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IMANI MOHAMMAD//MENTAL HEALTH

An interview with a Mental Health student, 19, London

Imani:

I was born in London, Park Royal. My Mum is Saint Lucian and very cultured. I would say she seems more African than Jamaican. She has a Catholic background but converted to Islam just before I was born, just because she was more comfortable with it’s teachings. She didn’t agree and didn’t understand with some of the Catholic teachings so converted to what she believed was right. My Dad is Jamaican, he lives there. He is also very cultured, born and raised Christian, Pentecostal and stayed that way. Some people think I don’t know my dad just because he doesn’t live here haha, but he visits every year and I’ve known him all my life. They’re not together but they get along.  

I study mental health and the stereotypes I see are say through like, they just assume it’s gotta be a substance miss-use issue. Whereas say if you were from a minority background, they assume it’s gotta be genetic, or some distresser in your life. Or it’s come from a substance, drug, or alcohol. Also I think a lot of the time with minority backgrounds a stereotype you get, like even me being a female from a minority background, the things that you have, you’ve gotten from having a criminal background. And everything you’re doing has to be because of something, like ‘you’ve come from a really bad background and you’ve worked your way up’ not that you could of just been there and had the same background as other people. You’re always labelled as an underachiever, no matter how good your grades are, it’s never as good as somebody that may be from a higher background. In that sense, I just think that stereotypes are real. As much as people like to act like, you know, we’ve all become equal now.

I mean me, I’m Caribbean, my mum is Muslim, so I’m Islamic in a sense and my Dad is Christian so I follow both. With that, people tell me I can’t be Muslim, because you don’t look like one, what am I meant to look like? When people hear my second name they lose the plot! If you get someone whose Muslim themselves they get so offended I’m not doing it how they’re doing it. So that’s another one, because I’m Caribbean I don’t really look like one. And you don’t see many Christian Muslims. That stereotype I get, people tell me I should be wearing a hijab. People can’t tell you you’re not Christian or Muslim! Just because you don’t look how they think one should look. People that may be accepted as Christian might not follow absolutely everything in the Bible so why should I? Can’t tell me I’m not, when I am. (laughs) In general I think stereotypes are lessening, but they are definitely there! In everything, work, shopping, everywhere.

I have a positive attitude in life. About myself, it’s a bit of both. It’s trying to be positive, striving to be positive. It wasn’t before. But more recently as I’ve got older I’m beginning to know myself. I’m stepping outside my comfort zone and seeing I can achieve things, going to uni and stuff and achieving things within that, and just in life. Things feel like they’re picking up and falling into place.  So now my attitude is more positive, than it was before. I’d say just from life experiences.

If I talk about the way I deal with certain negative situations, having been studying mental health for 2 years now, I would say it makes it easier to deal with negative situations. If I had to deal with a negative situation in my own life or see the immediate people in my life go through something, because I know that it could be and have seen, ten times worse, not that you should compare your situation! But I’ve seen people younger than me dealing with a lot more than I’ve ever had to deal with in my life. I think with that, it makes it a lot easier for me to deal with bad situations. You know it could be ten times worse, and it will only get better. In every negative there’s a positive and vice versa, things can only go up.  

I think it’s about what you’ve been brought up on, everyone has stereotypes. It’s something engraved in you from parents, and grandparents. I think you can change them but it’s a lot harder when it’s something you’ve been brought up on. It’s in your values. For instance, all black people are thieves. That’s not what I think! (laughs) but for example, that would be something maybe in your culture, to think or assume that way. Maybe if you really believe that way, you would clench you purse if a black guy walked past you for example. I try not to stereotype, and I think as a person you always try to tell yourself you don’t do things that in fact you do… so in that sense I probably do stereotype people a lot. You really can’t do it so much in my line of work though. If you did, you couldn’t do your work. I meet paedophiles and rapists and murderers, if I was to stereotype them I wouldn’t be able to help them because my moral background doesn’t allow me too. You have to not stereotype. I have become a lot more open because of it; people are people at the end of the day.

I do sympathise with why people stereotype, especially say rapists/murderers, because I do understand it? But at the same time I think you have to be so little-minded to stereotype something… not like say the paedophile because that’s something hard to come to terms with, especially if you’re a mother or a female and you’re dealing with a rapist. So I can understand why those people are stereotyped because you’re considering victims of abuse. In general, I think people need to understand the person before they stereotype. I can’t sympathise. You don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing, or where they’ve come from or what they’ve gone through and sometimes people stereotype with no knowledge whatsoever about the person. So no. (laughs) Social media, news, magazines, every time there’s an attack it’s gotta be from a bearded man. So much of it comes from social media and broadcasting. But it’s just what they want you to believe.

I think the terrorist is the worst stereotype, at the moment it’s the most pressured stereotyped. There are terroists from all backgrounds. They don’t HAVE to be from the Middle-East, have a beard and be Muslim. But that’s the stereotype they always portray. Or all the people that come here are taking our jobs.

A positive one would be feminism, a woman having to be in the kitchen has been more or less wiped a way. I wouldn’t say I’m a hugely strong feminist but I do agree a woman is more maternal and softer. It can be a bit extra. Like I’ve heard that some of them believe you should wear a certain type of legging on your period that shows you’re on your on your period. Like you should be proud. But I think that’s over the top. I saw it this morning! On Instagram.

