18 Comments
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Freya's avatar

This is such an incredible piece of writing, and I love the use of the bloody chamber. You have such control of your words while evoking so much. You’re so talented!!!!

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

Awww thank you so much Freya!! I’ve always been obsessed with Bluebeard, so I was so excited when I thought of a way to weave it into a personal essay.

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Keke's avatar

Not done with this essay just yet but I realized while reading you could add Crimson Peak to this category of Bluebeard esc heroine.

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

oooo yes!! you’re so right Keke! Thanks for reading :)

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Sheridan's avatar

This is so well-written. No one in my circle knows Angela Carter so I'm always excited to read something that references her works.

I read a book called How To Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys Angela Carter's works. It's weird and sad and good, all in the best ways.

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

Thank you so much Sheridan! And I LOVE How to Be Eaten! Maria got her MFA at UVA where I went to undergrad so I’m a big fan of her! So glad you love Angela Carter too — she’s really the reason I became obsessed with fairy tales. She’s so good.

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Sheridan's avatar

I LOVE a fairy tale retelling!! I think there’s something so cool about still finding new meaning and lessons in the stories we’ve heard since a young age

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Archer's avatar

Caroline, this is the second article I've read from you, and I am truly in awe of the depth of your writing and how beautiful it is. This is such a highly impactful piece, I am so beyond grateful that you chose to share it. I look forward to continuing to read your writing. Thank you again. <333

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

Wow Archer thank you so much for saying that!! It can be really hard to post these super personal essays, so it means the world when they resonate with someone! It makes all the nervousness upon publishing worth it, so thank you :) More to come!

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godspeedgirl's avatar

Very beautifully done—thanks so much for your work. With diseases as common and damaging as eating disorders it’s so important for girls to look out for each other <3

As a side note, I love the collages you’ve been attaching to each post, and I was wondering what app/site you use to make them?

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

Thank you so much! I agree that the more we can talk openly about these issues, the more we can dispel shame and hopefully foster solidarity :)

And I use canva! Check out @anastasia k blog post on how she makes her collages! I learned most of what I know from her :)

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anastasia krogh's avatar

came here to say that I love the collage oh my god! ❤️❤️

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

yayyy thank you anastasia !!! That means a lot coming from you! Thank you for your article — it helped me a lot!

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anastasia krogh's avatar

I’m so so happy it did!!

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Tori's avatar

“I vowed to be curious” really got me ❤️ beautifully written as always Caroline!

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

Thank you so much Tori! And yes, we can’t always control whether someone steps in and plays Fairy Godmother in our lives, but we can control trying to be that for others :)

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Katie Scruggs Galloway's avatar

Beautifully written. There’s this song lyric I can’t escape that I return to (teary eyed) again and again: “When we gather in together / and all together we hang our heads / you know it makes a sort of shelter / it makes a sort of bridge”

(Don’t Let Me Go Yet - Tim Baker)

The way out is community. Community is care. Care is curiosity. Thank you for this vulnerable truth telling. We need it. ♡

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Caroline Beuley's avatar

My gosh Katie that song lyric is gorgeous! And it’s exactly what I’m trying to get across — we love to focus on the individual but we NEED community. Thank you so much for reading :) Your constant support means so much!

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