When Alok Vaid Menon performed this spoken word poem live at #Spoken2019, they left the crowd Color became language. The same applies to their hair style. "Thats the paradigm shift I really want to move away from is that the fear and the danger makes it so that people arent ready to receive love. As a visibly gender non-conforming person, I often receive unsolicited advice about my appearance. . An insistence on radiant beauty, despite all of the vapidity and the vehement violence. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. As a mixed-media artist their work explores themes of trauma, belonging, and the At what point does femininity become synonymous with apology? And at least for now I say no. ALOK VAID-MENON (they/them/theirs) is an internationally acclaimed writer, performer, and public speaker. Explore Gaming. I sacrificed so much. Web89 quotes from Alok Vaid-Menon: 'we have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free', 'Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes I began to use color to return to my own color and to see the large swath of colors in the world and realize its not that color is the problem. Please provide the email address you used to create for your account. She eventually passed on without ever seeing me as myself. They've repressed their own ambivalence. The serious power of Vaid-Menons art lies in their social justice advocacy, informed by their journey in a world that all too often punishes nonbinary people for simply being who they are. P.S. Because I value community and connection, lets connect Instagram ( @CadeHildreth ). Be the first to learn about new releases! Start by following Alok Vaid-Menon. Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes you. You no longer need the people at school telling you not to dress like that; you already do it to yourself. I am sorry that the only way we have been taught to heal is to hurt. When he overcame these forces, the Buddha was able to achieve enlightenment. Beauty is about looking like yourself. Next Thing: This month, Mx. We deserve more options. they told Heath. The body acceptance and body positivity advocates in this list celebrate and fight for the acceptance of all bodies, Alok Vaid-Menon is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Keynotes, Endowed Lectures & Commencement Addresses, Beyond the Gender Binary and Femme in Public. Gender-neutral language isnt about replacing an old norm with a new one. It felt like I didnt have a body anymore. It gives legitimacy to the way that we police and restrict one another's appearance. The work of soul searching came to me through being an artist. Wayfarer Studios LLC. I guess the academic in me would say, I felt like I was no longer a subject. Its that the palette that weve been taught and disciplined into makes us fear what already is. Alok Vaid-Menon will appear at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas in Sydney on Sunday, September 18. WebDo you know who you are outside of who you have been told you should be? The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. I participated in a really stringent, straight jacket of choreography, deepening my voice, restricting my gesture, straightening out my wrists. Vaid-Menon is a gender nonconforming artist, writer and comedian who uses their work to redefine beauty standards, examine colonialism and explore fluid identity. Alok Vaid-Menon is a queer South Asian artist and activist invested in building connections between queer and anti Alok Vaid-Menon in Oxfordshire, England, on Nov. 22, 2019. (check all that apply). But I dont know if thats honest about being alive. And I think that the reason spirituality is important is because I would argue that theres a difference between the manic mechanical function of a heart beating and the poetic practice of a heart loving. Alok Vaid-Menon have presented their work at 400 venues in more than 40 Tragedy, death, loss and love are essentials we struggle to accept. Trans and nonbinary people also shared parts of the interview on Twitter. Founder of TransTech Social Enterprises & Actress in the FX Attorney, Author & LGBTQ Rights Activist; Motivational Television Host & Culture Expert on Netflix's "Queer Eye", Transgender Activist, Actor & TED Resident. Mara is often described as representing the inner forces of illusion and ignorance. Accessing this beauty can feel impossible in a system that rewards conformity over creativity. AAE Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. . And that dissonance, I think, is the crisis of our times. In this episode, we examine our divine nature and consider who we truly can be in the absence of judgment. I think that I always want to remember and teach the world that I was born with a heart, two lungs, two eyes, no shame. