alright. okay. i mean this gently and in good faith that some of you really don't realise how your words are coming across, but. every time you jump into a conversation about (e.g.,) rap or leg shaving with "This is MY reason for [not listening to rap/shaving my legs], and my reason is nothing to do with [racism/upholding misogynistic beauty standards/etc]", you are making a conversation that has nothing to do with you, about you. Your preferences (and, by extension, you) are not under attack. In fact, mainstream society socially rewards your preferences – and this is the problem. A group of people who don't listen to rap because they buy into racist rhetoric that it's lowbrow/violent/misogynistic/insert other crap here will not care that you don't listen to rap because it's overstimulating or because it's just not your cup of tea; if anything, they're going to see your reasoning as further "proof" that their reasoning is justified. A group of people who think all women should shave their hair off because body hair on women is gross/ugly/masculine/insert other crap here will not care that you shave your legs because of sensory issues or because it's easier to apply moisturizer; they will only care that you are providing further justification for their expectations. So, if you actually care about the wider social issues around these kinds of conversations (which, you know, you should), the best thing you can do is be quiet and listen. Reblog the post without commentary or don't reblog it at all.
