Avery, Intro Post

I was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, but I am more recently from Spokane, Washington (find Seattle on a map and then go to the opposite side of the state). I have one older brother, two little brothers, and a little sister. I love reading and writing and nerding out about things - whether its Disney or Hamilton. I really just enjoy learning new things and then finding ways to connect it all together. Growing up in the West also gave me a never-ending appreciation for nature, so I love being outside and breathing fresh air. I think that, besides my mom and cats, the sight of mountains every day is the thing I miss most about home.

I love Disney princess movies. From ages three to six, I wore the same Cinderella costume for Halloween and from there rotated between Belle, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White until I was ten. I also consider myself a feminist. This weekend, I'm flying up to New York to participate in the Women's March with my aunts and cousins. For the longest time, after I started to recognize the misogynistic nature of some of my favorite movies when I was in middle school, I struggled to reconcile my love for them and the knowledge that they perpetuated sexist attitudes. Three years ago, however, I was able to find a balance between enjoying Disney princess movies and engaging with them critically in speech and debate. For my sophomore year, I did an expository speech on the sexism in Disney princess movies, breaking the movies down into three eras and identifying similar patterns within each era. The experience taught me how to have fun while attempting teach myself and others about underlying messages of our favorite movies. It also led me to sign up for this class as I hope to delve deeper into a subject that fascinates me.