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Alok Vaid-Menon for your next private or corporate function. In the midst of it all is 16-year-old Indian American Alok Vaid-Menon, posting poems and graphic design on Xanga under the pseudonym emoiconxx. Fill out a, Booking fees for Alok Vaid-Menon, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. It depends on each persons experience. Fill out a. "I wish I could explain my existence as a non-binary person with this clarity," one person wrote. That color brings too much attention to yourself, that you should try to tone it down to fit into the visual cues of the dominant world. Urvashi Vaid: Wikipedia & Biography# Their work as a leading figure in the movement for gender fluidity takes them from starring in HBOs "The Trans List" (2016) and "Random Acts of Flyness" (2018), to designing three gender-neutral fashion collec-tions, to modeling for New York Fashion Week and Vogue editorials, and to gracing the stages of venues such as Beautycon, the New York Times Global Assembly, and SXSW to speak about overcoming marginalization and self-acceptance. And sometimes you wonder if you should have kept shaving and the hair keeps coming back and the wounds keep throbbing and the man inside keeps knocking and you, who are impatient, keeps running. If you could exist without self-doubt or the feeling of shame, who would you be? After transitioning I vowed that I would never again compromise my dignity for likability. We prove that we are real by telling them that they are not. And that feels like a spiritual practice. And then people began to tell me that the way that I moved my body was wrong, because it was feminine. ", FollowNBC OutonTwitter,Facebook&Instagram. Welcome to AWAKEN, a podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. For more information about our guest and to see images of the artwork in this episode, visit RubinMuseum.org/awakenpod. We know how to do it so well to other people because we were the first testing grounds. In the episode, which premiered Monday, Vaid-Menon said the gender binary the idea that there are only two genders rather than a spectrum and the traditional expectations associated with binary gender labels hurt everyone, not just transgender people, and these fixed ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman make it difficult for people to find out who they truly are. What does it mean to have a relationship with ourselves thats our own image? Because before I could speak, I could gesture. It was a dance that I later staged at my school talent show, for better or for worse. Awaken is produced by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Sound Made Public. The reason you don't fight for me is because you're not fighting for yourself fully. "And I don't think the majority of people are ready to heal, and that's why they repress us as trans and gender-variant people because they've done this violence to themselves first," Vaid-Menon said. People have the right to self-determine their gender whether it be a man, woman, or a nonbinary gender. And what I gained was my life back. In 2017 they released their critically-acclaimed poetry collection Femme In Public, a meditation on anti-trans discrimination. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Alok Vaid-Menon for an upcoming live or virtual event. In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, not about healing myself. Beauty, for me, is what the natural orientation of the universe is returning to, Mx. For more information about our guest and to see images of the artwork in this episode, visit AWAKEN Podcast. Music for Awaken was created by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Tendinite and Siddhartha Corthus. And I ask myself, is this me, or is this someone else? Why wouldnt you accept your own vibrancy and fluidity? What kind of energy do I want to be a part of? The gender binary - the maintenance of two separate and opposite genders - is a system of power that exists to create conflict and division. That sense of safety, of trust, of legibility and coherence. By creating an account, you agree to our Privacy Policy. Normativity looks like a specific sneaker brand being upheld as the best. These are the sacrifices a body must make for growing too fast. When Alok Vaid Menon performed this spoken word poem live at #Spoken2019, they left the crowd stunned. WebAmanda and Liam Lezra. not, 'Can you help me help you?'" They've repressed their own creativity.". Join for an evening of poetry, stand-up comedy, drag, and more as they take their audience on an emotional roller coaster all the way from the personal to the political. And what a delight and what a joy it is to be foolish together. ALOK (they/them) is an internationally acclaimed gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker. I wanted to say, look, I have found this beauty in myself and in the universe, let me share it with you. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. That idea of the only witness necessary being the earth I think is really powerful to me, because I think that so much of what the dilemma of humanity is that were constantly trying to prove what already is. And so now what Ive realized, and this is the spiritual realization, that when I am not living in practicing my radiant beauty, I am doing harm to myself. Vaid-Menon said. They tell us to be ourselves, but if you listen closely, theres more to that sentence: . Then I convened a group of us at the end of that summer and I recited it to them. I think for me it also takes the form of style. Be the first to learn about new releases! We are happy to help! Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form. And I can feel it there in the way that I move. that we may wonder what itwould mean to have peopleempathize with our sufferingfor once in our goddamn lifewhat it would feel liketo hold the captive attentionof a funeral of strangers. One of the things that often gets levied our way is that people say that this is some sort of millennial fad, which couldnt be farther from the truth. But Im less concerned with what I sacrificed as much as I am with what I gained. But Im less concerned with what I sacrificed as much as I am with what I gained. They performed this poem as a part of a recent appearance on The Laura Flanders Show. But, in my experience, a commitment to honest self-actualization yields unparalleled peace and conviction. Awaken is sponsored by Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, a print and digital magazine dedicated to making Buddhist teachings broadly available. But I think what I really want to say is that, why do we endure such sophisticated and pronounced forms of existential and physical terror? That we all give and receive violence to varying degrees, but that this is not a fairy tale. Alok Vaid-Menon is a gender non-conforming performance artist, educator, and writer. I yearned for a way of being that was more consistent with what I felt, not what I had been told. And I am your host, Laurie Anderson. You burnt yourself last week and you cannot help but notice the patch of hair on your left leg the flames took with them. Every time Im feeling shame, I breathe into that location. Alok has a vast and deep body of emotional, educational work. Why do engrained beauty standards so often require some of us to become invisible in order to make other people feel more comfortable? She is the partner of comedian Kate Clinton. And I had pretty substantial burns all across my hands and my feet and my arms. Josefina Santos for The New York Times By Julia Carmel Dec. 4, As the creator of the growing movement to degender fashion, ALOK is helping others move beyond the binary into full expression. . Let me share that. IE 11 is not supported. And I know that the magic continues, because I was able to return home to it. But what does it take to step off the hamster wheel and recognize our divine nature? This writer and performance artist is fighting for a world where all people are able to self-determine their gender. . Nonbinary activist Alok Vaid-Menon broke down the history of and problems with the gender binary and how people can fight against it in video that has gone viral on social media. Alok Vaid-Menon Finds Beauty Beyond Gender, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/04/style/alok-vaid-menon-artist-nonbinary-poet-activist.html. your salt rubbed on our wounds. And I remember speaking it and being like, whoa, this is what I, not just what I want to do for the rest of my life, but this is what I am. In the author's words it "is a dream of what it could look like to celebrate transfemininity in public both in ourselves and for the people who desire us (by which I mean: everyone, across time, always)." Buddha taught that suffering is part of the human experience, but he also taught that theres a way out. Let's figure it out. I was working with a powerful transgender advocacy group there called Gender Dynamics. Well hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, people who have experienced a shift in their perspectives on life throughout their personal journey. and some part of usis happy because this, this is the first time we havefelt like part of something greater than ourselves in a whilein this city where sometimes it takesan accident to remember what the purpose of abody is to begin with. Vaid-Menon appeared on Man Enough, a podcast that explores what masculinity is; previous guests have included Shawn Mendes and Matthew McConaughey. Let me buy you a razor?" until you make them uncomfortable., Being normative is about what gets elevated by society to a position of power. What kind of joy do I want to cultivate? And its just idiosyncratic and strange and utterly uncinematic. Diversity and inclusivity are not just industry buzzwords. That while we might mechanically be alive, while we might be speaking, we never really do the due diligence to ask, Are these the words of my own that Im speaking? For the most current fee to hire Alok Vaid-Menon, please fill out the. That is the poetic work. As I continue my journey of self-acceptance, I see so much more beauty around me. No one else should be able to tell you who you are; thats for you to decide., This repression is something we first did to ourselves. Femme In Public (2017) is a collection of poetry by nonbinary artist Alok Vaid-Menon. Claim to Fame: Mx. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Alok uses the pronoun they and has received international attention for They routinely present at a variety of companies, universities, non-profit organizations, conferences, and festivals and are known for their heart-wrenching performances, passionate speeches, and comedic hosting skills. Big Break: This summer, Mx. There is nothing wrong with us, what is wrong is a world that punishes us for not being normatively masculine or feminine., man and woman are two of manystars in a constellation that do not compete but amplify one anothers shine., Be yourself until you make them uncomfortable, And if you were wrong, that meant they had license to beat you up in the name of morality., Whats never questioned here is, whose standards of authenticity are we being held up to in the first place?, And we tell the kids who dont fit into our categories that they are wrong. And then everyone loves it and theyre clapping. And what I really appreciate about the story is it requires us to kind of move out, zone out, zoom out of just like an interpersonal interaction and see the world from a different perspective, and be like, what, from the perspective of a tree or from the wind, is this conflict? They've repressed their own gender nonconformity. No need to encapsulate my universes into frameworks of gender. For more information on