Blog Roll Archives • Page 9 of 16 • In Plainspeak

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A water-colour drawing of two bull dogs on a red background approaching each other face-to-face with anger.

If a woman’s clothing is tight or revealing (in other words, sexy), it sends a message — an intended one of wanting to be attractive, but also a possibly unintended one of availability. If her clothes are not sexy, that too sends a message, lent meaning by the knowledge that they could have been. There are thousands of cosmetic products from which women can choose and myriad ways of applying them. Yet no makeup at all is anything but unmarked. Some men see it as a hostile refusal to please them.

By Curated Content

June 17, 2016

Marked Women, Unmarked Men

Illustration of two mothers of different body types, one of them holding a baby in her arms and another one holding up her toddler on her shoulders

[slideshow_deploy id=’5968′] Mamahood is not one size fits all. All mamas deserve to be seen and honored in cards that…

By Curated Content

May 15, 2015

Mamahood is not one size fits all

Male-on-Male Erotica is Hugely Popular Among Women – An Expert on Sex Work Explains Why

illustration of two men in an intimate pose

An analysis of billions of hits to PornHub (one of the largest online porn sites in the world) shows that m/m is consistently the second most popular category for women visitors, and that women make up 37% of m/m porn viewers – suggesting that women represent viable secondary consumers of this type of porn.

By Curated Content

July 15, 2019

Male-on-Male Erotica is Hugely Popular Among Women – An Expert on Sex Work Explains Why

Loving My Dysfunctional Body: Lessons In Self Love After A Decade Of Self-Loathing

An illustration of four people on a beige background. Each person has multicoloured bouquet of flowers instead of hair, and flowers wrapped around different parts of their bodies. Each person is performing different acts of self-love - the one on the far left is applying is shaving flowers from their forearm, the one next to them is hugging themselves with their eyes closed, the next one is looking into a round hand mirror and the one on the far right has one leg on a chair and is shaving flowers from their leg. A branch of thorns and flowers threads through the background.

My body presented to me the first paradox in my feminism that I would encounter. How could I claim to be a feminist if I was not proud of the body I was born in? My advocacy as a sixth grader seemed to fail when it came to my own self.

By Feminism in India

March 15, 2022

Loving My Dysfunctional Body: Lessons In Self Love After A Decade Of Self-Loathing

Love, Desire and Disability: The Heart Knows No Handicap

Picture of a woman in a wheelchair. Her hair is tied back in a bun and she is wearing a white saree and makeup.

“Disabled people are treated like children,” says Nidhi Goyal, founder director of the NGO Rising Flame, a disability rights activist and comedian. This identification makes the non-disabled — a term Goyal prefers using — feel entitled to decide for them.

By Curated Content

August 14, 2018

Love, Desire and Disability: The Heart Knows No Handicap

Love, caste and fury in Tamil Nadu: How a small-time crook came to symbolise Gounder pride

In the sleepy village of Iveli in Namakkal district in western Tamil Nadu, at a roadside restaurant, a 30-something man,…

By Curated Content

October 16, 2017

Love, caste and fury in Tamil Nadu: How a small-time crook came to symbolise Gounder pride

Love will find a way: The story of six differently abled couples who never thought they’d find love

A man dressed in a light blue shirt and black trousers sits on a wheelchair. He is in a public place - a sort of a bridge, that overlooks a river. A woman dressed in a multi coloured sari sits on the railing of the bridge.

SUMMARY Six young men and women, all afflicted by polio, had never thought they would fall in love. Till they…

By Curated Content

August 15, 2014

Love will find a way: The story of six differently abled couples who never thought they’d find love

August 15, 2014

Loree Erickson: Redefining ‘Sexy’

A black-and-white sketch of a pair of scales, signifying the law

By: Diksha Sanyal at the JILS Blog The National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India [Writ Petition (Civil) No. 400 of 2012] has…

By Curated Content

June 15, 2014

Looking Ahead: What after NALSA?

Locked Down in the Time of COVID-19: Safety and Self-Care for Queer and Trans Persons

By Orinam Apr 13 2020 Post comment To the reader: we recognize that the English-language content below may not be…

By Curated Content

April 15, 2020

Locked Down in the Time of COVID-19: Safety and Self-Care for Queer and Trans Persons

Black-and-white photo of a chinese mother with her child

China’s family-planning policy was first introduced in the late 1970s to rein in the surging population by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children, if the first child born was a girl.

By Curated Content

April 10, 2014

Life After Loss

A person with dark hair and glasses holds up a blue picture frame to display the mehendi on their hand and the chura on their wrist. A birthday cake with the number 29 is to the right, and a wine glass is to the left. The person's head is turned to the side; the backdrop is a red wall.

