the fawn, lace, emaciation, and the color pink: the sexualization of hyperfemininity and innocence on tumblr

i think it's important to note that i was sucked into this aesthetic at the ripe age of 13, which some would consider the "prime" of this aesthetic. i was young, naive, and innocent. and now, a sprinkle of years later, i'm still "young", naive, but no longer innocent. i remember my first tag i ever searched on tumblr was "girlhood" or something of that extent. to my surprise, i was met with pastel pinks, lace, fawns, crosses, lana del rey, and those sisters from the virgin suicides. blogs telling me to starve myself, to dress more "cutely" to be more sexually appealing. a 13 year old girl doesn't need to know how to be sexually appealing. but, curiosity killed the cat (who's name was faye), and i dove deeper and deeper down this rabbit hole. tags such as "girlhood" and "girl blogging" then led me to things like "thinspo" and "@norexi@". Thus, an eating disorder i still havent shaken, was born. i believe this has happened to countless women, and will continue as long as this subculture is alive.

The pedophilic indications around this subculture are also no joke. the romanticization of being with an "older man" such as a teacher, or your father's best friend are heavily encouraged and romanticized. pictures of girls in little pink or white frilly dresses next to a strong man who is twice their size are some very common images. there are specific blogs i used to follow that would teach me (who was 13 at the time as previously mentioned) how to attract an older man and how to weaponize my sexuality, act as a fawn and have the innocence of one. what to wear, how to do my makeup, how to act, all of it ending as some age play fetish for pedophiles. i personally feel that terms such as "girlhood" and "i'm just a girl" degrade women as people, showcasing them as nothing more than a ditzy thing to have sex with. maybe that's a hot take, but who cares.

this was a really short lil blog and i'd love to dive more into this subject another day. hope you guys enjoyed my blurbs :>