TW: Mentions of body shaming, eating disorders and rape/SA.
“Have you tried losing weight?” “Maybe you should get on a diet.” “The pain would go away if you were smaller.” These are all poor excuses that people When going to the doctor as a bigger person, there is almost a preparation internally that is done to face the same two statements.
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When I was younger, I knew something wasn’t exactly right with my body. It wasn’t necessarily hard to see, but one of the biggest issues always had to do with water.
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Being born female has always felt like a curse to me. Although I do love presenting femininely, girlhood, and feminism, femininity always felt like an objective that I could never, ever reach. Growing up, I was surrounded by ideals of what a “real woman” should look like and act like, but none of them ever felt like me.
Read more: Femininity, Fluidity, & FaloodasToo often, women & afab people of color, specifically black and brown people, are hyper masculinized by society. Many of us experience gender dysphoria at a young age without even realizing it. In a porn-sick, pedophilic world, we are often told to shave our legs or that we won’t be desirable if we are not petite. We are groomed into believing that compliance with these unrealistic and patriarchal beauty standards is the only way we can be loved or accepted.
This alienation often made me feel like I was a monster, much like how Stryker compares the trans body to Frankenstein’s monster, where both are labeled as “unnatural” creations rejected by society. Even the most natural and feminine part of myself, body hair, was turned into something to be erased. Body hair, a normal sign of maturity, was made to seem masculine, ugly, and unnatural. That made me feel both “not feminine enough” and “not masculine enough,” even as I came to understand myself as genderfluid. I found myself trapped between two conflicting thoughts: one that punished me for lacking male traits, and another that shamed me for not performing femininity “correctly.”
These beauty standards also erase intersectionality, especially when it comes to South Asian bodies. Generations of colonial trauma, famine, and labor have shaped our bodies in ways that defy Eurocentric ideals. Yet we are still told that our features, our curves, our body hair, and our skin are flaws to be fixed. Our oppressors wound us and then teach us to hate the scars it leaves behind.
For me, reclaiming my gender and my body means rejecting those expectations. Like Stryker’s “transgender rage”, I’ve learned that my frustration can become powerful, where I refuse to be molded by standards that were never made for me. My gender exists in the space between what I was told to be and what I choose to become.
Have you ever seen a content creator who is trying to find an outlet? Next, you may go into the comments to write something nice and supportive, seeing others doing the same. Your heart warms as you read these messages to scroll further and see a hateful comment. You see replies that are validating them. It makes you realize there really are people who take their time to put down people instead of clicking not interested in moving on with their day. You even go ahead and click on their page to see that there is nothing posted. Someone is hiding behind a screen, doing nothing productive.
I’ve always thought being a content creator takes a lot of courage, no matter if you’re page is about sports, politics, gender identity, mental health, etc. People are making content to connect, relate. All the people I personally know who make content do it to show others that there are other people like them. Whenever you see someone who posts something that you relate to, you like it, and it kind of brings a sense of community. You see all these people on the internet who also relate to what you may be going through, what you believe in, and it can heal some insecurities of maybe being a “freak” or “too different.”
In “Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender of Identity,” one specific chapter from Jeffery Marsh titled “Life Threats” really made me think about this concept; the courage to be seen on as big a platform as social media is. You are putting yourself out there, making yourself visible to all types of people, knowing that you have a chance of facing backlash that can just blow up in your face. Those same people who may write those hateful comments might have enough passion to even put you in danger. A specific example that comes to my mind is when streamers get “swatted.” They take this extreme step to prank them even though it is not a prank and is a traumatic experience. Especially because the people who are calling the police on them don’t really know what they’ve experienced and what toll it could take. These streamers are spending quality time entertaining people just to be put in danger.
Victor Frankenstein’s monster stands before the fellow traveller, towering above them.