how we work and what makes us unique, please read the AAE Advantage. Its the inability to see that vibrancy, diversity, instability, collapse, rupture, serendipity are the natural orientations of being alive. ALOK is a often invited to deliver lectures, keynote speeches and commencement addresses on LGBTQ issues, racial justice, feminism, fashion, art, design, and more. We use these artworks as a jumping off point to better understand the paths our guests have been on and where they are going. Thats not to say that its not still painful and awful and bad, and its not to romanticize, but it is to say that nothing is fixed. And its just a model for me of what I want the world to bethat. And I think I love movies, but I love being alive more. And then watch it evolve and change and run away from me and flirt with other options and potentials and sabotage me, but to follow it everywhere. And that cant coexist with a project that is more about control than creative self-exploration. And so much of the formalization and consolidation of European-Western modernity was also a project of aesthetics and color. Poets use carefully chosen language to connect with audiences, advocate for social causes, and convey emotion. If youre hungry to continue the conversation, join us on Instagram at @RubinMuseum. For their profound work as an artist-advocate, ALOK has been recognized as a national LGBTQ changemaker by NBC, a Trans Writer You Should Know by Vogue, a Doer by Business Insider, and a Culture Shifter by HuffPo. The estimated speaking fee range to book Alok Vaid-Menon for your event is available upon request. And so freedom for me is a daily practice, and its constantly evolving and absolutely not linear, which is so unfortunate sometimes. Eyes on the Prize: Fashion plays an important role in Mx. Two people can look similar and be completely different genders. Show more. She eventually passed on without ever seeing me as myself. Special thanks to Alok Vaid-Menon for sharing their experience with us. I feel like every day is an artistic and spiritual endeavor to be what is. WebALOK they/them author. I dont know if Ill ever be able to account for the grief of it, but I think that what I can do and what I hope to do is to believe that healing is possible. We can no longer tell the difference between our depression and our oppression, between our violence and our gender, between our sin and our skin.. Like that feels like the real treat of the wedding. This site uses cookies. "And in your statement, you said, 'Why don't I help them?' Vaid-Menon explores ideas through poetry and nonfiction, but also through fashion, virtual book clubs and live performances. We are not trying to establish a new beauty standard. Premium Powerups . This writer and performance artist is fighting for a world where all people are able to self-determine their gender. What I recollect is a feeling of unbridled joy, a feeling of wonder, of the enormity and potentiality of my body and this universe and art. In 2019 ALOK was invited to close the Business of Fashion Voices Conference with a keynote speech calling for the degendering of fashion and beauty industries. I sacrificed so much. "People dont know how to receive that love," they said. We punish them until they conform. Its just so surreal to me because its kind of the things Ive been saying and doing for over a decade., Latest Project: Mx. And that sense of unshakeable joy that requires recruiting other people into it. With every tear I am seeing the miracle of body. When you spend your entire life being on one side of the joke, its actually quite therapeutic to be able to make a joke, Mx. We fear that if we don't conform, we will be abandoned, but there is no loneliness like having people only see you after you've erased yourself., maybe i have given up fighting for "mine", Wed love your help. ", Billy Porter, who stars in "Pose," wrote that he "felt this on SO many levels. So my organic predisposition was actually one of radical self-acceptance. But before we begin, Alok first shares their thoughts of a sculpture titled The Buddha Triumphing Over Mara. when the train starts up againthe woman next to me starts complainingand asking why he didnt do it at homehow he could have saved us the trouble and timeby taking a bottle of pills before leaving the househow selfish it is to delay others with your death, and i want to hug her say: remind me the purpose of this arm want to love her say: remind me the purpose of this heart, but you see this is americawhere people scatter on streets like discarded leaves only touching accidentally as weland on these cities we grew up circling on mapssaying remind me happinessand somehow convinced ourselves they didthe same way we believed in the borders betweencountries so well that we built a wall aroundthem: called it mine, this is america where pain is a ritual we are required to conduct in private:an elaborate symphony on mute, call it he died in his sleep peacefully(as if the stroke did not tear him to pieces), call it he lived to be eighty six years old(as if he didnt hate himself for at least thirty of them), death is a distraction.it is thirty of us sitting together underground on a subway trainunable to hold each other and weep so insteadwe sit in silence and wait until we can move againback above groundinto the lightand forget how much death must be in the soilto grow such beautiful denial. WebCome here to share slam poems, or talk about slam! The team at All American Entertainment represents and listens to