his direct ancestor Aguilar de Nerha, a spanish assassin during the Spanish Inquisition. Of course we are introduced to the Animus in a much more visual way, namely we get to see how being plugged into the Animus is viewed externally, what the person in the Animus physically does when inside the memory. As a science fiction and movie fan, this was fascinating, but you have to see it to know why.

Visually I truly loved this film, the fast paced scenes where assassins are fighting or running for their lives, I believe they brought the series to life in a different way than what I have witnessed in game. Michael Fassbender did an amazing job as Callum Lynch and I would have expected nothing less honestly, I think he is an awe inspiring actor with incredible screen presence as seen in his portrayal of Magneto in X-men: First Class and subsequent movies since. Honestly if given the chance, I would definitely go see the movie again... and again, and again...

8.5/10 would recommend but I know there's going to be people who did not like the movie at all so it is sure to get some bad reviews from hardcore gamers.

Another review for you! xox

Taz