I’ve spent the last 20 minutes reading about “Aristasia,” which seems to be a sort of steampunk lesbian separatist version of...
I’ve spent the last 20 minutes reading about “Aristasia,” which seems to be a sort of steampunk lesbian separatist version of the Gorean subculture
Beginning roughly in the late 1960s at Oxford, Aristasia began (as far as anyone around today can tell) with a group of young women disillusioned by the cultural changes of that decade. They saw the cultural upheaval of the 1960s as the end of civilization, and responded by seceding from mainstream society to form a culture, and, ultimately, a country of their own.
The Empire of Aristasia exists on another world (usually called Herthe) where there are no men. Everyone is feminine. Nevertheless, there are two sexes: blondes and brunettes. Brunettes are the stronger, more dominant sex, and hold most of the positions in the military, while blondes are frailer but are regarded with reverence due to their higher morality and spirituality. One Aristasian publication describes brunettes as “twice as feminine” as contemporary earth women, and blondes as “ultra-feminine.” Needless to say, blondes and brunettes in Aristasia can reproduce with each other, though the exact method remains undescribed. […]
Where does all this come from? A book series? A graphic novel? No – while a few books have been written taking place in Aristasia, the largest part of the Aristasian community is centered around living the life. Aristasians seek to live as though Aristasia existed here and now. They form communities – both virtual and physical – where women take on the roles of either blondes or brunettes from the Aristasian provinces, dress in vintage garments, and act out schools, coffee shops, and movie theaters. […]
Another aspect of Aristasia often seen in the old media is discipline. Apparently, the Empire of Aristasia employs corporal punishment to keep maids from straying, ranging from light spankings to canings. Of course, this is purely for disciplinary purposes. […]
Aristasia has changed a lot since its inception. In 2006, the core group of Aristasians started a movement called Operation Bridgehead which posited a real, actual Aristasia and reincarnated Aristasians in human bodies, making them a sort of Otherkin. It also resulted in Aristasians invading Second Life and setting up an Embassy and college there. This movement also tried to distance itself from the discipline aspect of Aristasia, and eventually entirely did away with it. As of 2013, the Bridgehead movement has abandoned the name “Aristasia” entirely, and now calls itself the “Herthelan Protectorate of Chelouranya.”
(This is from TV Tropes, which for some reason seems to contain the only clear and straightforward summary of the thing on the internet; this appears to be a more in-depth, controversy-focused insider’s history; there are various news stories about the founder, “Miss Martindale,” which seem to confirm that this is a real subculture and not the whole cloth invention of internet fetishists)
