In the pool hall, my sweetheart and a close friend tease me one night: “unimpressive,” “pure luck,” “you aren’t that good.” They were trying to get my ire up so that an hour later when I told them to stare into each other’s eyes as I fucked my sweetheart’s body, I would mean it with a snarky competitive vengeance, I would mean it with power and control, I would be pushed to take what I want.

“I shouldn’t have to “reclaim” my dapper style. It was all of ours to begin with.” Two essays on dapper from Anita Dolce Vita and Blakeley Calhoun.

“I just don’t see why a woman would want to aspire to masculinity when she doesn’t like men.”

“I get angry at myself for having feelings this big to begin with, and then I wrestle for a few hours with the unique mixture of self-loathing, rage, and sobbing.”