Helping Taylor With Her Set List As If She Doesn't Already Have More Professional People Helping Her

“Bread and Roses” 🍞🌹

Elain, Feminism, and Deeper Implications?

Disclaimer 1: This is my first time posting! I am very new to the “fandom.” I got a Tumblr after finishing the ACOTAR series and wanted to delve deeper into underlying theory, mythology, folklore and themes. I found such thorough and beautiful analyses and theories on here, so I decided to legitimize my lurking and just get an account. I’m not really sure how Tumblr works with the tags. Please be forgiving and kind if I did all of this wrong!

Disclaimer 2: I have read all of SJM’s books. I am “pro”Elain, Feyre, Nesta and every character in the series (yes- even the “evil” ones). I say that bc I have noticed (as a newbie) this fandom has a tendency to get nasty so quickly and we miss the essence of such psychologically complex and dynamic characters. I am a clinical psychologist, and have a great appreciation for how SJM writes all of her characters (villains included). That being said, this is a pro-Elain/pro- woman post. If you don’t like Elain, then don’t read this!

Ok so 🚨 Major HOSAB spoiler below 🚨

Let me just be honest, I knew the ending of HOSAB before reading it (LOL). I couldn’t help but look online and spoil it for myself. I am who I am. I am totally and unapologetically the girl who reads the last page of the book before starting. Guilty as charged.

Anyways, let’s talk about mf’n bread and roses. I tried to look around and see if anybody was discussing the MAJOR sociopolitical and historical implications of this, but didn’t see anything (so sorry if I missed somebody’s post and this was previously discussed). Bread and Roses is a slogan tied to feminist advocacy and the suffrage movement.

On a surface level, “bread and roses” is OBVIOUSLY alluding to Elain who is not present in the scene. I don’t see how anybody could argue that this symbolism is heavily associated with Elain. What I am talking about is the deeper implication for Elain with SJM assigning these symbols to her throughout the series. For whatever reason, I never put it together on the deeper level until it was literally in print, in front of my eyeballs, and I read aloud multiple times “BREAD AND ROSES!!!!” It was in this moment that I realized SJM is more brilliant and, potentially, politically bold than I originally thought.

Because…BREAD AND ROSES!? Let’s briefly chat about the implications of this and how I think this totally ties in with Elain, our most “feminine” coded character in the SJM metaverse. So the slogan “Bread and Roses” was coined by labor organizer Rose Schneiderman in a 1911 speech encouraging women to fight for more than bare minimum pay for necessities (bread)..we also deserve love, beauty, art, and MORE (roses). We deserve to not just survive, but to live: “The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.” This inspired the poem “Bread and Roses” by James Oppenheim, which later became a song, as well as a feminist/civil rights/labor rights slogan that is still relevant and readily used today. In fact, the 2019 Women’s March theme in London was…Bread and Roses. And..just read this:

Bread and Roses

By James Oppenheim

As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses
For the people hear us singing, bread and roses, bread and roses

As we come marching, marching, we battle too, for men
For they are women's children and we mother them again
Our days shall not be sweated from birth until life closes
Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread, but give us roses

As we come marching, marching, un-numbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread
Small art and love and beauty their trudging spirits knew
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses, too

As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days
The rising of the women means the rising of the race
No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes
But a sharing of life's glories, bread and roses, bread and roses

Notice any parallels? Any buzzwords in there from any specific prophesies you noticed? 😉

The slogan “Bread and Roses” was a rallying cry during the Lawrence Strike, aka “Bread and Roses Strike,” aka “The Singing Strike(!!)” in 1912. The Bread and Roses Strike was a large strike of women textile workers in Lawrence, MA. Many women were beaten and soaked with firehoses in the dead of winter. What was unique, at this time in history, was the “spirit” of the workers who were singing and chanting. I read that singing was an integral part of the success of the strike, as many could not read or speak English. Song was used to bring women together and help others learn the English language.

Are you seeing any possible parallels here, but in a fantasy world with magical powers, yet? Perhaps some “singing” powers as it might pertain to Elain developing more understanding and fluency of her powers? Because…I am!

(I’m going to stay away from shipping bc I am honestly terrified to go there with the fandom and don’t want to get my head ripped off…but yea.)

Ok so how does this tie into Elain, you ask? Elain is disliked by a lot of the fandom (from what I can see) bc she’s seen as “boring.” She’s seen as a bland/vanilla girl who just enjoys her flowers and baking. People use this to justify their stance in the ship war. She’s “too much” in regards to domesticity and simplicity (by perspectives I have read). She’s a very traditionally feminine coded, gender-loaded character..kind of like these symbols which have been used throughout the women’s/civil rights movement to fight with and rally behind. I think people are about to be VERY surprised by Elain. I was already sure of this and then I read that last chapter of HOSAB..and I’m convinced!

Rose Schneiderman in 1911: “What the woman who labors wants is the right to live, not simply exist—the right to life as the rich woman has the right to life, and the sun and music and art. You have nothing that the humblest worker has not a right to have also. The worker must have bread, but she must have roses, too.”

