{"id":12758,"date":"2012-12-03T07:40:00","date_gmt":"2012-12-03T07:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/?p=12758"},"modified":"2013-11-04T12:16:07","modified_gmt":"2013-11-04T12:16:07","slug":"guest-post-on-american-horror-story-part-12-lovers-and-mothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2012\/12\/03\/guest-post-on-american-horror-story-part-12-lovers-and-mothers\/","title":{"rendered":"[Guest
Post] On American Horror Story, Part 1\/2: Lovers and
Mothers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<ul>
  \n
  <li>
    <em
      >We\u2019re pleased to welcome Libby of the feminist-friendly <a
      href=\"http:\/\/treasuryislands.wordpress.com\/\"
      target=\"_blank\">TreasuryIslands<\/a> blog back to our soapbox today.
      (She&#8217;s officially our most recurring guest!) If you have a guest
      post a-brewing, <a
      href=\"mailto:badrepeditors@gmail.com?subject=pitch\">email us on
      badrepeditors@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em>\n
      <li>
        <\/ul>\n
        <p>
          <strong
            >American Horror Story<\/strong> is sexy.<\/p>\n
            <p>No, let me rephrase that.<\/p>\n</p>
            <p>
              American Horror Story is SEXY. It emanates sweet tendrils of
              hotness, wisps of decadent, lustful sexual deviance and sultry
              taboo, while trotting apace through a veritable phalanx of horror
              tropes and borrowing heavily from the classics of the genre. I
              love it. It is also, in the words of the hilarious <a
              href=\"http:\/\/isthisfeminist.tumblr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Is
              This Feminist? tumblr<\/a>, PROBLEMATIC.<\/p>\n
            </p>
            <p>
              <a
              href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic03.jpg\"><img
              data-attachment-id=\"12788\"
              data-permalink=\"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2012\/12\/03\/guest-post-on-american-horror-story-part-12-lovers-and-mothers\/ahspic03\/\"
              data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic03.jpg?fit=1200%2C1600&amp;ssl=1\"
              data-orig-size=\"1200,1600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\"
              data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"
              data-image-title=\"AHSpic03\" data-image-description=\"\"
              data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic03.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1\"
              data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic03.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\"
              loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-12788\"
              title=\"AHSpic03\"
              src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic03-768x1024.jpg?resize=339%2C452\"
              alt=\"\" width=\"339\" height=\"452\"
              srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic03.jpg?w=768&amp;ssl=1
              768w,
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              225w,
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              1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 339px) 100vw, 339px\"
              data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n
            </p>
            <p>
              And who\u2019s surprised, really? <a
              href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ryan_Murphy_(writer)\"
              target=\"_blank\">Ryan Murphy<\/a>\u2019s work is characterised by
              its casual misogyny (yo,
              <strong
                >Nip\/Tuck<\/strong>,
                <strong
                  >Glee<\/strong>, I\u2019m looking at you) and so is horror as
                  a genre. So not me, no. I\u2019m not surprised, Mr Murphy,
                  I\u2019m not even angry. I\u2019m just disappointed. Maybe you
                  should go to your room and think about what you\u2019ve
                  done.<\/p>\n
                  <p>
                    Now, don\u2019t get me wrong.
                    <strong
                      >AHS<\/strong> is, by any critical standard, a terrible,
                      terrible show. It\u2019s fractured and bombastic and
                      desperately wants to be, like, profound. But it\u2019s
                      not. It\u2019s&#8230; y\u2019know. Crap.<\/p>\n
                      <p>
                        But luckily, I\u2019m not a TV critic, so I bloody love
                        it. And I\u2019m allowed to love it because cognitive
                        dissonance. This show is simply dripping with things
                        that ought to make me hate it. And I do. I spit
                        expletives at the screen. I rage against the covert
                        anti-abortionism and the exploitative male gaze. And
                        then I rewind and watch it again. Because, like I said.
