So, the other day I kind of went on a feminist rant with my mom and produced this poem/spoken word thing. It's still pretty rough, but I just wanted to share with someone.
First you cut off my tongue so I can’t scream, can’t protest, can’t talk back. You pump me full of plastic, encourage me to move fat from my stomach to my ass, encourage me to inflate my breasts with silicon and your broken promises. You remove my body hair, say it’s ugly, unnatural. I can’t tell you that it’s always been there, longer than you have. You paint my face, turn my lips to the color of blood lengthen my eyelashes because apparently that kind of hair is acceptable. You turn me into your doll, just a series of holes waiting to be filled. I am no longer myself, any piece that once was replaced by plastic, filled with your unrealistic expectations.
Thanks for reading, and I would love feedback/criticisms/questions in the comments!
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ReplyDeleteThis is really cool! I think it captures well all of the body image issues and unrealistic expectations which plague women today.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that you title poem this "Barbie," because, I assume, Barbie is a big source of body image issues for young girls. But when I walked past the toys aisle at Target the other day, I noticed an entirely new line of Barbies, in which Barbies come in different shapes and sizes. I checked their website, and Ken even comes in three different body types now. I felt really validated when I realized these Barbies exist, because it feels like girls have been begging for them since I was little and wondered why my legs weren't as skinny as Barbie's. It's really comforting to know that someone actually listened, and that if I have daughters, Barbies might for them be a symbol of beauty through individuality rather than beauty through conformity and unrealistic expectations.
I am really fascinated by this poem. I keep reading it over and over again and the effect has yet to diminish. Your use of the Barbie, a toy which society accepts as "normal," to highlight an incredibly defeating mentality that society feeds to women is truly masterful. I really like the figurative aspect of this piece which is used to comment on an incredibly tangible problem today. Well done Amara, 10/10.
ReplyDeleteI think this piece is really cool in the context of talking about the subject of Justice. I think that we often talk about Justice in the context of what justice in the sense of what should be done to protect.
ReplyDeleteWe talk about protecting, but we don't talk about the crimes that prompt the need for protection. We talk about the good sides of justice but often neglect talking about the nastier parts of it.
I think if we really want justice though, we need to expose ourselves to this kind of uncomfortable narrative. We as a whole need to be really comfortable with the uncomfortable in order to truly change.
I loved your piece, and it really made me think about how we talk about justice.
Thank you for giving us the chance to listen. Powerfully written. We hear you.
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