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MEMES! Gender, labels, + consent, oh my!
I was sharing memes on instagram that included nude images but deleted them all when ig did their most recent update to the terms of service because I was scared of getting my account deleted AGAIN. My original account with 22.6k followers got deleted in October 2018 and I never got it back, so I really would like that to NOT happen again.
I still love the memes that I made and want to share them, so here are some of the ones that I used to have on my ig before I deleted them!
Original caption:
Photo: Chip Willis
Model + meme: me, Bunny LunaI am angry today so I am channeling that anger into making my first ever meme. Hah, it’s funny that I’m choosing this as my first post since my hibernation. (TW: breach of consent) This meme is dedicated to the TWO middle aged white men who assumed it was okay to touch me without consent yesterday.
They obviously felt entitled to my body because I have a vulva and am younger than them? One rubbed my freshly cut hair on the top of my head, without asking or commenting or anything, just touched me out of nowhere. The other literally pulled me by the arm so I could pose for him in front of some photos of mine, and then proceeded to move my arm to get me to pose in a certain way. He didn’t even ASK if I wanted to take a photo. I told him my rates, and he laughed.
Original caption:
Labels are complicated, and have the potential to be both positive AND negative. As someone who has learned a lot about themself over the last year, and changed quite a bit, labels have been something I’ve honestly struggled with. It’s easy to say that labels are not important, and they don’t have to be if you don’t want them to, but for some people they’re incredibly important, especially when you’re trying to figure out who you are.
Labels are positive in that they help us figure out what space we occupy in the world, they help us describe ourselves to others, and they help us find community and people who are similar to us. Labels can be negative when people assume incorrect things about us, put is in boxes that don’t fit us, or when they refuse to see us for who we really are.
It feels awful to be labeled as something you’re not, and it feels amazing and is so affirming when someone uses the correct label(s) to describe you. No matter what, only YOU can choose what labels are right for you. There is nobody who knows you better than yourself.
Some labels that I personally use because they feel right and true for me: non binary, queer, ecosexual, non monogamous, artist, witch, demisexual, creative, sproutling (my mom came up with this to describe me to others instead of saying that I’m her adult child and I love it!)
What labels do you use that feel authentic to you?
Self portrait taken in Utah during my 69 day cross country road trip in 2019 (before I cut my hair obviously).
Original caption:
Never touch anyone without their explicit consent. Yes, this includes hugs with friends and family, asking or talking about someone’s tattoos/clothes/hair, directing a model for a photoshoot, posing with another model, kissing your crush…
The ONLY exception to this that I can think of is if that person is in immediate danger and there is literally no time to ask for consent.
Keep in mind, consent is not only for physical touch. You should also get consent when flirting with someone, commenting on someone’s body, sharing difficult or potentially triggering information, sharing a story someone told you with someone else, posting photos of people… basically if it involves someone else, you probably need their consent.
Have something to share about consent? I’d love to read your thoughts/stories in the comments!
Words: Douglas Pierce
Photo + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Utah)
I didn’t save the caption for this one, but it’s pretty self explanatory. =]
Original caption:
I am not the person I was a year ago, or last week, or yesterday. You probably aren’t either. We are all on perpetual journeys of growth and expansion. Every day we learn something about ourselves, every day we become a newer version of who we know ourselves to be.
Without change there is no innovation, no deeper understanding, no growth. You are a bottomless ocean filled with gifts unknown, until you dive in and explore your depths.
Photo + meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Colorado)
Original caption:
I recently had a really difficult conversation about my gender with a family member who is unwilling to do the work to understand and accept me for who I am. Their response to my being non binary was that I’ going through an “identity crisis” and it’s something that I’ll “grow out of” once I figure myself out.
It’s especially frustrating to me that they feel that way, because I know myself better now that I ever have. I know that I can’t make them see me for who I truly am, and that’s their work to do, not mine. It still hurts that someone I love doesn’t actually know me and instead chooses to only see me as the person they thought I was when I was younger and didn’t know myself.
I will continue to correct them when they misgender me (which is something I am constantly struggling with and tend to just stay quiet about it), because I want them to know that this is ME, not an “identity crisis” that I’ll “grow out of”
Sending lots of love to all of my trans siblings who have to deal with this every day. It’s really hard, and you deserve to be honored and acknowledged in your gender. I see you. I honor you. You are valid and important and I love you for WHO YOU ARE.