Sun, music, art…hmmm.

SJM is an unapologetic feminist. In the dedication to KOA SJM wrote:

“For my parents--who taught me to believe that girls can save the world”

Her using Bread and Roses and connecting Elain to bread and roses as symbols throughout the ACOTAR series was intentional. It was not an accident. It is not in place to stand that she is weak and boring. That she is naive and simple. I truly believe SJM has a (large) percentage of the fandom believing that Elain is a simple and domestic woman who just wants to garden her flowers and bake her bread (“she belongs in Spring!”), but Bread and Roses are so much more than that. There is hope for more. There is hope shining through the void to not just survive! But to live! You will not tell me otherwise after that slapped me in the face. Bread and Roses is a rallying cry, still used in civil rights movements to this day! Used to advocate for racial, gender, and social equality. LGBTQ rights, labor rights, politics….Bread and flippin’ roses.

Women do not have to settle for the bare necessities. Women do not have to settle for surviving. We (Elain included) deserve to live! Bread and Roses is a slogan representative of egalitarianism. Balance. No matter our sexual orientation, race, religion, gender, or hobbies…we are ALL deserving of love and beauty. Joy and wonder. Art and song. That’s what Bread and Roses is about.

And…because I can’t resist…an author who has associated such STRONG feminist symbols with a character would never pit that character against another woman over a man. SJM is not going to make this next book about a man’s choice of what woman he wants. It will be Elain ‘Bread and Roses’ Archeron’s choice to get her damn roses. To not simply settle for the bread. I have never been more confident in where the direction is going. Shipping aside, Elain’s book is about the serve.

“Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread, but give us roses”

I would love to hear thoughts or if anybody else picked up on this!

y'all need to join this server!!! SUCH a friendly enviornment and there's a buncha ppl who also stan feyre/ sjm & who won't look at me weird when i randomly start squealing because House of Sky and Breath is so exciting loll

Feyre Discord Server!

created and managed by @dreaminginvelaris and @colorlesschristmastree <3

a discord server for feyre stans! doesn't matter what side(s) of the fandom you're in, if you love feyre, you're welcome to join :)) this server will contain multiple channels where you can all interact in! including a CC channel that contains both a spoiler and spoiler-free chat rooms! plus many more fun creations

we wanted to make a place where all feyre stans can come together and be in a peaceful, fun, and friendly environment! so no matter what ships you support, or what characters you like/dislike, you will have loving feyre in common with everyone! <3

*only those 16 years and older can join*

please share this with your mutual who love feyre and reblog for more exposure but ONLY tag with #pro feyre

invite link:

https://discord.gg/NyDCCmSwY3

i feel like sjm is writing a romance novel, so it makes sense that elain ends up with azriel because three sisters and three brothers and everything. but she might also just make azriel end up with gwyn and elain with lucien just for funsies.

who knows? i certainly dont. it ms sarah janet mass. at the end of the day, we'll still eat up whatever she writes and beg for whatever crumbs she offers us

but in the meantime, ill entertain myself with the anti (whomever you dislike) tags and wait for the agonizing five years it takes for sjm to finish two books to be over

okay but just imagine

SJM child all grown up & reading ACOSF and ACOMAF ch 55 and be like:

disclaimer (actually, more of a dont expect me to give a fuck notice)

im not supposed to be right all the time so im not gonna spend time trying to justify what i say or what i do since y'all not my bosses/ colleges/ classmates/ teachers therefore what you think of me doesnt matter. omigosh i sound so teenage angsty what? no im nice but im also mean if that makes any sense (no it does not, im aware). will post deep thoughts/ justifications if i feel like it. its social media im not supposed to do stuff i dont want unless people i know actually follow me. bye felicia have a nice life

oops 😉

I’ve been laughing at my own meme for 10 minutes

im fine with people going anti nesta or anti feyre or anti rhysand but ppl's going "anti nesta stans" too?

but you do you and i do me issok you can hate on people as long as you dont hate on people who hate on you since you do it too 🙂

____

oh and also there's like alotta arguments from people saying my blog is where I post my content and if you don't like it just block out the tags but then you all come at people who do post differently (eg: the anti nesta stans tag) so like???

and yet i somehow still read them and complain that they're absolute shit afterwards 🫤

is it just me, or does the marketing tactic of "booktok fave!" or "hot on booktok!" or whatever... do the literal opposite of what it's intended to do?

Oh, it's popular on booktok? Guess I won't touch that one with a 20-foot pole.

i genuinely dont understand why some people can proudly tell me their reading goal for the year is 20 books and that they FAILED TO REACH THAT GOAL LAST YEAR which is why it's still their goal this year.

and i just sit there nodding and being supportive while internally screaming bitch i read 145 books a year what do you mean 20 books 😭

i miss the crabs tho

and i didnt even know they can fall in love with me

i sold them all

🥲