A person with short dark hair and silver earrings holds a sign that says "Sexual Rights To Me Means Control Over My Own Body". The photo is in black and white.

A poster that reads "No Going Back", with the word '377' crossed out. In front of it, there is rainbow-coloured Pride flag.

In Plainspeak English Audit In Plainspeak English Audit 100% 10 A photo of queer feminist activist Rudrani Chhetri. Her hair is tied up in a bun, and she is wearing a simple patterned top and jacket. She is also wearing gold earrings and a golden locket. Screen reader support enabled. A photo of queer feminist activist Rudrani Chhetri. Her hair is tied up in a bun, and she is wearing a simple patterned top and jacket. She is also wearing gold earrings and a golden locket.

A still from Gangs of Wasseypur, showing a man and woman discussing consent through speech bubbles.

Picture of a woman holding up a placard that says "Consent is respecting yourself and the other"

A still from the film, 'Friends With Benefits', that shows Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake seated on a sofa beside each other. They are wearing casualm clothes and seem to be in the middle of a conversation.

Picture of Afghani street artist Malina Suliman sitting in front of one of the street murals she has painted. She is wearing a white kurta with a purple cardigan and a purple headscarf.

Photo of safe abortion advocate Suchitra Dalvie. She is standing near a podium, holding up a mic. She is wearing a black kurta and a pink scarf around her neck.

A collage showing how the ideal body type has evolved over time

Illustration of a police official standing in a threatening pose and a woman lying on the floor looking terrified

A group of women circling each other and dancing while waving colourful streamers.

लकड़ी के तल वाले कमरे में काले रंग के परदे लगे है, जिसमे कुछ लड़कियां आपस में रंग बिरंगे रिब्बंस के साथ खेल रही है

Photo shows a tiled floor lit by yellow lighting. Two different sets of feet stand facing each other.

An illustration showing a series of women playing ancient versions of various sports

A female athlete with a headcarf around her head has her eyes closed and seems to be crying. She is being comforted by another woman in a white hijabn and a blue jersey.

A picture of sports personality Becky Hammon. Her hair is tied back in a tight pnytail and she wears a red and white jersey. There is a smile on her face.

A woman dressed in a black sweater and a green hijab, wearing dark-rimmed glasses

A woman wearing a blue saree and an orange blouse performing Kathak. She is wearing colourful bangles and jewellery on top of her forhead, ears, and neck. She is wearing kajal, a black bindi, and her hair is tied.

Stage performance of Persian dance. Two women hold a chunni above the head of a woman dancing in between them. They all wear colourful full-length, full sleeves clothing.

Cover of casette of singer Rasloon Bai. It shows her black and white face shot, and on top is written "Rasloon Bai" in Red.

Stage performance of a few women in white coats holding down a woman on a table to commit Female Genital Mutilation, while others throw red rose pertals in air. One woman stands in the front and centre of the stage looking solemnly.

Photo of disability rights activist Nidhi Goyal. She is wearing golden hoop earrings and has her hair tied in a ponytail

Photo of a lesbian couple, one of them dressed in Indian bridal clothes and the other dressed in Western bridal clothes

Picture of three women standing in line, dressed in various bright clothing.

A woman giving birth in water. Her hair is tied in a pony tail, and she is wearing a pink bra.

In Plainspeak English Audit In Plainspeak English Audit 100% 10 A white woman holding a paper that reads in red, caps, and bold, "End revenge porn." She has open hair, and wears a white tee shirt. Screen reader support enabled. A white woman holding a paper that reads in red, caps, and bold, "End revenge porn." She has open hair, and wears a white tee shirt.

A poster that reads, "Female condom is a polyurethane sheath that has a flexible ring at both ends. It is approximately 3 inches wide and 7 inches long. Its efficacy is known to be around 79-95%. It reduces the risk of STI and HIV transmission." In the background is an image of a dictionary and a condom with a female face."

Photo of a class studying anatomy. A little girl pointing to the vagina of the person in the projected image on the board. The teacher stands on the side, looking on.

A poster reading "MDG3, the world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys"; "let's take action to achieve gender equality in all fields". There are several photos of black girls on the poster.

Venus figurine in golden colour in a pitch dark black background.

Chocolate sauce being poured on a three-layered butterscotch icecream.

An African woman carrying a baby on her back with the help of a cloth tied to her. She is carrying a milk bottle, and is trying to look behind her shoulder at the baby.

Uzma Noorani, a human rights activist, sitting on a sofa smiling. She is wearing an orange and pink Indian suit, and has her hair falling on her shoulders.