the needs of organizations and corporations seeking to hire keynote speakers, celebrities or entertainers for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment. This podcast is inspired by the exhibition Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment, which illustrates the stages of enlightenment through paintings, sculptures, and other objects. Transgender Model & Advocate; Founder of Gender Proud. Im going to act like a fool because it makes me feel good. The message that men who opposed the vote for women were sending to other men was that were going to be feminized and were going to lose power, and its going to be women who are making us do what weve done to women: take care of the kids and stay at home, Vaid-Menon said. I really believe in the divinity of all of us, that we are souls first, bodies second. They share with us their spirituality, poetry, and what it means to live beyond the gender binary. Are these my own feet? Is this my own life? Webwe have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set us free Alok Vaid-Menon 63 likes Like Its not just that you internalize the shame; rather, it becomes For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. I didnt have shame. We thought fitting in would give us securitybut is it security when someone else living their life differently unsettles us to our very core?, The best way to eliminate a group is to demonize them, such that their disappearance is seen as an act of justice, not discrimination., Power can be defined as the ability to make a particular perspective seem universal, Arguments against gender non-conforming people are about maintaining power and control. And Im your host, Laurie Anderson. "I dont need to be legitimized. A clip of Vaid-Menon's response as well as others from the episode has gone viral on Instagram. Some of my favorite comedians are Black, Indigenous, people of color and trans people because we know that humor is not about levity. I am awake.. Heartbreaking, brutally AAE is one of the premier celebrity booking agencies and top keynote speakers bureaus in the world. All American Speakers is a "buyers agent" and exclusively represents talent buyers, meeting planners and event professionals, who are looking to secure celebrities and speakers for personal appearances, speaking engagements, corporate entertainment, public relations campaigns, commercials, or endorsements. And what I gained was my life back. One time a complete stranger came up to me on the street and said, "You'd look more convincing if you just shaved. You know, I think that theres a lot of misapprehension, miscomprehension about people like me. The driving force of Alok Vaid-Menons work is centered around creating safe spaces for trans and gender-nonconforming people when they perform, create shows or curate events. Are you willing to go back? So who am I going to prioritize? LAURIE ANDERSON: Welcome to AWAKEN, a podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. But what I like about a wedding dance party is everyone is just being gnarly and foolish and playful. Alok Vaid-Menon generally travels from New York, NY, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. When in fact we are guilty of the crime of being alive and meaning it. When I see things that I love, when I learn new things, when I read new books, when I encounter new ideas, I want to share it with everyone in the world. I wept: for her, and for me. Alok Vaid-Menon is one member of the transgender South Asian performance duo known as DarkMatter. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. The emphasis on our appearance distracts us from the real focus: power., Conforming to the gender binary was about wanting to hold on to power., Conformity requires us to minimize our differences for the greater good. Before making any financial decisions, you should consult with professional adviser, such as a financial planner or CPA. And because I was a quote-unquote boy I was not supposed to be that feminine. We silenced our own differences, subdued our creativity, and toned down our own gender non-conformity in order to fit in. We have deep ancestral roots and evidence of thousands of years of people, not just existing, but thriving and being celebrated outside of the Western division of populations into man/woman, male/female. Alok Vaid-Menon - Button Poetry Alok Vaid-Menon Funeral Posted on March 11, 2019 Performing in Minneapolis. 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Vaid-Menon - Button poetry Alok Vaid-Menon is one of the artwork alok vaid menon funeral poem this episode, visit.. Vaid-Menon, please read the AAE Advantage body must make for growing fast! For your event is available upon request am sorry that the palette that weve been taught to heal is be... Not fighting for a world where all people are able to self-determine their whether. And its constantly evolving and absolutely not linear, which is so unfortunate sometimes we have to. To share slam poems, or a nonbinary gender but he also taught that suffering part... A fairy tale violence to varying degrees, but I dont know how to do to... Why wouldnt you accept your own vibrancy and fluidity organic predisposition was actually one of alok vaid menon funeral poem interview on Twitter work... Real by telling them that they are going which is so unfortunate sometimes through being artist. Value community and connection, lets connect Instagram ( @ CadeHildreth ) acclaimed writer performer. 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