Photo/meme: me, Bunny Luna (self portrait in Colorado)
Original caption:
I moved through the first 28ish years of my life carrying the layers of expectations and assumptions of society that were thrown on top of me as a child before I knew I had any other option. Now that I know more about how the world works, I realize that I’ve been holding on to many things that are not truly mine. Parts of me buckled under that oppressive weight of binary gender, compulsory cis hetero monogamy, religion, racism, and capitalism (among others).
I am choosing to let go of the layers of anything that is not for the benefit of myself and the earth. It is a constant shedding, and it is not easy, but it is worth it. I wake every day with less of what isn’t mine so that I can understand what truly IS for me. I learn who I am by questioning.
Self portrait in Colorado
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Self Portraits at the entrance of a Colorado cave
CAPTION FOR THE VIDEO ABOVE:
Hi friends! So this week is a little bit different. You might not really notice much different, but I usually use my cell phone for these videos but this week my cell phone is locked away in a drawer for at least the next few days because I don’t want to be on social media so I’m making myself not even touch my phone so I don’t accidentally be like “oh I wonder what’s happening?” get on social media and then be on there for like 4 hours. So yeah, it’s in a drawer and the drawer is taped shut and I’m not going to touch my phone until Friday at the earliest, yay me! I’m taking this video on my fancy digital camera which I haven’t used in a while so it’s probably good that I’m using it.
This week I’m sharing a… I think it’s the last photoset that I took in the cave in Colorado. I’m not going to say too much about it because I already told you about it last week and there’s also videos from when I was actually there that you can watch. I feel like I don’t have to go over the cave in Colorado anymore, but you’re going to have some awesome photos and BTS video from that to look at. The first look members… I believe it’s another 1 or 2 sets from Goblin Valley, so I’m excited to share those too. I don’t have my computer open and my list of all the things but I’m pretty sure that’s what it is, I’m pretty sure it’s content from Goblin Valley. Hopefully I’m right, I think I’m right. I don’t want to have to go search and find what it is but I’m pretty sure it’s from Goblin Valley.
Yesterday at the end of the day I decided that I’m not going to be on social media or my phone at least until Friday at the earliest. So I taped my phone away in a drawer and now I cleaned the whole house today and I did all of my laundry and now I’m like… what am I going to do? It’s funny how much I realize now I’m on my phone, because when I’m not on it I’m like “wow suddenly I have so much more time!” It’s wild! Yeah I’m really glad I’m not on my phone. I don’t know about you but I sometimes struggle with having boundaries with my phone. That’s something I’m working on. Also I’m taking this video early, this is.. I think today is Tuesday. I usually make the video on Thursdays. I’m taking a technology break but I’m still going to obviously be doing my weekly content for yall, so I’m not 100% off of technology because this camera is technology and my computer that I’ll be on probably Thursday is technology. I’m just not going to be on social media and I’m not going to touch my phone. I don’t have a lot to say this week because not much has changed. I’m probably not going to be leaving my house for the next 2 weeks, which will be interesting, especially while I’m not using my phone I’m going to be like, finding things to do. Which is kinda funny because I remember before back in the day I used to be like “wow I do all these things and I don’t have time for all the things I want to do!” and now today I’m like… “hmmmm what am I going to do? I don’t want to watch tv, what do I want to do?” I can’t go on a walk because it’s raining, except I’m probably going to still go on a walk, I have a rain jacket. It’s amazing how much more time you have when you’re not on your phone.
I don’t have much to say this week so I’m going to stop this video so I don’t keep rambling but I just wanted to say that I love and appreciate every single one of you so much! You are literally what keeps me fed, literally what keeps me with a roof over my head, literally what makes it so that I’m able to do any of this at all, so thank you, you mean the world to me. It’s been so awesome getting to know some of you more personally. Some of you, especially some of the newer people who have joined, I haven’t.. I don’t think we’ve ever had a conversation, so if you want to talk, you can comment on this post or send me an email. Yeah I think yall are awesome and I’m glad you’re my friends and I’m glad you’re here. I’m always open to hear what kinds of things you’re interested in, because I continually know that I’m going to be changing and shifting things with my website. I still don’t know exactly what that is yet, and I’m going to continue to mention it so nobody’s surprised when something changes. I’m of course going to let you know what the change is before I do it, and I don’t know what the change is yet because I haven’t decided!