                        Cognitive dissonance.<\/p>\n
                      </p>
                      <p>
                        I\u2019m going to handle
                        <strong
                          >AHS<\/strong> in two parts. Today I\u2019ll be
                          examining the show&#8217;s representations of women as
                          lovers and mothers, before looking at pregnancy, birth
                          and maternal desire in the next exciting
                          instalment.<\/p>\n
                          <p>
                            <strong
                              >Before I go on, beware. Here be
                              SPOILERS.<\/strong><\/p>\n
                              <h3>
                                Predatory Women in the Male Gaze<\/h3>\n
                                <p>
                                  <strong
                                    >AHS<\/strong> is not much more than your
                                    typical haunted house story. It begins and
                                    ends with the house, designated \u2018Murder
                                    House\u2019 by local legend and built by
                                    Charles and Nora Montgomery decades before
                                    our protagonists &#8211; we\u2019ll get to
                                    them later &#8211; were born.<\/p>\n
                                    <p>
                                      The Montgomerys run an illegal abortion
                                      clinic from the basement, providing
                                      discreet help to women in trouble and
                                      fuelling the God complex which eventually
                                      sees the ether-addicted Charles sew
                                      together a Franken-baby &#8211; known as
                                      the Infanta &#8211; for his wife to care
                                      for. If we were looking for a symbolic
                                      representation of threat to the
                                      constructed (read: patriarchal) order of
                                      things, well, it doesn\u2019t get any more
                                      obvious than that. Like Dr Frankenstein,
                                      Charles blurs the boundaries not just
                                      between God and man but also between male
                                      and female roles by creating life,
                                      upsetting the proper balance of the house
                                      and setting in motion the events which
                                      follow.<\/p>\n
                                    </p>
                                    <p>
                                      Nora and Charles\u2019 lives end in a
                                      murder-suicide at Nora\u2019s hand. Thus,
                                      they become the first to haunt the
                                      house.The third post-human
                                      (\u2018ghost\u2019 is such an oppressive
                                      term, right?) resident of the house is
                                      Moira. Let\u2019s start her story with a
                                      little pop quiz:<\/p>\n
                                    </p>
                                    <p>
                                      <em
                                        >You, the lady of the house, enter your
                                        home to hear a woman being sexually
                                        assaulted. You pick up a gun &#8211;
                                        because they\u2019re totally safe to
                                        have around when emotions are running
                                        high &#8211; and enter the master
                                        bedroom to find your husband raping the
                                        maid. You point the gun and fire. Who
                                        did you just kill? Was it
                                        &#8211;<\/em><\/p>\n
                                        <p>
                                          <em
                                            >a) your husband, because he\u2019s
                                            a rapey scumbag?<\/em><br \ />\n<em>
                                              b) Moira the maid, because,
                                              er&#8230; um&#8230; she\u2019s
                                              there too?<\/em><\/p>\n
                                              <p>
                                                If you said
                                                <em
                                                  >b) Moira the maid<\/em>,
                                                  congratulations! You hate
                                                  women as much as
                                                  <strong
                                                    >American Horror
                                                    Story<\/strong> does!<\/p>\n
                                                    <p>
                                                      To be fair, this woman
                                                      scorned does go on to
                                                      shoot her husband too, but
                                                      that maid, well. She was
                                                      probably asking for it,
                                                      wasn\u2019t she, all
                                                      walking around in clothes
                                                      and getting on with her
                                                      job and having breasts.
                                                      What a slut.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <p>
                                                      Regardless of her
                                                      intention or her consent,
                                                      Moira is now a sexual
                                                      predator, in death forced
                                                      to play the role perceived
                                                      as hers in life, and
                                                      becomes a Jekyll-and-Hyde
                                                      figure. The women she
                                                      encounters see her as a
                                                      sexless middle-aged woman,
                                                      while the men (who, it
                                                      seems, see only what they
                                                      want to see) see a young,
                                                      beautiful and
                                                      carnivorously sexual
                                                      temptress, seeking to
                                                      undermine, manipulate or
                                                      overthrow men through the
                                                      power of her sexuality.