Read more: Stillness and Solace“I am an unfortunate and deserted creature, I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me and know little of me. I am full of fears, for if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world for ever” (Shelley). The monster does not look at his new acquaintance when he speaks; his eyes remain on the looming glaciers around them, glowing in the moonlight. His words, which linger heavily in the chilled air like their warm breath, are met with silence. The traveller peers at the figure next to them: “flesh torn apart and sewn together again in a shape other than that in which (he) was born” (Stryker). Each carefully selected piece of skin and bone fits together to form a uniquely beautiful, abstract puzzle. They had only just met, and yet, each stitch woven into the bodies of the traveller and the creature was spooled from the same thread- a rope of pain caused from society’s purposeful ostracism.
Finally, the traveller interrupts the comfortable, contemplative stillness.
“Like (you), I am too often perceived as less than fully human due to the means of my embodiment; …my exclusion from human community fuels a deep and abiding rage that I, like (you), direct against the conditions in which I must struggle to exist” (Stryker).
The monster did not have the chance to respond, and the traveller would never hear his response, both robbed of the conversation and solace.
Victor Frankenstein shot his creation- once in the head and once in the heart- leaving the traveller alone again.
How many horror movies include fat characters? How many of those movies portray their fat characters as people with morbid bodies? Unfortunately, the abuse of fat bodies in horror films is a trend that has been very popular in the movie industry. Blade (1998), is my favorite example of the manipulation of bigger bodies to make it seem like the fatter you are, the grosser you are. A minor character in the movie, Pearl, was a vampire antagonist who got tortured for answers regarding an infamous vampire syndicate. Pearl’s obesity was turned into an instrument of disgust. Her skin was blemished with whatever torture mechanisms had been used. Human’s disgust with skin is also a fascinating aspect in the whole topic. Films oftentimes dramatically stretch, twist, and blemish skin to make a person seem inherently gross. Another example I find myself thinking about frequently is in The Walking Dead. There are a multitude of fat zombies in the series and almost always, those zombies are killed or displayed with the contents of their stomach laying out. These scenes tell me that the stomach is the feature of our bodies that we fear and think to be disgusting. It’s not only TWD that does this either. Every single zombie movie I’ve watched has had at least two fat characters who are either killed in an incredibly violating way, or who are absolutely grotesque zombies. Moving out of the supernatural realm, the antagonist Anne Wilkes in the movie Misery is a bigger woman who holds her favorite author captive so he can rewrite the sequel to her favorite book series. Anne’s body is portrayed as monstrous due to her size which can be interpreted as the masculinization of fat female bodies. Towards the ending of the movie, Anne and the author are fighting each other for the freedom of the author. The author struggles a great deal against the smaller woman (granted, he was in a wheelchair, but he still would realistically be stronger than the woman especially since he had been “training” with a 15-20 pound type writer daily). After multiply bashing her in the head with the typewriter, she kept getting up. These are only a few examples, however, it is important to keep in my mind how often fat bodies are portrayed in this way.
Growing up Baptist, I was always told that my body was to be hidden, especially the breasts. I always wondered why that is. AFAB people have breasts, consisting of tissue and mammary glands to give life, to feed their young. Why is that sexual? As a lesbian, I understand the appeal, but once again, why is there such a deep seated sexualization of these two orbs of tissue? An example of the sexualization of breasts is seen in the change of saree styles pre and post British rule in India. Before the western influence, sarees were often worn without a blouse under it, simply consisting of a long piece of cloth draped around the body. With the British rule came the western ideals of modesty, leading to sarees being worn almost exclusively with blouses in the modern day, ensuring there is no breast visible. I remember being 15, babysitting for an Indian family that taught me this. The mother who is now a dear friend of mine showed me historical portraits of Hindu deities, many of which had breasts visible, specifically the goddess Durga. She is a warrior goddess, seen as a symbol of feminine strength, depicted in ancient sculptures with breasts uncovered, the breasts being a part of symbolizing feminine strength. In this sculpture, she is seen slaying a buffalo-headed beast called Mahisha. (See photo.) Durga was a fierce warrior while simultaneously being a symbol for motherhood and maternal love. She is the Hindu maternal protector of the universe itself.
