Judy Blume & Dylan Mulvaney

[BabyofMine]

I think I just had some sort of revelation.
I’m actually furious. Maybe I’m overreacting but Judy Blume wrote a book called Are you There God? It’s me, Margaret in the 70s. My myself, and I bet many others of my era, it was the first time I ever read a book that depicted a girl going through puberty like me. It made me less afraid of periods, and growing breasts which I did precociously. It meant so much to me.

So there is a film adaptation coming out and I was ecstatic when I saw the news.

Just seen the first piece of promo apart from the trailer that I have come across - TikTok suggested it to me - and it’s a cosy little chat between Judy Blume the author and Dylan Mulvaney. Talking about what it’s like to be a girl, grow breasts and such…
Really, Judy fucking Blume? Why of all people would you choose to promote the movie, which I would presume would have a target audience of preteen and teen girls, with a person that will never go through female puberty, will never bleed between their legs like a girl, never has to worry about buying sanitary products, or a million other things girls worry about.

I’m sure they have their own many and varied things to worry about, and lots of experiences that might be great to share with their audience, but really?

I just feel like I’ve been pissed on from a great height. I may well be overreacting - forgive me, I’m due on.

It's a shame but I can see how it's come about. I think Judy has a "talk to anyone and cancel no one" attitude. There was the JKR backlash, then Dylan was at the film premier and got her to pose together. It would have been difficult for her to say no thanks and walk past in front of all those cameras and I doubt she would have wanted to, I expect she'd see a young man dressed up in women's clothes and be inclined to be nice to them. She's talked about liking the book Julian Is A Mermaid, how it would have been banned previously and how it's good it isn't.

I would be amazed if she thinks Dylan actually is a woman but I do think there's a risk of "so open minded your brain has fallen out." I would have loved her to take a firmer position beyond condeming JKR's treatment but I don't think she will.

I have been following the Dylan bud light boycott with some unease because I think some of that may actually come from transphobia and right wing-ness. The ads were bloody awful, Dylan is bloody awful, but there's no reason Dylan can't or shouldn't drink beer. I think consumers like Kid Rock don't want to be associated with him because it might make them seem less straight and manly, rather than because he himself is utterly offensive.
Whereas the Nike women's wear ads were offensive because they were grounded in the pretence that Dylan’s a woman like any other, made a mockery of the need for the product and did actual women out of a job.

DM was a terrible choice. It's definitely put me off the trip to the cinema. Shame.

Couldn't give a hoot what beer Dylan drinks.

Doesn't mean it's okay for them to set themselves up as some kind of role model for pubescent girls.

And thanks to this and #be kind social conditioning women are not likely to speak out enmasse.

I'm tired of these excuses for women.
"Oh you conditioned us to be so nice we won't speak out." Bullshit.

Women are being weak in accepting this crap, and blaming men for women's cowardness is just pathetic.

Women aren't that nice and kind, they can be brave and strong and united, they're just choosing not to on this topic.

Maybe they want to look kind. Not the same as being kind.

Maybe women are more conformist and invested in group inclusion which makes them easier to manipulate with a #bekind threat.

Something is seriously wrong if we have Dylan Mulvaney talking to Judy Blume about girls puberty and women on masse don't say fuck off.

And when are we seeing a transracial person promoting a film about black history and black rights? Yep, never. It’s only women you can crap on with impunity, same as it’s ever been.

Quite.

I agree with you on this. Time for all women to tackle this shit head on. We KNOW it's wrong.

I think the bud light boycott was men saying you will not force this crap on us.

We won't be forced to silently go along with the ludicrous idea that this bloke is a women.

No. Your woke marketing department will not dictate our views and values.

And no they weren't gender critical or left wing. Most people aren't but they just don't believe in the crap they're being sold.

There’s enough salt in this discussion to supply a fish and chip shop.

‘have been following the Dylan bud light boycott with some unease because I think some of that may actually come from transphobia and right wing-ness. ‘

oh no , not right wing ness! Quick , hand me the knife , I ll just cut my daughters ‘ breasts off, anything rather than be tainted by ‘right wing ness’ .