                                                      She is the virgin\/whore
                                                      dichotomy made
                                                      flesh.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <p>
                                                      I could get into how
                                                      heterosexist this is, but
                                                      frankly we\u2019d be here
                                                      for days. The height of
                                                      Moira\u2019s sexual power
                                                      comes with the literal
                                                      castration of the man who
                                                      most poses a threat to
                                                      her. Dr. Freud,
                                                      you\u2019re needed in the
                                                      Literalisation of Symbolic
                                                      Acts ward. Bring a
                                                      towel.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <p>
                                                      The newest residents of
                                                      Murder House are Vivien
                                                      and Ben Harmon, a
                                                      Bostonian couple intent on
                                                      running away and leaving
                                                      their marital problems
                                                      behind them, because that
                                                      always works. Moving into
                                                      their suspiciously
                                                      underpriced new home with
                                                      their adolescent daughter
                                                      is their first step
                                                      towards repairing the
                                                      damage done to the
                                                      partnership by Ben\u2019s
                                                      affair with a student
                                                      named Hayden in the
                                                      aftermath of Vivien\u2019s
                                                      miscarriage.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <p>
                                                      Just as Moira ends up dead
                                                      for having sex and getting
                                                      above her station, so does
                                                      Hayden. Hayden\u2019s not
                                                      above throwing herself at
                                                      Ben, turning up at his
                                                      home in an act of
                                                      seduction and intimidation
                                                      to rival the fatal-est of
                                                      femmes.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <p>
                                                      We\u2019re encouraged into
                                                      this reading of women as
                                                      wild by the show&#8217;s
                                                      insistent male
                                                      gaze.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <p>
                                                      A complex mythology that
                                                      rules whether or not the
                                                      ghosts age ensures that we
                                                      get enough young female
                                                      flesh to look at. There
                                                      are lingering shots of
                                                      gartered thighs and softly
                                                      rising
                                                      d\u00e9collet\u00e9e,
                                                      there are those close,
                                                      oppressive,
                                                      slightly-from-above camera
                                                      angles that make you feel
                                                      like you dominate the
                                                      subject &#8211; and there
                                                      are straight-up
                                                      no-holds-barred crotch
                                                      shots. All of these things
                                                      make sure we know where,
                                                      and how, to look.<\/p>\n<p
                                                      style=\"text-align:
                                                      left;\"><a
                                                      href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg\"><img
                                                      data-attachment-id=\"12785\"
                                                      data-permalink=\"https:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2012\/12\/03\/guest-post-on-american-horror-story-part-12-lovers-and-mothers\/ahspic1\/\"
                                                      data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg?fit=762%2C466&amp;ssl=1\"
                                                      data-orig-size=\"762,466\"
                                                      data-comments-opened=\"1\"
                                                      data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\"
                                                      data-image-title=\"AHSpic1\"
                                                      data-image-description=\"\"
                                                      data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg?fit=300%2C183&amp;ssl=1\"
                                                      data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg?fit=762%2C466&amp;ssl=1\"
                                                      loading=\"lazy\"
                                                      class=\"wp-image-12785
                                                      aligncenter\"
                                                      title=\"AHSpic1\"
                                                      src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg?resize=426%2C261\"
                                                      alt=\"\" width=\"426\"
                                                      height=\"261\"
                                                      srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg?w=762&amp;ssl=1
                                                      762w,
                                                      https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/badreputation.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/AHSpic1.jpg?w=300&amp;ssl=1
                                                      300w\" sizes=\"(max-width:
                                                      426px) 100vw, 426px\"
                                                      data-recalc-dims=\"1\"
                                                      \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p
                                                      style=\"text-align:
                                                      left;\">These women are
                                                      women as men wish (or as
                                                      gay men think straight\/bi
                                                      men wish) to see them:
                                                      willing harbingers of
                                                      sexual pleasure, built in
                                                      the eye of the camera from
                                                      tits and ass.<\/p>\n<p
                                                      style=\"text-align:
                                                      left;\">They\u2019re
                                                      supple-breasted and
                                                      conveniently bisexual,
                                                      with sexuality so magnetic
                                                      that Ben must masturbate
                                                      furiously &#8211; crying
                                                      all the while &#8211; to
                                                      stop himself from giving
                                                      in to them. Where women
                                                      are concerned, perceived
                                                      sexual immorality is a
                                                      barometer for bad. They
                                                      are debased, and they will
                                                      hurt you.<\/p>\n
                                                    </p>
                                                    <h3>
                                                      The hand that rocks the
                                                      cradle is the hand that
                                                      rules the world<\/h3>\n
                                                      <p>
                                                        Motherhood comes in for
                                                        a bad rap on
                                                        <strong
                                                          >AHS<\/strong>. From
                                                          episode one (where
                                                          Vivien\u2019s longed
                                                          for-pregnancy is
                                                          spoken of in terms of
                                                          an unwanted visitor
                                                          violating the sacred
                                                          space of the home) to
                                                          the monstrous
                                                          child-delivery at the
                                                          end of the season,
                                                          childbearing is
                                                          painted as a threat to
                                                          patriarchal social
                                                          order. I\u2019ll talk
                                                          more about that next
                                                          time, but for now I
                                                          want to concentrate on
                                                          what happens once
                                                          you\u2019ve got a
                                                          bleating infant in
                                                          your arms.<\/p>\n
                                                          <p>
                                                            Another previous
                                                            resident of Vivien
                                                            and Ben\u2019s home,
                                                            and one of the few
                                                            that is still
                                                            living, is local
                                                            Mommie Dearest
                                                            Constance Langdon.