The first photo is a painting of a woman wearing a saree in the 19th century. The second photo is of a woman wearing a saree in 1910.
Breasts themselves are not sexual, rather they a reflection of the broader societal issues regarding women’s bodies. Sexualizing breasts gives men power over them by making women uncomfortable with them being visible or sexualised, leading to a change in women’s behavior, in this case, covering the breasts. If men are ogling something about your body, you will feel pressured to hide it, therefore the men have the power over what of the body is shown. It all goes back to the patriarchy.
I do not like my name. Similarly to Levi S. Govoni in his portion of Nonbinary: Memoirs of Gender and Identity, I dislike what I’m called most of the time. When I was young, I couldn’t explain why I disliked my name. When I was 7, maybe 8, hearing my name out loud was something to be avoided as much as I could. I’ve grown used to it, years on years of such feelings have made me at least used to the name. Names tend to tie into the ideas of femininity and masculinity; that is, you would expect a man to have a man’s name and vice versa. I do not think that it is wrong, or right for that matter, to think in this binary naming convention. Humans are incredibly adept at finding patterns and connections, including that of the gender spectrum (Say the name Bob being typically associated with a man, or the name Samantha being feminine). However, it should be more socially acceptable to be named what you would prefer in order to align better with your preferred gender identity. Human nature should not get in the way of common decency to ensure that those around you are comfortable, especially by your actions and words. Just because it is in human nature to categorize, does not mean that you should demean or debase those who do not fit in said categories. Respect for me, should I choose to change my name, or how I present myself, should not be something I have to hope for, it is something I should expect.
One of the Disability Visibility Project readings titled “Unmasking Mask Hate: The Racial-Criminal Pathologization of Dissent” by Leah Harris and Liat Ben-Moshe brought up the spread of anti-masking legislation and its impending arrival in Maryland. The right to mask at protests is not a new debate; the first U.S. anti-masking law can be traced back to 1845 in New York. That law made it illegal to be “disguised and armed,” though reports on the motivation behind the law can differ by source. According to Robert A. Kahn, a law professor at St. Thomas University of Law, the law was put into place to combat KKK terrorism. The Antebellum (pre-Civil War era) was from 1820-1861, so the timeline seems to check out (Kahn). The Anti-Defamation League also referred to the KKK as the reason for the first anti-masking law in New York (“#UnmaskhateNY Enough Is Enough”). But according to AskALibrarian on NYCourts.Gov, the anti-masking laws were in response to the 1845 anti-rent riots in which farmers were unable and unwilling to pay rising rent prices to their landlord, tension rose between the landlords and the struggling farmers, and what followed was a protest made up of young men and boys of the group dressed up as their interpretation of Native American people rioting against law enforcement (“What Was the New York Mask Law? – Ask a Law Librarian”). The law enforcement officers had come to the farmer bearing legal documents and the intention to sell their land, but the conflict escalated into a riot with multiple deaths (Rey). A detail that helps distinguish the law’s intent is that the Governor who signed it, Silas Wright, has been remembered for his harsh stance against the violent actions of the anti-rent riot movement.
Currently, 22 states have anti-masking laws (“Anti Mask Laws by State 2024”). Most of these laws focus on the intent of the person using the mask, banning the use of a mask for the purpose of intimidating others, loitering, and hiding one’s identity during a crime. Maryland does not have an anti-mask law, but that may not be the case for long. The Masked Intimidation, aka the Unmask Hate Act, has gone through its first reading by the House as of February 2, 2025, and has 9 more steps to go through before landing on the Governor’s desk. Let’s review this law and consider its potential implications for peaceful protestors.