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Genderless

Like Wu//Fox Fur

Fashion

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GENDERLESS FASHION An article, by Ariel Draper

One hot-on-the-press, debatable topic at the moment is ‘Genderless’ fashion. “Does that mean men wearing dresses and women wearing tuxedos?” Sheriff, a security guard at National Express, says when I ask him what he thinks about it. How thoughtful and creative of him! What we know for sure is it’s a controversial direction fashion has recently taken. There’s an instagram account dedicated to ‘genderless nipples.’ Here, in 2017, nipples have found their voice against prejudism. Clothing websites are separated into mens and women, distinctly dividing the two gender’s clothing. Does this mean genderless websites will be announced in the near future, ridding this aspect and, if so, how long will this trend last? I can see the appeal, a new fashion trend and style. A demand for equality or a step towards division between clothing choices. However, the idea of ‘genderless’ fashion strikes a limited aspect to style. Mens and women’s fashion dedicate themselves to various silhouettes and shapes, designed to compli- ment the natural figure of each gender. So, does genderless mean a whole new human body? A plainer design to fit all? If anything, it opens up a new generation of fashion rather than the popular choice of just revamping old trends

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FASHION DESIGNER//AKINBOLA

What inspires you?

I am very much inspired by many different elements. My source of inspiration comes from a complex source, so imagery, creative pattern, intense research, etc. And also a random methodical approach. Which is completely unique to my personality and mind?

What stereotypes you feel you face as a brand and clothing line?

Well, that would be hard to say. my brand is just starting off right now.  But I would say my named, which is Nigerian name. The brand could be looked at as being a Nigerian based brand, based on African prints and silhouettes.  Being one sided. That could limit my client base.

Any stereotypes you face and how you deal with them personally?

No, I haven't faced any stereotypes. But I would say, when it comes to my business and creative process, I have to be extremely strict and disciplined in my approach.  

How do you want people in your clothes to feel and why?

I would love for people who buy into my brand to feel a sense of boldness, a new age of beauty. Not confining to the typical sense of beauty.

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ANTHONY CHARLES//STEREOTYPES

Interview with Anthony Charles, Visual Communication student at Birmingham City University, 23. Art work by Anthony Charles -https://www.instagram.com/mf_acharles/

Why do you think people stereotype other people so much? People stereotype because of fear…example, say there’s five lions, no say there are ten, and I know that lions attack people. He might have no intention of harm against me, but from ten other previous events, you assume that he’s violent. So now I’ve stereotyped HIM to be ‘violent.’ I have allowed him to even get up and try and intimidate me the same way police shoot black people in America… why? I don’t know WHY because people have stereotyped them to be dangerous. Out of an irrational fear, they kill someone. What, because THEY’RE scared? for that reason Any form of ignorance like that directed at me? I automatically dislike, I shut down, I let them know like, don’t do it. I don’t like ‘scared’ people. I’ve seen how they live their life and react towards me.

Do you sympathise with some stereotypes?

Some people have said to me, all stereotypes have come from some truth. And I say look, well all myths and legends come from one story or another. Even dragons, come from some true story?They really don’t lol. Madness! I do understand why we do it, I do not approve of it.

Do you think a lot of it comes through the media?

Yeah. The media controls the idea of fear. Isloamophobia in America. I went to New York last, or two weeks ago, they STILL show adverts of the 9/11. Why? 16 years ago! What are you (the media) doing?! But I wonder do they actually know any Muslims? Do you know them on a personal level? Do you have legit information on them? No, so you’re (the public) idea of who they are and what they are about is based on someone trying to push an agenda. They’re trying to push an agenda that they’re (Muslims) bad and people believe so, out of complete ignorance. My Dad told me this at a young age: He goes, “Anthony, you can’t have an opinion on something and you cannot win an argument from a position of ignorance.” So if I had any discussion with him or anyone else, I would make sure I was educated in what I’m talking about before I say it. People don’t do that any more. People go yeah, this, this and that! But they know NOTHING about Islam. So you cannot go and say they're BAD people, from what your government has told you. Same with blacks, whites, gays, whatever you have a phobia against, unless you are educated on it, you have NO RIGHT to have that level of fear or that level of distrust to it.

What would you say is the worst stereotype out there?

The worst one? Erm. For me? Actually, what makes me laugh… all men are the same. ‘Cus now, if I’m trying to talk to you, I have to battle every other man you’ve come across. But you don’t know me! But because I look like him, or talk like him, and this and that, I’m ten yards behind it’s madness! And you might not even know my name yet! Dismissing me. Because I’m a tall black boy from London, from the bits, it happens so much, and that happens ALOT. And it annoys me! But people like I just dismiss, I don’t wanna talk to them anyway. Even guys say that to girls though like it’s okay she hurt you man! (laughs) you know what I mean.

What would you say is a positive stereotype? Because they’re not ALL bad. Or a lighthearted one you agree with?

All black man are fast. And good at sex. There are lot of negative stereotypes, especially being black And a black male. I haven’t really heard a lot from women on black stereotypes, more from my dad and Godfather. I think now like in the UK, how mixed we are, it’s not so bad. It’s ebbing out. However I think the white male probably has the least stereotypes negative made against him. Because it’s still his rules, still his rules and his ideas of how life should be run. It’s still the white males idea.

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Skin