Author Archives: Emily Gaynor

IN DEFENSE OF SORROW: The Sad Girl Internet Aesthetic

“Being a woman is the saddest thing,” I said in a recent therapy session. I felt overwhelmed by daily experiences that are felt by many women, like: having a body that is treated as public property, legal and professional injustices, the price of tampons, article after article preaching how not to get raped, how to make him fall in love with you (in only seven easy steps! Step one: change everything about yourself), a constant fear of attack, seeing little to no representation of oneself in movies and television, online hate. The list goes on.

These things make me angry. They make me want to shout and protest, but I also feel saddened by them. Usually, I keep those feelings hidden. Sadness is often viewed, socially, as a passing emotion that can and should be overcome; an unproductive state that should be actively avoided.

the way things are by mollysoda newhive.com/mollysoda/depressedprincess

the way things are by mollysoda newhive.com/mollysoda/depressedprincess

Today, young female artists, part of an emerging “sad girls” trend, are using the Internet as the outlet for performing their heartache, sorrow and despair, creating complex work on the web that deals with the double-binds women today face. Continue reading

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