#JadaPose

I was outraged when I read about Jada, a 16-year-old girl from Houston, Texas who blew up on social media overnight after pictures of her - drunk, unconscious, and splayed out on the floor - went viral. As the story goes, she attended a house party with friends, but unbeknownst to her, sipped from a spiked drink from the her teenage male host. Her appearance on the meme was not her doing, as she was stripped naked and allegedly raped assaulted. Other teens began mimicking her pose under the hashtag #jadapose, followed by vulgar captions such as 'hit that'.
Blazer : H&M | Ankara Bustier : Tailor-Made (Enugu) | Skirt : ZARA
Can you imagine waking up and seeing your face being mocked as an anonymous caricature on social media? People have dehumanised you in order to displace responsibility and erase any guilt loaded on their conscience when made aware of the gravity of their conduct. I have seen this happen to acquaintances; older and younger women, and I have seen first hand, the effects it has on their confidence. These memes might be comical to the naked eye, but the people behind them are scarred for life. We are, in essence, engaging in the berating of a young girl, with no care as to who she is or her wellbeing.
Speaking to an assembly of secondary school girls in Kuje, Nigeria
Grounds of the Secondary School in Kuje, Nigeria
As a mentor, I was faced with much the same dilemma, when a mentee stated she wouldn't attend school for the final week as a result of bullying, I had to tread the fine line between feeding her inspirational quotes or scolding her to see the realities of life like her mother probably would. I chose neither, instead adopting my usual skill to serve reality as I've learned to see it, while also urging her to live the sort of life that'll allow her the opportunity to view it for herself but from a far more victorious seat that I was unfortunate to be ushered to in my teens. Working with young girls, almost the same age as Jada, I saw how impressionable they were and how the words and actions of others moulded them into the women they would become. More so now, than ever before, it is important to consciously aid the healthy development of young girls to enlighten them as to what is morally acceptable and unacceptable.
Watch : Michael Kors | Peeptoe Heels : Dorothy Perkins
Jada? She's one of the young girl, who I'm sure, have the support of good parents and mentors because not only has she churned a positive from a negative, but she has created awareness among the millenials of rape culture and gender bias. As an expression of solidarity, people have been posting pictures on social media of a raised fist or holding signs with a new hashtag; #IAmJada. Empowering captions demanding a change in rape culture and social education ensue. This shows, yet again, that the power of social media cannot be streamlined to negate social values alone, but can be adopted to strengthen moral etiquette and charges Millenials to take ownership of their content and post things to empower and not tear down their readership.
It's time we stood together to educate the young as to the value of the female body. It is no body is entitled to it, but the owner alone, and rape / sexual assault cannot be taken lightly. BLEURGH

18 comments

  1. ohh wow...that's a touching story....I cant imagine the pain she feels...

    btw...you look gorgeous....I love your top

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    1. Neither can I. She's a truly strong girl for standing up for what was right and conquering her fears in doing so.

      Thanks sweetie. It was a gift from an aunt from the East (Nigeria)

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  2. I love what you are doing
    I would like to volunteer to help you speak to them sometime
    We have to do what we can to change the rape culture
    It is killing off many folks.
    I would love to do what I can to help.

    Entrepreneurship: http:www.udookonjo.com

    Here's my email: tessadoghor@gmail.com

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    1. Thank you!
      It's my passion to empire young girls to understand that the barriers before them are self-imposed and can be broken down with the adequate tools. I loved working with them in Nigeria and continue to do so remotely, but as yet, have not ventured out to schools in the Uk yet.

      I will email you details of the organisation I Worked with in Abuja, and hope that may be of further assistance to you x

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  3. I love that your site is so much more than just another fashion blog. Your writing and what you do is always so inspirational, keep it up! :)
    xo, coco millennielle.com

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    1. Thankyou so much for your kind words & taking the time to read my post! I love your blog & style xx
      I aspire to inspire so I'm glad you think the work I'm doing is on par with my aspirations. More to come, I hope x

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  4. I hadn't heard about this news yet, so thanks for sharing it. I can't believe people would continue to share such photos...glad to hear you're taking a stand against it :)

    BTW that is one gorgeous skirt...love the shape and colour!

    Every Day In Grace

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    1. Thank you and yes, social media has it's pros and cons. Shameful that people did that but if you look at the images you like or share with friends, I bet they're not too far off in the "shame others" factor. Just heartbreaking that this girl was so young and the subject being mocked was rape/assault *shivers*

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    2. And thanks for the compliment. It's a few seasons old and had the waist altered in Nigeria to a smaller fit, but you just can't go wrong with ZARA 💛

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    3. Thanks for the compliment
      Had the waist altered in Nigeria to a smaller fit as it'd been sitting in my closet for far too long. Glad to get some wear out of it! Can never go wrong with ZARA

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  5. Im disgusted by this story. How can people be so heartless and cruel. This poor girl.

    Emma x
    Writing Essays With Wine

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    1. Poor girl indeed
      I'm just so thrilled that she chose empowerment rather than wallowing in self-pity. A platform has been created, and she is doing an admirable thing with it. Commendable to say the least

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  6. This is a really good post. Very often you read only the negatives of social media but you've managed to show its true power - to educate & empower!

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    1. Thank you! I agree, social media and the millennial generation get so much flack, but I'm thrilled to see good coming out at long last.

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  7. Being 17 year old girl myself I cannot believe that people around my age think that doing stuff like that is amusing. great post! x

    pinkleopardlipstick.blogspot.com

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    1. Honestly saddens me, the state of society today. But I'm sure it's only magnified now because of media amplification and social media *sigh*

      Thanks for visiting my blog and reading this post x

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