                                                            She\u2019s the
                                                            self-appointed
                                                            caretaker of the
                                                            house, an amoral
                                                            force of
                                                            unfathomable
                                                            intentions who
                                                            appears to consider
                                                            <a
                                                            href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Norma_Bates_(Psycho)\"
                                                            target=\"_blank\">Mrs
                                                            Bates<\/a> and <a
                                                            href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margaret_White\"
                                                            target=\"_blank\">Margaret
                                                            White<\/a> her
                                                            parenting role
                                                            models.<\/p>\n
                                                          </p>
                                                          <p>
                                                            Constance is a
                                                            cruel, jealous
                                                            single parent,
                                                            abusing and using
                                                            her children by
                                                            turns. Unable to
                                                            relinquish control
                                                            of her brood as they
                                                            age, and thus not
                                                            allowing them
                                                            autonomous
                                                            identities, she
                                                            ensures that
                                                            dysfunction reins in
                                                            the Langdon
                                                            household.<\/p>\n
                                                          </p>
                                                          <p>
                                                            She treats <a
                                                            href=\"http:\/\/specialchildren.about.com\/b\/2011\/10\/05\/will-this-depiction-of-down-syndrome-be-a-horror-story.htm\"
                                                            target=\"_blank\">her
                                                            daughter Addie<\/a>,
                                                            who has Down
                                                            syndrome, as a
                                                            sexual competitor.
                                                            She imprisons both
                                                            her daughter and her
                                                            heavily-disfigured
                                                            eldest son, the
                                                            ironically-named
                                                            Beauregard, in the
                                                            home (sometimes
                                                            resorting to
                                                            shackles and chains
                                                            as a demonstration
                                                            of her sovereignty)
                                                            and gleefully tells
                                                            Addie that
                                                            she\u2019ll never be
                                                            a &#8216;pretty
                                                            girl&#8217;.<sup
                                                              ><a
                                                              href=\"#footnote_0_12758\"
                                                              id=\"identifier_0_12758\"
                                                              class=\"footnote-link
                                                              footnote-identifier-link\"
                                                              title=\"
                                                              Ed&rsquo;s Tiny
                                                              Note: For more on
                                                              Addie and how she
                                                              is portrayed and
                                                              treated,
                                                              there&rsquo;s a
                                                              critical look at
                                                              her role at Fangs
                                                              for the Fantasy.
                                                              Down Syndrome
                                                              Daily also has a
                                                              roundup of US
                                                              press reactions to
                                                              the character,
                                                              some of which I
                                                              think betray
                                                              ableist prejudice
                                                              in themselves, and
                                                              some of which make
                                                              good points.
                                                              \">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n
                                                              <p>
                                                                Although all of
                                                                her children are
                                                                dead before they
                                                                reach adulthood,
                                                                the youngest
                                                                remains as one
                                                                of the fully
                                                                corporeal
                                                                phantoms
                                                                haunting the
                                                                Harmon
                                                                household.
                                                                Despite her
                                                                treatment of her
                                                                children,
                                                                Constance is
                                                                willing to kill
                                                                to keep them
                                                                together. The
                                                                whole set-up
                                                                screams
                                                                narcissistic
                                                                abuse.<\/p>\n
                                                              </p>
                                                              <p>
                                                                Constance\u2019s
                                                                stranglehold
                                                                over her
                                                                youngest son,
                                                                Tate, has
                                                                prevented him
                                                                from
                                                                self-actualisation
                                                                and produced an
                                                                emotionally
                                                                scarred
                                                                adolescent,
                                                                narcissistic and
                                                                hypermasculine,
                                                                who apes his
                                                                mother in his
                                                                desire for
                                                                control over the
                                                                bodies of
                                                                others, raping
                                                                and
                                                                indiscriminately
                                                                killing in order
                                                                to exert his
                                                                ownership. What
                                                                a
                                                                charmer.<\/p>\n
                                                              </p>
                                                              <p>
                                                                Tate\u2019s
                                                                emotional state
                                                                almost demands
                                                                to be analysed
                                                                as a reaction to
                                                                Constance&#8217;s
                                                                total control
                                                                over the boy in
                                                                the second stage
                                                                of psychosexual
                                                                development,
                                                                which coincides
                                                                with toilet
                                                                training and in
                                                                which autonomy
                                                                is developed.
