#aom24

I loved this plenary mainly because it took me back to the end of the summer, in Livingston Student Center, listening to a presentation about microaggressions. At the time I had never even heard of the term, but i remember becoming a lot more aware of the the things that I said and thought after hearing the presenters. So this plenary was just an expansion of what I already knew. The best best part about it was that this time, I am proud to say that I had let go of many of the bad habits and terms I used to use prior hearing about microaggressions the first time. I also liked when people started to share their stories and everyone could see how different everyone’s experiences are based on race, class, gender, etc. 

This was honestly one of my favorite plenaries. I feel like so many of the topics we discuss in class are very similar. Many of them, I had already had prior knowledge on. The video during plenary 4 however brought us into the worlds  of people whose issues I never even imagined could have existed. I loved how raw the video was and how much emotion the subjects allowed themselves to show. It showed their strength and their courage, and in a way could motivate anyone to stay strong in whatever it is they find difficult to find peace with in life. 

I’ve been seeing pictures of this young actress a lot on social media lately and it reminded me of the video we watched in class on Wednesday. Skai Jackson is 12 years old. In the first picture she was a little younger and she actually looks her age, and notice that it’s a Disney event. But in the second she looks “sexy” and quite uncomfortable if you ask me. She certainly does not look like a 12 year old anymore. Why was it necessary for her to dress like this for a Star Wars premiere? I would like to know what you all think? Do you think this has anything to do with the fact that as girls get older they feel the pressure be more sexy especially when they are in the spotlight? 

The minute the video starts the viewer sees Nicki Minaj’s body on full display, and I think purposely before we even see her face. As the video goes on, we are only given different views of the parts of her body and clothing (using fragmentation) that are considered “sexy”, whether it was her butt, cleavage, legs, stomach, or even her lips. Even when her face finally showed it only appeared briefly before the screen switches back to the view of her body. What I think is interesting is the fact that it shows her body in the eyes of various men. I think the point of the video starting that way was to point out that men usually concern themselves with a woman’s body before they even take a glance at her face. And even when they do see her face it is her body that has his full attention. The video’s setting and it being in black and white give Nicki Minaj a sense of power (It could be the guns). Although they are looking at her as if she is merely an object, she seems to be given a sense of power through the setting and the way she stands and acts with so much confidence. Usually when girls are half naked in videos, they are portrayed as weak and helpless. But here she seems to be in control of her situation and angrily fighting back against their gazes. The men on the other hand, seem weaker, mesmerized by her and somehow this takes away from some of the power that they are usually shown to have. 

After doing the activity in class I realized that so many factors contribute to our experience living in this country. From our race, complexion, and religion, to our sexuality, gender, and even education, we are grouped, most of the time inaccurately, with people who society feels we are supposed to be able to relate to and get along with. I noticed in my group that although we were all “black”, many of were not the same at all. We hadn’t grown up in the same neighborhoods, or received the same education, and because of this, we have not had the same experience being black in America. Going to school in an urban neighborhood where the quality of education is very low, I sometimes find it hard to relate to those who received better educations from schools that actually valued their students’ education.  

One of the most interesting things I found after watching Adichies’s video on feminism was the fact that despite the culture that we share, no matter hard I tried, I could relate to the experiences she spoke of. I have never been ignored because of my gender, or (at least openly or to my knowledge) thought of as a sex worker simply because I had walked into a hotel alone. I felt I could not connect to her. But after thinking, I noticed that although I am of Nigerian descent, I was born and raised in America, and therefore probably won’t experience this the same way she did. One thing that I can say though is that although I live in the U.S and have not directly experienced what Adichie did, it makes me wonder about my mother, who fell in love with a man and was prepared to marry him, but was then forced by her family to marry another. She had absolutely no say in something that would essentially dominate her future. But today she speaks as if it was okay, as if it was normal and nothing wrong was done. It makes me wonder if she herself has been brainwashed by what rights society and our culture says women have.