Rooting around amongst antifeminist memes yesterday I found a cartoon that threw me for a loop — a macabre vision of body horror disguised as a cute cartoon. At first you just notice that it’s a cartoon of a happy young woman on a bike — then, perhaps only microseconds later, you glance down and YAAGGHH WHAT IS THAT WHAT THE FUCK WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS LEGS!?!!
Here you go:
Somehow the cutesy style just makes this creepier. I mean, I watch David Cronenberg movies for fun and this is a bit much for me.
What’s even more unsettling than seeing this meme is thinking about the sort of person who could come up with something like this. Someone who sees #feminism and thinks: Yes that is exactly like if a woman used a man for a wheel on her bike and ground his legs off.
Well, that’s our lesson in art appreciation today.
UPDATE:
From Bernt, in the comments:
Long time reader, first time commenter. The artist’s name is Joan Cornella. I have read several of his publications, and I take them as an interesting though disturbing critique of the smug oblivion of ableism and privilege. I highly doubt he put the text there himself.
Also this, from Pazuzu’s Petals:
It’s a repurposed Joan Cornellá cartoon. Dude makes all kind of surreal, unsettling comics and cartoons like that. Some are funny, some are just a step or two up from stupid edgelordism. Dude has no particular political bent in his work that I’ve noticed. Some asshole just saw that and was like “omg #relatable” and decided to run with it.
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Wha…?
Da fuq?
I can see this as a kind of Surrealism given how those elements fit together, but the message that combo of elements is sending to a viewer – no. D:
Aaaaand there’s something wrong with her face. Nobody’s lips come clear up to their nose, thank goodness. Did our artist think through whether a wheel replaced by a non-wheel would enable a bike to roll, anyway?
I need some brain bleach.
.
@Angiportus – I think those are supposed to be silicone lip implants? Maybe?
Why is the man smiling? He looks like he’s enjoying being an exsanguinated torso.
They do love to see themselves as victims (all while screeching about feminism has a victimhood culture)
Now if the rider of the bicycle were a fish…
The guy seems happy. Perfectly happy. Is this because antifeminists are tragically unskilled with graphics and memes? Or is it because men actually would enjoy being the front wheel of a woman’s bicycle? As always, we must turn to evo psych for the answer.
There’s a series of cartoons like that. This is the first anti-feminist one I’ve seen; usually they’re just generally nihilistic, sick, and wrong.
Those faces freaked me the hell out. The rest didn’t make much of an impact aside from ‘unless the dude is crawling forward that bicycle is going nowhere’.
I’m mostly startled because that style looks familiar to me and I’m trying to figure out if the maker has gone off their rocks (or if this has been an ongoing issue) or if this is photoshopped by some miscreant.
It’s a repurposed Joan Cornellá cartoon. Dude makes all kind of surreal, unsettling comics and cartoons like that. Some are funny, some are just a step or two up from stupid edgelordism. Dude has no particular political bent in his work that I’ve noticed. Some asshole just saw that and was like “omg #relatable” and decided to run with it.
@Buttercup Q. Skullpants
I interpreted them as those lines/dents that run from either side your nose to the corners of your mouth, but extremely poorly shaded and accentuated.
I see, they are trying too hard to look like a victim. I thought they always said they are the “Strong Alpha” male capable of anything, or are they just claim they are being meek and in that sorry state of a being now? Which one is it? Just make up your ultra fancy mind please!?
Yes, I’ve seen them too!
And considering the text is in freaking Comic Sans I’d venture someone just slapped them there…
@Alan
Ohh but do they…
The amount of sameface here is disturbing. It’s like the woman’s head was copypasted and they slapped a few lines and a beard on it. Or the reverse when they created the woman character. Is that meant to be part of the message here, somehow, confusingly?
Long time reader, first time commenter. The artist’s name is Joan Cornella. I have read several of his publications, and I take them as an interesting though disturbing critique of the smug oblivion of ableism and privilege. I highly doubt he put the text there himself.
Off-topic, but I’ve been watching far-right heads explode over California’s new law against “stealthing.” The marital rape supporters are really in a tizzy.
I was disturbed by her face long before I scrolled down to the bottom. Just her lips deserve the headline David gave it.
@Seth S: I think you’re right. And so is Morbo.
@Katherine: I thought it sounded like a great law before; now I know it’s one if the usual assholes are upset.
It reminds me of Aphex Twin — was it the Windowlicker video, where people kept having his face..?
Aside, “Gutfeld!” Made the “men hunted the mammoth” argument on Fox, apparently.
@ clingfoil
Twas “Come to Daddy“.
Which, for a bit of extra trivia, was filmed on the same Thamesmead Estate as A Clockwork Orange.