                                                                Constance\u2019s
                                                                suppression of
                                                                Tate\u2019s
                                                                self-actualisation
                                                                has resulted in
                                                                a rebellious,
                                                                cruel,
                                                                emotionally
                                                                volatile
                                                                adolescent who
                                                                is so eager to
                                                                please the woman
                                                                he\u2019s
                                                                fixated on that
                                                                he\u2019ll
                                                                commit terrible
                                                                acts to gain her
                                                                approval.
                                                                It\u2019s
                                                                desperately
                                                                clich\u00e9d.<\/p>\n
                                                              </p>
                                                              <p>
                                                                Sexualised as it
                                                                is,
                                                                <strong
                                                                  >AHS<\/strong>\u2019
                                                                  regular female
                                                                  cast is not
                                                                  made up of
                                                                  victims in the
                                                                  great
                                                                  tradition of
                                                                  the genre:
                                                                  they
                                                                  don\u2019t get
                                                                  cut up, and
                                                                  there\u2019s
                                                                  no running
                                                                  through dark
                                                                  corridors in
                                                                  strategically
                                                                  torn clothing
                                                                  or fumbling
                                                                  ineffectually
                                                                  with locks
                                                                  that they
                                                                  could work
                                                                  perfectly well
                                                                  a minute
                                                                  ago.<\/p>\n
                                                                  <p>
                                                                    This has
                                                                    caused some
                                                                    people to
                                                                    herald the
                                                                    show as a
                                                                    feminist
                                                                    buoy,
                                                                    bobbing
                                                                    about in the
                                                                    misogynist
                                                                    soup of
                                                                    Horror. Such
                                                                    is the
                                                                    jubilation
                                                                    at the
                                                                    thought that
                                                                    women might
                                                                    be allowed
                                                                    some agency,
                                                                    the flipside
                                                                    is missed.
                                                                    The show
                                                                    doesn\u2019t
                                                                    victimise
                                                                    its women;
                                                                    it demonises
                                                                    them. In
                                                                    this world
                                                                    women are
                                                                    either
                                                                    maidens or
                                                                    mothers,
                                                                    either
                                                                    sexual or
                                                                    not.<\/p>\n
                                                                  </p>
                                                                  <p>
                                                                    And damn,
                                                                    they\u2019ve
                                                                    got it in
                                                                    for
                                                                    you.<\/p>\n
                                                                  </p>
                                                                  <ul>
                                                                    \n
                                                                    <li>
                                                                      <a
                                                                      href=\"http:\/\/badreputation.org.uk\/2012\/12\/04\/guest-post-on-american-horror-story-part-22-the-terrors-of-reproduction\/\"
                                                                      target=\"_blank\"><em
                                                                        >You can
                                                                        now read
                                                                        Part
                                                                        2!<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n
                                                                        <li>
                                                                          <em
                                                                            ><strong
                                                                              >Libby<\/strong>
                                                                              earned
                                                                              her
                                                                              feminist
                                                                              stripes
                                                                              interning
                                                                              for
                                                                              the
                                                                              <a
                                                                              href=\"http:\/\/www.fawcettsociety.org.uk\/\"
                                                                              target=\"_blank\">Fawcett
                                                                              Society<\/a>
                                                                              where
                                                                              she
                                                                              was
                                                                              horrified
                                                                              by
                                                                              most
                                                                              of
                                                                              the
                                                                              stories
                                                                              she
                                                                              heard.
                                                                              An
                                                                              accidental
                                                                              activist,
                                                                              she
                                                                              is
                                                                              a
                                                                              regular
                                                                              contributor
                                                                              to
                                                                              <a
                                                                              href=\"http:\/\/bicommunitynews.co.uk\/\"
                                                                              target=\"_blank\"><strong
                                                                                >BCN<\/strong><\/a>,
                                                                                the
                                                                                UK\u2019s
                                                                                only
                                                                                100%
                                                                                bisexual
                                                                                publication.