SUMMARY OF THE LAW
The anti-mask law prohibits people from intentionally intimidating, harassing, or threatening others when wearing a mask to obscure their identity. The law outlines excusable reasons a person may be wearing a mask: holiday celebrations, protective equipment for a trade, weathering elements, religious purposes, or to prevent the spread of an airborne illness (“Legislation – HB1081”). At first glance, this law seems like it could help with the issues of political violence, racial violence, and hate crimes, but how will this be used in the legal and judicial system? Does a peaceful protest count as intentional intimidation to some police officers and court officials? Are the potential 90 days of imprisonment or $500 upon first offense meant to deter dangerous extremists or silence activist action?
UH, WHO WROTE THIS?
To better understand legislation, I research the person behind it and their values. This law was proposed by Delegates Boafo, Simpson, Toles, and Vogel, all from the democratic party. Delegate Boafo has contributed to notable laws around protecting underserved minority communities. Most notably, the Maryland Values Act, which puts strict rules against ICE entering private areas of sensitive areas if they don’t have a judicial warrant (“Legislation – HB1222”), and the Eric’s ID Law, which gives disabled adults the option to add a butterfly to their Maryland ID as a way to communicate to cops that they have a hidden disability (“Legislation – HB0707”). Delegate Boafo’s work towards anti-discrimination legislation in Maryland suggests that this newly proposed law was intended to prevent antisemitic masked intimidation incidents, as outlined by the Anti-Defamation League about perpetrators in New York (“#UnmaskhateNY Enough Is Enough”). But, with a few cases of protestors being arrested at rallies, and the current president putting out social media statements including “MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to be worn at protests” and “What do these people have to hide, and why???”, who’s to say that this law won’t be interpreted differently than Delegate Boafo may have originally intended (Harris and Ben-Moshe).
This law is in its first of many steps before it reaches the governor. More information and official writing on how this could affect peaceful protestors is needed. What do you think about this law?
(“Legislation – HB1081”)
Works Cited
“#UnmaskhateNY Enough Is Enough.” Anti-Defamation League, http://www.adl.org/unmaskhateny. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
“Anti Mask Laws by State 2024.” Worldpopulationreview.com, 2025, worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/anti-mask-laws-by-state.
Harris, Leah, and Liat Ben-Moshe. “Unmasking Mask Hate: The Racial-Criminal Pathologization of Dissent.” Disability Visibility Project, July 2025, disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2025/07/13/unmasking-mask-hate-the-racial-criminal-pathologization-of-dissent/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Kahn, Robert A. “Anti-Mask Laws.” The Free Speech Center, 9 Aug. 2024, firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/anti-mask-laws-mask-bans/.
“Legislation – HB0707.” Maryland.gov, 2025, mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0707?ys=2025RS. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
“Legislation – HB1081.” Maryland.gov, 2025, mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1081?ys=2025RS. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
“Legislation – HB1222.” Maryland.gov, 2025, mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1222?ys=2025RS. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
Rey, Oskar E. “Antimask Laws: Exploring the Outer Bounds of Protected Speech under the First Amendment—State v. Miller, 260 Ga. 669, 398 S.E.2d 547 (1990).” UW Law Digital Commons, 31 Dec. 2018, digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol66/iss4/10/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
“What Was the New York Mask Law? – Ask a Law Librarian.” Nycourts.gov, 2020, askalawlibrarian.nycourts.gov/legalresearch/faq/410210.
The controversy of Miss International Queen 2025 in Thailand has shook the internet all over the globe. This year’s Miss international Queen was won by Midori Monet, a Black American trans woman, marking history and a victory for Black and trans visibility worldwide. However, her win was overshadowed when all the other contests celebrated with Olivia Lauren, first runner-up, and ignored Monet during her crowning moment. Lauren publicly accused Monet and another contestant, the second runner-up, of bullying her during the competition, and there were claims that contestants made fun of her and ostracized her backstage.
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Unruly Bodies 