Zuwairiyart

Got a secret, can you keep it?

Draw something everyday

This year has had a way of bringing back the rose tinted nostalgia of all the things I adored as a child. I absolutely loved Disney movies growing up. And Ariel just happened to be my favorite Disney princess.

I was obsessed with mermaid lore. I watched The Little Mermaid multiple times, I watched the Barbie mermaid movies, a chick flick called Aquamarine, and I read all the mermaid stories that I could get my hands on. It broke my heart that in the original lore, the little mermaid had turned to sea foam and died.

And so of course, I had to go watch the live action when it came out. The story was dramatic, Ariel wanting to go live on land at times just felt like “the grass is greener on the other side”, because a younger me loved the water so much that I wanted to be a mermaid, I wished that magic were real and I could go live out my days under the sea, and if I ever got near the ocean, a pond, or a swimming pool, I’d have to be dragged back out by disgruntled adults.

But perhaps, just like Ariel, all I really wanted was to be free.

I do think the media is changing, as is the world. I like the shift in showing female friendship and bonds in media, women not blaming other women or bringing each other down. I like the attack against the PickMe's, when in the 2000s and 2010s I grew up watching every female protagonist proclaiming that she's not like other girls.
(Spoiler ahead) I thought that Barbie choosing to just be human at the end of the movie was a subtle play at women never being treated as just people, and by that I mean there's always that It girl, that Mean Girl, that Corporate Girl, that Makeup Girl, that Tomboy girl, you're hot or you're not, r/menwritingwomen or whatever other Stereotype, or box (I thought the box was also a good metaphor for this), that women get put into. But Barbie can be anything. Barbie can be everything. Barbie can just be human. And so girls and women can just be human.

The Barbie movie was absolutely beautiful. Not only in the not-so-subtle social discourse, but in a world that pits women against each other even in 2023, makes jokes about how women cannot be friends, tries to capitalize on jealousy and negativity, just overall disregards sisterhood while glorifying brotherhoods, this movie showed a world where women have each others' backs. (Another little spoiler ahead) And also turned the tables and showed through the Kens the outcomes of not having each others' backs.

I had a collection of 26 Barbies when growing up. I loved them. I had an artist Barbie with an easel and a paint palette, Genevieve from Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses, Barbie Fairytopia, Barbie and the Magic Pegasus, and many more. This movie made me remember the joy I found from them. Made me remember that they were just Barbie, but so much more.

Life is kinda blurry right now

Darale Duaarey is my favourite from season 2 of Coke Studio বাংলা, and I absolutely loved how Nandita looked, her outfit, everything. So here’s a painting of her in my style. ❤️

https://youtu.be/aB8Wa_SkX1M

Was watching BBC Marie Antoinette. V v good show, 10/10 recommend 🫶

5-minute sketches of random people at North End Coffee Roasters

I like to bring my glasses down a little to look at the sky, because the blue light filter of my lenses make skies look just a bit dull. And every time, the brighter blue lifts up my mood and I feel a bubble of joy. Of course, the clouds lose detail and blend into the sky, but I think we all need to take off our glasses and focus on the colors more than the details sometimes.