A toy figurine of Mickey Mouse. Hands and knees of the child kneeling around it to play with it are visible in the background.

A film still of Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor dancing with Holi colours thrown on them. Over the picture is a screenshot of a tweet that reads, "Balam pichkari joh tune mujhe mari, toh seedhi saadhi chhori ne harassment ki FIR likha di. & she was taken seriously. #FeministBollySongs"

Drawing of a cow sitting under a tree. But the face of the cow is that of a man wearing sunglasses. The ends of a red gamcha around his neck flow in the wind.

In the vein of an emergency fire alarm, "emergency sexist" is written in white on a red instrument. "Smash this" is written in green, pointing to the face of a man behind a glass.

Painting of people from the Victorian era. A man standing behind a woman holds her breast as another woman standing there watches.

A woman in a green tank-top and light blue jeans doing carpentary. Hher hair are tied up, she is wearing black-framed glasses, and a white mask on the mouth.

KEYSTONE/GETTY IMAGES Sisters Tamara (left) and Irina Press were suspected to have been female impersonators.

RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Santhi (front) edges out Kazakhstan’s Viktoriya Yalovtseva for second place in the women’s 800m final at the 15th Asian Games at Khalifa Stadium in Doha.

TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Bahrain’s Maryam Yusuf Jamal (C) poses with India’s Santhi Soundarajan (L) and Kazakhstan’s Viktoriya Yalovtseva (R) on the winner’s podium at the Doha Asian Games, 2006.

COURTESY PUBMED CENTRAL Martinez-Patiño’s certificate of feminity.

YANNICK CORMIER FOR THE CARAVAN Santhi perfers to dress consciously as a man so as not to attract unwanted curiosity.

South Africa’s Caster Semenya raises her arms after her first place finish in her women’s 800m semi-final during the London 2012 Olympic Games on 9th August 2012.

YANNICK CORMIER FOR THE CARAVAN Santhi at Aide et Action, the NGO at which she works.

Safiya Alfaris without a hijab. She is looking straight into the camera, with her long black, silky hair falling over her shoulder.

A brown-skinned woman resting her hands and her cheek on a table, looking wide-eyed straight as if peeking at something. She is wearing black nailpaint.

A nude man with a bedsheet over his head, is holding a bunch of small white flowers. The photo is clicked from inside the bedsheet. He is visible from the lips till the midrif.

4 black men wearing jackets and caps carrying a big placard that says, "Black lives matter" written in black and bold on a white background.

Dolls Turn Into Real Role Models In the Hands of This Parent

Illustration of a heavily pregnant woman with her water broke, cowed in a corner scared of doctos approaching her with various medical instruments like injection, pump for the delivery.

A mother wearing jeans and a tee carrying her school-age son in her arms. She has tied her dupatta around her and her son, and tied it behind her back so as to make a support to hold the child.

Kink. A rod with a round-shaped end with spikes coming out of it held near a nude woman's navel by someone not visible in the picture.

A closeup of a smart speaker by Amazon called Echo. Behind towards the right is a very blurred out woman. Screen reader support enabled. A closeup of a smart speaker by Amazon called Echo. Behind towards the right is a very blurred out woman.

Screenshot of a digital animated game. Two women are standing on a patio, with one saying to other, "I love what you've done with the place."

Phoolan Devi Miriam Klein Stahl & Boff Whalley

Black-and-white illustration of a woman screaming with her mouth wide open. Screen reader support enabled. Black-and-white illustration of a woman screaming with her mouth wide open.

African Feminist Filmmakers and their Engagements with Film

A Self-care Approach to Life – and Sexuality

What I Learned Having Sex as a Young Woman in Pakistan

"Tere gharwaale tujhe likha-padha to rahe hain, par unki zimmedari to tere bhai ko hi uthani hai na."

"Ladko se itni yaari-dosti ki zarurat kya hai tujhe haan?"

"Meri baat maan, inko gud-chana khilaane se, ye x chromosome jo haiina beta passive ho jaate hain. Fir dekh ladka hi hoga."

"Kyu is month wax nahi karaaya kya tune?"

"Virginity to ham aurato ka gehna hai beti."

"Oh. Unmarried ho? Akele sambhal logi bachhe ko?"

"Sasural waale kya kahenge? Ek gol roti tak banaana nahi sikhaya?"

"Ye to ham aurato ki qismat me hi likha hai beta. Isse lado mat, bas accept karlo aap."

"Arre re, periods pe hai na? Baahar reh."

"Opinion dena ladkiyo ka kaam nahi hai beta."