                                                                                Her
                                                                                latest
                                                                                project,
                                                                                <a
                                                                                href=\"http:\/\/treasuryislands.wordpress.com\/\"
                                                                                target=\"_blank\"><strong
                                                                                  >TreasuryIslands<\/strong><\/a>,
                                                                                  is
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  home
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  her
                                                                                  other
                                                                                  passion
                                                                                  \u2013
                                                                                  children\u2019s
                                                                                  literature.
                                                                                  Libby
                                                                                  is
                                                                                  very
                                                                                  proud
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  her
                                                                                  bad
                                                                                  reputation.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol
                                                                                  class=\"footnotes\"><li
                                                                                  id=\"footnote_0_12758\"
                                                                                  class=\"footnote\">
                                                                                  Ed&#8217;s
                                                                                  Tiny
                                                                                  Note:
                                                                                  For
                                                                                  more
                                                                                  on
                                                                                  Addie
                                                                                  and
                                                                                  how
                                                                                  she
                                                                                  is
                                                                                  portrayed
                                                                                  and
                                                                                  treated,
                                                                                  there&#8217;s
                                                                                  a
                                                                                  critical
                                                                                  look
                                                                                  at
                                                                                  her
                                                                                  role
                                                                                  at
                                                                                  <a
                                                                                  href=\"http:\/\/www.fangsforthefantasy.com\/2011\/11\/ableism-and-adelaide-in-american-horror_11.html\"
                                                                                  target=\"_blank\">Fangs
                                                                                  for
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  Fantasy<\/a>.
                                                                                  Down
                                                                                  Syndrome
                                                                                  Daily
                                                                                  also
                                                                                  has
                                                                                  <a
                                                                                  href=\"http:\/\/www.downsyndromedaily.com\/2011\/10\/jamie-brewer-plays-adelaide-on-new-fx.html\"
                                                                                  target=\"_blank\">a
                                                                                  roundup
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  US
                                                                                  press
                                                                                  reactions
                                                                                  to
                                                                                  the
                                                                                  character<\/a>,
                                                                                  some
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  which
                                                                                  I
                                                                                  think
                                                                                  betray
                                                                                  ableist
                                                                                  prejudice
                                                                                  in
                                                                                  themselves,
                                                                                  and
                                                                                  some
                                                                                  of
                                                                                  which
                                                                                  make
                                                                                  good
                                                                                  points.
                                                                                  [<a
                                                                                  href=\"#identifier_0_12758\"
                                                                                  class=\"footnote-link
                                                                                  footnote-back-link\">&#8617;<\/a>]<\/li><\/ol><div
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                                                                                                        <p>
                                                                                                          American
                                                                                                          Horror
                                                                                                          Story
                                                                                                          emanates
                                                                                                          wisps
                                                                                                          of
                                                                                                          sexual
                                                                                                          deviance
                                                                                                          and
                                                                                                          sultry
                                                                                                          taboo,
                                                                                                          while
                                                                                                          trotting
                                                                                                          apace
                                                                                                          through
                                                                                                          a
                                                                                                          veritable
                                                                                                          phalanx
                                                                                                          of
                                                                                                          horror
                                                                                                          tropes.
                                                                                                          I
                                                                                                          love
                                                                                                          it.
                                                                                                          It&#8217;s
                                                                                                          also
                                                                                                          problematic.<\/p>\n<div
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                                                                                                                        >
                                                                                                                      </ul></span
                                                                                                                    >
                                                                                                                  </li></span
                                                                                                                ></span
                                                                                                              ></span
                                                                                                            ></span
                                                                                                          >
                                                                                                        </ul></span
                                                                                                      ></span
                                                                                                    ></span
                                                                                                  >
                                                                                                </ul></span
                                                                                              >
                                                                                            </li></span
                                                                                          ></span
                                                                                        ></span
                                                                                      ></span
                                                                                    >
                                                                                  </ul></strong
                                                                                ></strong
                                                                              ></strong
                                                                            ></em
                                                                          >
                                                                        </li></em
                                                                      >
                                                                    </li>
                                                                  </ul></strong
                                                                >
                                                              </p></sup
                                                            >
                                                          </p></strong
                                                        >
                                                      </p>
                                                    </h3></strong
                                                  ></em
                                                >
                                              </p></em
                                            ></em
                                          >
                                        </p></em
                                      >
                                    </p></strong
                                  >
                                </p>
                              </h3></strong
                            >
                          </p></strong
                        >
                      </p></strong
                    >
                  </p></strong
                ></strong
              >
            </p></strong
          >
        </p>
      </li></em
    >
  </li>
</ul>