“your nails are so short”

but honestly? like, for real? this is like, a lot about gender

there is an insistent and deep rooted (western) historical belief that women are inherently a ‘civilizing force,’ they tame the barbaric men and bring society to the unkempt masses, the ‘fairer sex’

young girls are expected to mature faster and restrain themselves more, be the ‘voices of reason,’ the tempering wife, the nurturer

and like, fine, okay, but maybe we’re sick of that? maybe we deserve to be silly and dirty and exist for ourselves? calling myself a ‘feral bog witch’ doesn’t make me feel bad

Marisol Ortega

“At just 8 years old, Xóchitl has designed and constructed a solar-powered device to heat water, using only recycled materials, Cultura Colectiva reports.

For many, this device may seem totally unnecessary.  But, in Xóchitl’s community, where resources are scarce, “people don’t have the money to buy heaters, so they chop down trees to get firewood [to heat the water],” says Xóchitl.

Her device not only functions to provide hot water to low-income families in her community, it also saves trees!

Xóchitl’s family helped her set the device up on their roof and have been using it to heat water to bathe.  Xóchitl says she always bathes quickly though, “so [the hot water] will last for my little brother.”

Read the full piece here

BLESS. THIS. CHILD.