Men ( and quite a few women) didn’t want to continue buying the beer, because they didn’t find the new image it had chosen attractive. We have not quite reached the point where consumers have to align themselves with images which they don’t like ( though I expect it’s coming).

Or is free choice a bit ( whisper) right wing? It seems so.

Great to see so many posters calling out a revered author having to be involved in a humiliating hostage exercise. Along with the natural empathy / understanding of female puberty that Dylan / men will never have .

Yes. God forbid you show capacity for critical thinking. That’s very “right wing”.

FWIW, all the openly GC women I know - and thankfully there are quite a few now - would never describe themselves as “right wing” and would be horrified at the label. They are all, however, smart, open minded women who don’t care about following the crowd like obedient sheep when it comes to voicing their opinions on seriously important issues that are impacting on the lives of women and girls, of our own daughters.

I don’t begin to understand why Judy needs to play along with this. She’s a very established writer and her books are still popular. I bought a couple for my own DDs, who lent them out to friends.

Why doesn’t she just tell the film company that they’re “having a laugh” if they’re expecting her to ask a MAN to talk to GIRLS going through puberty what it’s like to become a WOMAN?

Fucksake 🤬🤯😠

Judy Blume has been at the forefront of the campaign in the US against banning books. It is an issue she has campaigned on for decades, both on ideological grounds and deeply personal and practical ones, not least because her own books, that she clearly believes bring support, information, guidance and comfort to many young people, are amongst the most frequently banned.

This puts her in a very difficult position vis-a-vis the likes DM. Had she refused the interview, there would have been plenty of people who would have been very happy to crow that she may claim to be against books being banned and excluded because people disagree with what they are about but she is quite happy to ban and exclude people because she disagrees with what they are about.

I could completely understand her making a pragmatic decision to have a conversation with DM in order to not provide ammunition against her own long-running campaign on an issue that is particulaly relevant right now and which she feels very strongly about. It's not an easy black and white issue.

Don't fucking patronise a wealthy successful woman. She could have said no. She didn't.

Declining to talk with someone is not bloody 'banning' them.

No it’s not, Arabella but in this world of mega spin it’s essentially the same thing- or at least when a group of people want to make a poo t that can’t be made honestly.

This is what happens when words become defined however different groups want them as political currency.

Women are not compelled to say yes to males for fear of being accused of 'banning' them.

Turning down a date is not 'banning' someone.

Refusing to pander to a flasher is not 'banning' a person.

Not smiling at someone or agreeing with them is not 'banning' them.

Women are not obliged to acquiesce to male demands.

Who the fuck sold us this bullshit?

I'd say don't negotiate with terrorists is always a sensible policy.
Even when said terrorists accuse you of 'banning'.

Just gritted my teeth and watched the interview with the sound down, reading the subtitles. Dylan could have approached it as an impartial “journalist” simply interviewing an author about a film, and yes, listening to her talking about women’s issues because that’s part and parcel of it. But no, Dylan had to make it about Dylanself and imply that just like Margaret, the late-20-something Dylan is also a female going through puberty, growing breasts, on a journey of womanhood, and needing advice from Judy.

What else could Dylan do, really?

Dylan's whole schtick is claiming that Dylan is a girl.

I am guessing that Dylan's agency makes these bookings and is using a strategy of some kind to position Dylan for maximum publicity etc.

I'm not sure yet whether these mis-steps are intentional or just very poor judgements. And it's unclear how much input Dylan has in the management of Dylan's brand.

There's not much point holding Dylan accountable for these decisions. Dylan is being used.

Management team, 2 people, Agency, 4 people, publicist, 1 person.

https://bookingagentinfo.com/celebrity/dylan-mulvaney/

That's seven people organising these events and meetings.

Part of the schtick is that it's all Dylan's work, making low-budget Tiktoks etc, but that in itself is a misrepresentation. Nobody managed by 7 people is 'low budget'.

This is a crafted and managed 'career'.

Jesus wept.

There's not much point holding Dylan accountable for these decisions. Dylan is being used.

He could say no. He didn't.

Yes, that's true, Badger. All I mean is that this is not one person's doing; it's a clusterfuck.