Welcome! This is a space for all those who identify as female, as well as those who identify as non-binary or trans-men who have relevant experience or needs, to come and share, interact, help, and celebrate ourselves. If you identify as cis-male, we ask that you please set your participation to “lurk” mode, unless explicitly invited to participate further. This includes upvotes. We ask cis-men to keep their upvotes to commenters who voluntarily add a “+up” to their comments, and only those comments.
Optional Prompt courtesy of Overcat wants a cider donut:
Style tips! What’s you favorite thing to do with your hair and do you go complex or simple? Any fun experiments with color? Do you have a make-up routine you would like to share. Are you self-taught or did you learn from a friend, relative, or someone else. Any tips you would like to share for your perfect look? (I would also like a cider donut 🙂 )
History Section! Queen Kristina of Sweden
Queen Kristina ruled Sweden from 1644-1654. Her father Gustavus Adolphus was killed in battle when she was six. Having left orders that she was to be instructed “as if she were a prince” (eye-roll at Dad) but having secured her as his legitimate heir (yay Dad!) the transition to her rule was relatively peaceful. She continually impressed her tutors with her intellect and began attending and impacting her regency council at 14. Sadly for her, Sweden was in the midst of experiencing a severe economic crisis stemming from the incredibly protracted wars of religion hampering many of her long-term goals. However she is credited with many accomplishments, perhaps the most important being her establishment of countrywide schools, being one of the major driving forces behind the Peace of Westphalia, as well as attempts to limit aristocratic power (though this proved relatively unsuccessful). She also served as a major patron for artists, scientists, and the theater.
She was pressured to marry but categorically refused which is usually credited as a major factor for her decision to abdicate after 10 years. This resulted in her “exile” in which she travelled throughout Europe while mostly residing in Rome. She founded the organization that would become the Academia dell’Arcadia. She was also an advocate for religious freedom taking stances against the persecution of the Huguenots, the Holy Inquisition responsible for the investigation of scientific an religious figures, as well as getting the Pope to ban the practices of harassing Jews during holiday celebrations and extending her political protection to them (though this was mostly symbolic). She also continued to both fund artists and serve as a diplomatic negotiator throughout her life and her collections of art and literature are still present throughout Europe.
Queen Kristina is also a historical queer symbol. Incredibly open for the time period she maintained many passionate relationships with women and men, and while she was non-specific with her sexuality labels she represents a significant symbol of non-straightness at a time when that was ostracized our outright outlawed. She has expressed that she considered herself a woman in her autobiography, but her embrace of male-coded clothing and mannerisms was shocking for the time, and was of profound importance, and I think she might have quite enjoyed the concept of drag-kings.
She is buried in the Vatican one of only three women to be so, and represents a unique wielder of feminine power even among her peers of the time.