I don’t have an infinite supply of nude art, and I’ve had a total of 2 photoshoots this entire year and I’ve taken like 2 or 3 self portrait sets this entire year and it’s like the end of September. My backlog won’t last forever. I feel like I’ll have started some kind of content before I actually run out of content to share. I’ve stopped modeling completely, and like I said I’ve done 2 photoshoots this year. I’ve been slowing down a lot, and reevaluating what’s important to me and yall are the reason I’m able to do that. That’s amazing, thank you so much. I think that bigger better things are coming. Maybe not even bigger, just different. Maybe not even better, just different, I don’t know. I keep thinking about meditation and energy healing and I keep taking videos of nature and I know I’m going to do something with them, I don’t know exactly what that is yet. Probably videos of meditation and energy healing haha. I feel kindof… I don’t want to say stuck… I’m in the liminal space between who I was a little over a year ago, who I was in the photos I’ve shared this weekend with yall. I’m in the liminal space between that and who I’m becoming, who I’m growing into. I’m figuring it out, day by day. I don’t actually know what I’m doing. Does anyone actually know what they’re doing? I don’t think so. I’m just glad yall are here with me. I appreciate you all. I love you, and I’ll talk to you next week! Bye!
Video members:
click here to view the full self portrait photoset of me at the entrance of a cave in Colorado during my cross country road trip last summer
click here to view the BTS video (+2 vlogs from before I found the cave)First Look members:
click here to view the complete self portrait photoset in Utah (Going In)
click here to view the BTS video
click here to view the complete self portrait photoset in Utah (My Own Canyon)
click here to view the BTS video -
Self Portraits at the entrance of a Colorado cave
Pay What You Can & Video members now have access to:
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vlog with the story behind this self portrait photoset of me at the entrance of a cave in Colorado during my cross country road trip last summer
- 59 image complete photoset
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21+ minutes of BTS video (+2 vlogs before I found the cave)
First Look members now have access to:
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everything above
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22 image complete self portrait photoset in Utah (Going In)
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2.5 minutes of BTS video
- 53 image complete self portrait photoset in Utah (My Own Canyon)
- 5 minutes of BTS video
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Self Portraits IN A CAVE!
Pay What You Can & Video members now have access to:
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vlog with the story behind this self portrait photoset I took inside a cave in Colorado during my cross country road trip last summer
- 32 image complete photoset
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8 minutes of BTS video
First Look members now have access to:
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everything above
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106 image complete self portrait photoset Among Goblins (also from my cross country road trip last summer)
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14 minutes of BTS video
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Self Portraits IN A CAVE!
CAPTION FOR THE VIDEO ABOVE:
Hello friends! It’s raining again which is why I’m not outside. This week I have some really awesome photos to share with you. I have the first photoset that I’m sharing from my time in the cave on my cross country road trip last summer. I was… if you followed all the videos I made every day last summer when I was on my cross country road trip, then you know what happened before I took these, and after, because I talked about it in the vlog. If you’re new to my website I’ll do a quick recap. I had just gotten to Colorado National Mounument and I came in through some back way somehow and didn’t realize that I was actually in Colorado National Monument. I was trying to find McInnis Canyons, and while I did find the parking lot for it, I didn’t trust my van to drive where I really wanted to be, so I gave up on McInnis Canyons and I drove around the park, which is Colorado National Monument, that I didn’t actually realize was the monument because I never went through a gate. You know how at the entrances to most national parks and monuments and stuff, they have a little house thing that has a person that works there that answers your questions and takes your fee to get in and stuff, there’s usually a gate. Apparently I went in through some back way and I never saw a gate so I didn’t realize I was actually in the park.
