Melissa Gira Grant

I'm Melissa, and I write on the internet (lately, Gawker, Slate, and BlackBook). I live in Brooklyn; before that San Francisco. I am not sure if this is a real blog. I edit this box a lot.

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also on tumblr
Am I Flirting? | Look At This Hipster Fucking


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brain itches Theme by Adam Holwerda, colorized and sassed up by me.
Dec
29
Former Senator John Briggs, on Prop 6 (archival footage from The Times of Harvey Milk): “We don’t allow people who believe in practicing bestiality to teach our children. We don’t let prostitutes teach our children. The reason we don’t is because it’s illegal to be a prostitute. But it’s not illegal to be a homosexual in California.”

Former Senator John Briggs, on Prop 6 (archival footage from The Times of Harvey Milk):

“We don’t allow people who believe in practicing bestiality to teach our children. We don’t let prostitutes teach our children. The reason we don’t is because it’s illegal to be a prostitute. But it’s not illegal to be a homosexual in California.”
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Still, The Times of Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk’s lover, Scott, is wearing a COYOTE shirt — “Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics” — the first prostitutes’ rights organization in the United States, formed in San Francisco in 1973.
Still, The Times of Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk’s lover, Scott, is wearing a COYOTE shirt — “Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics” — the first prostitutes’ rights organization in the United States, formed in San Francisco in 1973.
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"After two years, I finally decided to tackle the IKEA LACK shelf. Well, I was thoroughly justified in putting off installing this shelf for so long." Modern life is rubbish. Here’s how to put up your damn shelves. (Mine have actually moved apartments with me by now. Smart, girl.)
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(via mariadiaz) There are not enough hearts on Tumblr or the Internet in general for the hours I spent, and wished I had more to spend, on that brick incline. Which is to say I lived in Massachusetts and wore a lot of eyeliner between 1992 and 1998.

(via mariadiaz)

There are not enough hearts on Tumblr or the Internet in general for the hours I spent, and wished I had more to spend, on that brick incline.

Which is to say I lived in Massachusetts and wore a lot of eyeliner between 1992 and 1998.

Dec
27
Dec
26
“ Like any internet-savvy male, I’ve seen a lot of porn. Tons of it. All those fake tans, fake eyelashes, fake breasts and fake moans have caused me to value—no, worship—authenticity. syntheticpubes, on The Porn Myth. I don’t know, I’ve gotten paid to “be fake” in porn, and that’s all it was — theatre. If anything, it showed me how much the aesthetics of sex are up to us, not anybody else. (And this is just a personal thing, but why do hip-hugging cotton panties, leg warmers, filmy bras, and perfectly tousled bedhead connote “authentic” now? I mean, I see the girls at American Apparel trying their damnedest to be “natural.” It’s weird. And only makes me more certain that, in bed, whether it’s black push-up lace or tiny boy briefs, it’s all drag.)
Dec
22
spreadmagazine: This woman is ridiculously beautiful. She doesn’t deserve to be held against her will, does she? Of course not! She’s beautiful. Beautiful women deserve better!  You know who else deserves better?  Everyone who is being made to work in any job against their will—be they fat or old or male or ugly. Being a human being is basically the only requirement for deserving help, or as the ad puts it, “hope.”  Also have to love the whole: don’t be afraid to say it for her, this woman has no agency and could surely not speak on her behalf. Don’t be afraid to assume that no decent woman would sell sex of her own volition. Those in the sex industry, willing or not, certainly don’t have a voice. Don’t worry about putting your words in her mouth — or anything else, for that matter.

spreadmagazine:

This woman is ridiculously beautiful. She doesn’t deserve to be held against her will, does she? Of course not! She’s beautiful. Beautiful women deserve better! 

You know who else deserves better?  Everyone who is being made to work in any job against their will—be they fat or old or male or ugly. Being a human being is basically the only requirement for deserving help, or as the ad puts it, “hope.” 

Also have to love the whole: don’t be afraid to say it for her, this woman has no agency and could surely not speak on her behalf. Don’t be afraid to assume that no decent woman would sell sex of her own volition. Those in the sex industry, willing or not, certainly don’t have a voice. Don’t worry about putting your words in her mouth — or anything else, for that matter.
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spreadmagazine: This is, for me, the most iconic of the anti-trafficking ads because it was one of the first I encountered, and it’s still the most ludicrous. It seems like satire, doesn’t it? Flawless, shapely, stark white legs in nice heels, with an accessory that has all the malevolence of a belly chain. You probably don’t even believe that it’s a real ad. But it is. It’s by Amnesty International.  The website URL is barely visible. The “legcuffs” are, apparently, made of gold filigree. The crap fake-fur-covered handcuffs that are standard issue at every sex shop would do a better job of restraining someone. And in case you’re unfamiliar with those, let me assure you, they are utter crap. The coup de grace—her toenails are painted. Because say what you will about traffickers, but those pieces of slime have an eye for detail. 

spreadmagazine:

This is, for me, the most iconic of the anti-trafficking ads because it was one of the first I encountered, and it’s still the most ludicrous. It seems like satire, doesn’t it? Flawless, shapely, stark white legs in nice heels, with an accessory that has all the malevolence of a belly chain. You probably don’t even believe that it’s a real ad. But it is. It’s by Amnesty International. 

The website URL is barely visible. The “legcuffs” are, apparently, made of gold filigree. The crap fake-fur-covered handcuffs that are standard issue at every sex shop would do a better job of restraining someone. And in case you’re unfamiliar with those, let me assure you, they are utter crap. The coup de grace—her toenails are painted. Because say what you will about traffickers, but those pieces of slime have an eye for detail. 

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(via arrestedstills)
(via arrestedstills)