Evil villainesses have been a trope of many popular culture stories, from Disney movies to superhero comics. These villainesses are often characterized by their dark hair, red or black color schemes, and their fierce personality.
They are known for being ruthless, ambitious, and for bringing destruction and chaos. Many times, they are depicted as being more powerful than the female villains who are depicted with power suits or glamorous outfits.
This idea of the villainess is not new and has been noticed by many popular culture critics over the years. One such critic is Zadie Smith who wrote an essay about this trope in The New Inquiry in 2010.
Smith writes about how the villainess is characterized by her ruthlessness and her lack of a conscience. She says that this type of woman ‘belongs in the category of people you can’t trust’.
Bring her to ruin
In the world of villainy, there are few positions lower than that of a female villain. Most female villains are sidekicks or underlings, with a few rare cases of solo villains.
As mentioned before, there is a clear bias in the world of villainy that prevents many female villains from rising to the top. Many male villains see women as inferior and therefore cannot imagine them as superior villains.
This prejudice makes it very hard for female villains to gain followers. If no one wants to follow you, then you can’t really make any big moves which can lead to your demise. Your reputation is also at stake if you can’t get anyone to join you, so it is important to try and build a network early on.
The best piece of advice I can give any aspiring female villain is to come out strong and do not be afraid to bring you down.
Her transformation
After a few years of being in the convent, most nuns consider themselves permanently retired from the world. Many view their new lives as a chance to be reborn, to learn and grow as a person.
For Sister Loreta, her new life was an opportunity to learn English and study theology. She spent many hours in the library studying and reading other books that were donated. This was how she chose her next path- she read about a kind of food that helped people recover from addiction and wanted to make some for the community.
She recalls feeling very lonely at first, but soon found ways to connect with others on grounds. She also made friends with some of the laypeople who came to visit or attend events at the convent. They helped her feel more welcome and part of the community again.
The hardest part of transitioning into life in the convent is letting go of your old lifestyle, but with time most feel like they are living a new one.
Her new life
After leaving the world of politics, Nuns were a pretty common sight in Communist-controlled territories.
Many women pursued education in secular fields that were previously reserved for men, like engineering and medicine. Some even became pilots!
Nuns played a significant role in helping to rebuild the faith among people. They would organize religious services, help with pastoral care (counseling), and teach theology.
Since most of the clergy had been either killed or exiled, nuns often took on these roles as well. Some even went to seminary to become priests or ministers.
The few who remained were highly respected and valued members of society due to their spiritual influence on people. Many people turned to them for guidance and help with issues in their life.
Sadly, many of these hardworking women passed away from illness due to poor nutrition in the camps. But despite this tragedy, they left a lasting impact on society.
Her revolutionary church food
After leaving the convent, Sister Dorothea went on to found her own nunnery and wrote a cookbook of vegetarian recipes. The book is called Simple Food for Today’s Living and features recipes like stir-fry, pasta dishes, salads, and more.
Sister Dorothea believes that eating vegetarian food is an important part of respecting all life. She writes that “…vegetarian diets may be an essential step in our transition from a society based on brute force to one based on justice and peace.”
She includes several recipes for vegan mayo, baked goods like banana bread, and includes tips for how to make your own soy milk and tofu at home. All of the recipes are easy to make so that anyone can prepare them.
Bring everything to its climax
The last step is to bring everything to its climax. This can be your final scene, the final piece of your puzzle, or the final stage of your story.
You want to leave your audience wanting more, wanting to see what happens next in the story or how the character changes. You want them to walk away thinking about all the different layers of the story and what it means.
The best stories have a flow to them that take the audience on a journey. Make sure yours does that as well!
Once you have completed your masterpiece, put it away for a few days and then come back to it with a fresh eye. Re-read it and see if there are places where you can add more layers or push things forward. If you spot any holes, then go back and fix them.
Celine Dion
Celine Dion is a famous Canadian singer. She was very popular in the ’80s and ’90s, with hits like “The Power of Love” and “It”s All Coming Back to Me Now.”
In the early 2000s, she took a few years off to focus on her family. She gave birth to two children and adopted another, making her a five-child mother!
However, in 2004 she announced her second retirement. This time it was permanent: she would no longer be performing as a singer. She said that it was time to focus on other things and that she was leaving the career at the top.
Since then, Celine has been involved in charity work, including working with UNICEF. In 2013, she and her husband opened their own casino in Quebec City so they could return to business ventures.
Make your mark on the world
There’s a world outside the convent where people are waiting for you to make your mark on the world.
You may have been marked by the world before you entered, but that doesn’t mean you can’t change that. It only means that you have to work harder to show the world what kind of person you are and what kind of person you want to be.
It doesn’t matter if it was bad things that marked you or good things, the only thing that matters is what you do with your life from this point forward. You have power over that!
By leaving a life behind, even if it was a good one, and entering into a new one, even if it is a simple one, you are making room for new things in your life. You are letting go of old baggage and picking up new gear for your life journey.