I ended up sleeping at a trailhead in my van, I just parked at a trailhead and slept there overnight, which I was not supposed to do. The next morning I got up and as I was driving I noticed across the canyon that there was a cave on the side of the canyon, and I wanted to see if I could find it. I parked where I assumed was close-ish to the cave, on the side of the road, there wasn’t actually a parking spot. I’m still not completely aware that I’m actually in Colorado National Monument, I just thought I found some cool ass road. Looking back I should have known, but I never saw any official signs and I didn’t know. I was just real happy about where I was so I didn’t question it. I traipsed around for a little while and I took some videos on the side of the canyon, I hadn’t really found anything yet and I was about to give up, but I was like “you know what, I’m gonna continue walking over here and see what I can find” and I FOUND THE CAVE! I found the fucking cave! So I of course completely celebrated and was super fucking happy and really excited about it. I took a couple of self portrait sets in the cave and some more videos and I’m sharing one of those self portrait sets with you today. There’s like 8 minutes of video that I’m sharing from that cave also, so you get to see me really excited about it. After I was in the cave I went back to my van and I hung out there and had lunch in the van in that space that I parked that wasn’t actually a parking spot. A park ranger parked behind me and started interrogating me and thought that I had alcohol, and thought that I had all these drugs with me and thought that I was like… since I had a mason jar of water which they assumed was moonshine which… why does liquid in a mason jar automatically equate to moonshine in most people’s minds? I don’t get it, I just drink water out of them constantly. So he saw the “moonshine” and thought that… he had seen me parked at the trailhead and he thought that I was like… trying to like (TRIGGER WARNING) commit suicide. He thought I was gonna like drink my ass off and then walk off a cliff or something. Why do all of these “safety official people” people who are cops, why do they always go to the worst possible outcome? I just don’t get it. Anyway. I lied a bunch, a lot, pretending that I didn’t sleep there overnight, because I didn’t want to get in trouble, also fuck cops.
So I was super lucky and I recognize that as a white person that’s probably why I was able to get away with it. If I had darker skin, I probably, who knows what would have happened to me. Definitely not getting away with it and not having any kind of repercussion. If I was Black that would definitely be different. I just want to say I acknowledge my EXTREME privilege and I appreciate that I didn’t get in trouble for this. But yeah that was part of that adventure. If you want to see more of my daily videos that I made when I was on my cross country road trip, I’ll put a link in the caption below (CLICK HERE TO SEE) so you can go look at all of them. Anybody can see them, I posted all over 100 videos that I made for free for anyone who wants to see. So go enjoy that, there’s a bunch of nature things there. Also good luck finding which video it is because there’s a fuck ton of videos, but enjoy your searching! Yeah so that’s what I’m sharing this week with everybody.
First look members I’m sharing a photoset that’s over 100 photos from my time in Goblin Valley. I took several different sets when I was down among the goblins. The parking lot is up above the actual Goblin Valley, then there’s a big hill and down below is this huge valley of all the goblins. It’s really cool, unique interesting rock formations that they call goblins, and it’s a whole valley full of them and it’s wild and awesome. I took all of those different sets and bunched them into one really big set, so that’s available along with BTS video for first look members. It’ll eventually be coming for everyone else. I think that’s most of what I want to share today.
Also I just wanna say my tattoo is healing very well. I’m in the itchy flaky stage, so that’s fun. I’m still washing it 2-3x/day, putting lotion on a bunch. I love it so much and I’m so happy with it! I’m excited to continue, I have 2 more appointments, I have an appt in November and an appt in December to continue. It’s gonna come up here and go here and across my back and down my arm, I’m excited!
Okay this video is getting long and I’ve already told you some stories and also there’s nothing really new in my life right now because… what’s changed since last week? Not really anything. So! Yeah just wanted to say hi and I love you, and YOU YOU are the reason I’m able to do any of this at all. I appreciate you so much. It means the world to me that you support me financially and spiritually and artistically, and friendship-ly haha. Yeah it means a lot. I’m so thankful that you’re here and that I get to continue sharing with you and… yeah. Okay. I love you! MWAH! Bye!
Video members:
click here to view the full self portrait photoset I took inside a cave in Colorado during my cross country road trip last summer
click here to view the BTS videoFirst Look members:
click here to view the self portrait photoset Among Goblins (also from my cross country road trip last summer)
click here to view the BTS video