when i was a teenager it felt very revolutionary to be cruel to myself. like some kind of slow passive protest against how much everything hurt. i starved myself of sleep and food and tenderness because it felt right. it felt sharp and angry and radical and i wanted to be those things. adulthood is the realisation that the world is already working to cut into you well before you learn how to do it yourself. caring for yourself and others is the real protest
Michelle K, I Know I Deserve More
[ID: A screenshot of a tweet, followed by three quotes.
The tweet is by verified user mitskileaks, display name mitski, and reads: “I used to rebel by destroying myself, but realized that’s awfully convenient to the world. for some of us our best revolt is self-preservation”.
The first quote reads: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and that is an act of political warfare.” Below this is text attributing the quote to Audre Lorde. The text is in all caps, and at the side is a picture of Audre Lorde speaking.
The second quote reads: “I did the being edgy and self-deprecating thing, it gets old. I wanna be soft and easily impressed. I wanna appreciate all the little things that make me happy the same way I’ve dwelled on every single thing that upsets me.” The text is in all caps, and displayed on a poster on the side of a wall.
The third quote reads: “I treat myself like I would my daughter. I brush her hair, wash her laundry, tuck her in goodnight. Most importantly, I feed her. I do not punish her. I do not berate her, leave tears staining her face. I do not leave her alone. I know she deserves more. “I know I deserve more.” The text is italicized. /End ID.]