"Naukri kyu karna hai? Pati kamaaega na tere liye."

"Beta marriage toh ladkiyo ko karna hi hai, time se hi karlo to achha hai."

"Itna loud makeup karke na, ladkiyaan utni decent nahi lagti."

"Toh beti, khushkhabri kab sunaa rahi ho?"

"Ladke waalo ke saamne bhi aisse jeans me mat aa jaana."

"Tu ignore kar, ladke to ched-chad karte hi hain. Kyu muh lag rahi hai?"

"Lekin dekho, hamesha husband jo allow kare wahi karna haan."

"Ladkiyo ka gaali dena na, bilkul achha nahi lagta beta."

"Fair and Lovely toh try kar hi liya hoga na waisse tune?"

"Education ka kya karoge beta, karna to chauka-chulha hi hai."

"Beta alcohol wagerah toh ladko ke liye hi theek hai."

A black-and-white picture of a woman sitting in a cafeteria and sipping coffee

A photograph of a woman from Meghalaya, smiling and working in the field. She's wearing a pink and red saree

Day 5 of #100IndianTindertales. Shared by Tinder user from #Delhi. “I am obsessed with feet. They turn me on. Like crazy”

P from #Delhi writes about a night of unbridled passion...

I am 2-1/2 days into my period but want to call him over. In the afternoon it seems like I can manage it. By manage I mean it isn't a torrential flow, just a light and mild drizzle. But I am still worried...

Sj from #Delhi writes about gettinng lucky and finding love on Tinder

Fresh out of a terrible break up, I was feeling really vulnerable and gross and hoped that Tinder would get my mind off things...

K from #Delhi thanks Tinder for lessons and orgasms.

A from #bangalore shares her tale. (Short sweet tale)

The image is a portrait of the author, Ece Temelkuran.

1. Clothing: Traditions are free of flaws and criticism, and though traditional desi clothes are universally considered amazing, you must uphold ALL kinds of traditions without giving yourself a minute to think with logic or reason.

2. Respect: Yes, they'll get sore sometimes from this position but it's all worth it because you are the most suitable girl in the damn world now.

The main photo is a collage of two girls, India Woods, black and white photograph. And the other is of Rhea Saldanha, a selfie of a girl wearing a black bindi. The rest of the photos are of the individuals who have shared their stories.

Painting of a woman enjoying a green landcape. There are clouds, mountains, flowers, a tree, and a butterfly.

Art work shows a man lying on a railway line to commit suicide. A woman wearing a red bindi and a white saree stares straight ahead in grief.

A protest by Dalit women carrying a huge poster of Dr Ambedkar

Somandla, Parktown, 2014. © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Stevenson, Cape Town and Johannesburg

A painting of a woman lying with a left arm under her head, staring somewhere above as if thinking something. Her right arm rests on her tummy which holds a notebook and a pen. She is wearing a yellow cut-sleeves dress with orange dots on it. There are used papers lying around, along with a cup of possibly tea, and a few green peaches. There are small white flowers lying around her too.

Ironing Out Wrinkles In Your Perception.

Nimisha Bhanot's painting titled "Money, Kitty Parties & Clothes Is All A Bahu Knows". A brown woman sits on a stool with her legs crossed, red wine in right hand, and cards in the left. She wears a cut-sleeves lehnga; heavy white jewellery in the neck and wrists; and mehndi in hands, full arms, and feet. The lehnga is pulled-up till the knee, showing her legs. She weas a bindi, a nose ring, and a red lisptick, and is staring straight-ahead expression-less.

Don't miss this one, called Sweeping Patriarchy Under The Rug

A photo of Nidhi Goyal with her hair tied back, wearing golden earrings, golden necklace, and a peach top. She is speaking.

June says the discomfort when her breasts grew was "the most beautiful feeling; my body was becoming what it was meant to be."

Bunkbeds at the shelter, next to the lockers that house the women's personal effects.

Toiletries donated to the shelter by the public.

June's apartment, filled with Asian pop art. Like 80 percent of Singaporeans, she lives in a government-supplied HDB flat (Housing Development Board).

The sitting room of the new shelter. The address of the building remains anonymous for safety concerns.

The new shelter is slowly being decorated with the same Asian pop Art June favours in her home. On the wall hangs a photo of June and her late sister, Irene.

An urn containing the ashes of June's sister, Irene, who was also transgender. She passed away last year.

A photo of the author of the piece, Anoopa Anand, with her dog.

Description: Two people are kissing on a balcony. Their eyes are closed and they are holding each other. Behind them, we see a purple wall, a string of lights and a clothes line, and to the left there is a full moon and a tree. Credit: Upasana Agarwal.

