Alok Vaid-Menon, a gender non-conforming performance artist, writer, and educator, dives deep into the intricacies of identity and societal norms. They reflect on growing up in a repressive environment and how that shaped their emotional journey. Alok discusses the importance of authenticity and emotional vocabulary in embracing one's identity. They challenge the binary constructs of gender, highlighting the beauty of non-conformity, while stressing the urgent need for community support and understanding in a world where visibility doesn't always equate to safety.
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Texas Upbringing
Alok Vaid-Menon grew up in College Station, Texas, a small town they describe as emotionally repressive.
This upbringing, while challenging, prepared them for navigating the world's complexities.
insights INSIGHT
Southern Politeness and Emotional Repression
Southern politeness often masks true feelings, creating emotional repression.
Alok Vaid-Menon found expressing emotions through art necessary due to this repression.
insights INSIGHT
Emotional Reciprocity
Alok Vaid-Menon discusses the importance of emotional reciprocity in relationships.
They emphasize setting boundaries and prioritizing their own emotional well-being.
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Alok Vaid-Menon is a gender non-conforming performance artist, writer, and educator. Taken from Alok’s own writing “In a world that requires everyone to 'pass' within two discrete categories of 'man' OR 'woman' what would it mean for gender non-conformity to be regarded as beautiful, desirable, legitimate, and worthy?”. They are performing, speaking, and writing from their soul to connect through differences and challenge the archaic social construct that is gender.
Alok is so comfortable in their skin and their glam, and the confidence is infectious! We had a ton of fun chatting with them, soaking in their poetic words – and we know you’re going to leave this episode with a little bit more hope, a little bit more inspiration, and new ways to challenge the current paradigm!
We talk about…
The ins and outs of your passion being your business
Growing up (emotionally repressed) in a small Texas town
Southern “politeness”
Balancing being a strong example for others + being a complex, flawed human
Why it hurts when we turn someone into a metaphor and a symbol
Visibility does not mean safety for women and trans people
Where Alok developed their emotional vocabulary
Gender + shame
Learning not to fear their own gender nonconformity
The psychology of fascism
Why Alok is frustrated by the individualism of self-care
The people who bully us want to be us
Aesthetics as political resistance
Violence against gender non-conforming individuals has escalated over the past few years
What we can all do, every day, to challenge the current paradigm
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
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