The 25th anniversary of the Kunan Poshpora event. Photo Credit: Kunan Poshpora Campaign via Facebook

An image of two little girls sitting at a table, facing their backs to the camera. Marcelo del Pozo / Reuters

photo of a drag queen with white paint all over her face and blonde hair

To the left of the image, a person with short dark hair with a flower in it sits in a chair, a small smile on their face and a coffee table in front of them. To the right, we see the reflection of a person’s back in a mirror on the door of a cupboard. The walls of the room are a warm yellow, and through a large open window we see birds, branches and a building. Credit: Upasana Agarwal.

An illustration of three plus-sized women sitting around a table. there are plates of food kept on the table, and one of the women are shown drinking out of a bottle

silhouette of a woman smoking against a black background - empowerment

illustration of a plus sized woman in a mermaid's costume. she has flowing red hair.

A man eyeing two girls sitting nearby in a bar.

Album cover of Rihanna's album 'Anti'. A little boy wearing a gold-plated eye mask as red paint is falling over him and the wall behind.

Picture of singers Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsale,. They are both dressed in sarees.

A young woman and young man are smiling at each other across a table overlooking a city skyline. The moon is full and there are fairy lights strung above them. There is a white trellis behind the woman. Credit: Upasana Agarwal.

picture of a girl sitting in front of a computer, browsing the internet

a woman with grey hair looks into the mirror and smiles

Illustration of girl sitting on bed looking out the window

An illustration showing women of diverse skin colours, body types and ethnicities

Ilustration of two sculptures from ancient sri lanka in an erotic pose

A poster of the fiction comic Unwrinkled Saris and Just Another Evening. In the background is a picture of the lower face of a person. The person is holding a red lipstick between their teeth. The lipstick has an inscription that says FAE. The person is wearing gold coloured earrings. A green coloured blouse and saree is also visible

Sketch of two persons sitting with their heads, hands, and legs touching each other

A black-and-white line drawing of a woman with wavy hair, multiple necklaces including one with a beetle pendant, earrings in the shape of a dice. There are stars on her face, and the only colour in the artwork is in the woman’s eyelids, which have been conceptualised as rainbows.

Call for Submissions to the April 2023 Issue of In Plainspeak on Sports and Sexuality. Submit your Writing and Art to inplainspeak@tarshi.net by 2nd April 2023. Details and submission guidelines can be found at tarshi.net/inplainspeak

Photo from India's first-ever KinkCon. Two hands clasping each other, one of them has a black and red cuff around the wrist.

three people hugging each other. two femme-presenting individuals are in the foreground and both are wearing black lingerie. the top of the third individual's head can be seen. In the background is wooden panelling with a window in between. the window has a banner hanging. The banner has blue and black strips as background and a red circular pattern in the middle.

A black and white photo of hands tied by rope.

needles pierced through the back of an individual who is also wearing a collar.

A remote landscape with mountain peaks and a few trees. There is a yellow windmill and a small path leading up to it. The sky is a shade of green-blue and the landscape is largely shades of green apart from the windmill.

An illustration of a rubik's cube with various portrayal of beauty and intimacy

Call for submission poster for the April-May issue on Masculinities and sexuality.

Call for submission poster for April-May issue on Masculinities and Sexuality

Call for submission on language and sexuality issue for June 2025

Call for submission on language and sexuality issue for July 2025

Call for submission for August 2025 on the theme of climate change and sexuality

An illustration that plays on the word solidarity with different cups holding hands

January 15, 2014

LGBTQI Speak Of Their Inspiring Struggle For Equal Rights Through These Powerful Picture Messages

Let’s Talk About Alternate Safe Spaces For Queer Women In India

A welcome mat with the rainbow flag on it, it is torn in the middle

Therefore, the question of safe spaces and alternative families is pertinent to queer identities, that are so much more than imagined by a single dominant narrative.

By Feminism in India

April 15, 2019

Let’s Talk About Alternate Safe Spaces For Queer Women In India

Let’s Talk About 377 | Popular Culture is Changing How India Views Homosexuality

Still from "Fire", showing two women standing together intimately, smiles on their faces

When Deepa Mehta’s Fire came out in 1996, violent protests roiled India over the depiction of romance between two female leads. There is no homosexuality in India, demonstrators declared while burning effigies in the Capital. In contrast, when Margarita With A Straw came out in 2014, it received accolades for its sensitive portrayal of queer desire in a woman with disability.

By Curated Content

December 15, 2018

Let’s Talk About 377 | Popular Culture is Changing How India Views Homosexuality