The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 — 5A

CEREN DAG/DAILY

The museum is located off of S. State Street
The UMMA exhibit ‘What 
Were You Wearing’ fights 
generalizations of assault

UMMA joined with HeforShe for a one-time exhibit in AA

“What were you wearing?”
A business suit, jeans, a 

sweater, a sweatshirt, joggers, 
athletic shorts, a tank top, 
pajamas, a dress. You’re going 
to work, you’re going to class, 
you’re going to a party, you’re 
going to a friends house or 
you’re going to bed. Something 
is about to change. Something 
is about to become a plot point 
in the line of your life — one 
that is uninvited, one that is 
cruel, one that you did not 
expect and one that you will 
never erase.

“What were you wearing?”
The 
question 
hangs 
in 

the 
air: 
seemingly 
simple, 

mundane, usual. Four words, 
17 letters and a question mark 
— all dangling in blank space. 
But in many situations, this 
question is really rather loaded 
— provoking anger, sadness, 
discomfort and confusion.

Many survivors of sexual 

assault will hear this question, 
asked by a friend, an employer, a 
police officer, a family member, 
an investigator, inviting the 
notion that perhaps if the 
victim was wearing something 
revealing, they were inviting 
the violence. The University of 
Michigan Museum of Art’s one 
night only exhibit “What Were 
You Wearing?” looks to start a 
conversation that silences that 
generalization.

UMMA, 
in 
partnership 

with University and national 
organization HeforShe, brought 
the exhibit to the University, 
as 
its 
message 
resonates 

greatly 
with 
our 
current 

campus and national climate. 
The exhibit was originally 
started at the University of 
Kansas by Jen Brockman. It 
features replications of outfits 
that sexual assault survivors 
we wearing and quotes from 
their stories, gathered from 
interviews by Brockman.

The 
exhibit 
looks 
to 

deconstruct the notion that 
people are only assaulted if 
they are wearing something 
revealing, and a victim could 
have been “asking for it” based 
on what they were wearing. 
There were around twenty 
outfits hung on a rack around 
the space, with the stories 
posted above them. Of the 
outfits, 
the 
majority 
were 

everyday 
clothes 
— 
jeans, 

oversized sweatshirts, workout 
clothes, shorts and t-shirts. 
Of the stories posted above 
the outfits, some especially 
thought 
provoking 
quotes 

included:

“I was wearing Nike shorts 

and 
a 
concert 
sweatshirt. 

Seems so normal. So every day. 
It was too, just any other day, 
except for this. Except for what 
happened.”

“The first time I was wearing 

jeans and a blue t-shirt. The 
next time, years later, I was 
wearing jeans and a blue 
t-shirt. I wear blue sometimes 
when I kickbox or when I need 
to be assertive. Even today I 
am wearing blue, because they 
don’t get to take away my voice, 
my favorite color or my ability 
to say no and mean it. These 
things are mine.”

“White t-shirt and black 

basketball shorts. It was always 
the same outfit. It was always 
at the rec center. I trusted him. 
My mom trusted him.”

The exhibit does a wonderful 

job of expressing that it doesn’t 
matter who you are, it doesn’t 
matter what you’re wearing, 
it doesn’t matter where you 
are, it doesn’t matter the 
circumstance. 
No 
means 

no, and assault is never the 
survivor’s fault. Assault can 
happen to anyone, at any time. 
The exhibit also provided an 
array of experiences through 
different ages, locations and 
circumstances –– to prove 
that this can and does happen 
anywhere.

From the wide array of 

individuals (both male and 
female) 
whose 
stories 
are 

included in the exhibit, it 
is clear that there is no one 
specific 
circumstance 
for 

sexual 
assault. 
Those 
who 

attempt to define assault as 
a singular thing generalize 
the implications of assault 
and 
associate 
or 
trivialize 

experiences 
are 
wrong. 

These 
stories 
being 
told 

(and 
others) 
are 
personal, 

absolutely heartbreaking and 
not 
uncommon 
on 
college 

campuses.

The sexual assault climate on 

the University’s campus is like 
that of many other universities, 
which is both saddening and 
unfortunate. According to the 
University’s Campus Climate 
Report from 2015, 22.5 percent 
of female undergrad and 6.8 

percent of male undergrad 
students experienced a form 
of 
non 
consensual 
sexual 

activity in the past 12 months. 
And the 2017 Annual Security 
Report stated that there were 
26 cases of rape, 22 of fondling, 
29 of stalking and 29 of dating 
violence on our campus last 
year. Keep in mind, these are 
the numbers of people who felt 
comfortable and safe reporting 
these 
crimes. 
With 
this, 

HeforShe saw a great need for a 
larger conversation about these 
issues; which inspired bringing 
the exhibit to this campus.

As seen by the statistics 

above, there are major issues 
with 
assault 
and 
domestic 

violence on this campus. It 
is terrifying how, in today’s 
world, 
sexual 
assault 
has 

grown, 
maintained 
itself 

and become normalized on 
college campuses everywhere. 
Recently, 
University 
of 

Michigan 
Interfraternity 

Council suspended all social 
activities 
and 
pledging 

activities 
due 
to 
several 

alarming incidents — one of 
them, which is unfortunately 
no surprise, is a growth in 
cases of sexual assault.

Erasing 
the 
stigma 
and 

normalization of the culture 
of sexual assault is a step that 
the exhibit at UMMA this 
past Monday looked to take. 
It is a long battle, but one that 
must start somewhere. The 
exhibit provided a space for 
conversation, 
education 
for 

those do not feel well informed 
on these issues and the larger 
message: 
Assault 
can 
and 

does happen to anyone. It is 
not normal, it does not have 
a 
specific 
circumstance, 
it 

cannot ever be justified and it 
should not go unnoticed.

This exhibit and its message 

is 
incredibly 
important 

right now, not only because 
of 
the 
problems 
occurring 

on our campus, but also the 
climate surrounding assault 
nationally. For the first time, 
sexual assault is being brought 
into the conversation on a 
national scale. In Hollywood 
and major news corporations, 
powerful men have been fired 
for sexual assault allegations, 
and people are finding space 
to share their personal stories 
of sexual assault. Campaigns 
like “#MeToo” have spread all 
over social media, empowering 
individuals and validating the 
stark reality of the situation. 
It 
seems 
that 
more 
and 

more individuals are being 
encouraged to come forward 
with their stories so that the 
pervasiveness of these issues 
can finally be seen.

And this is only the start.

ELI RALLO

Daily Arts Writer

“What Were 
You Wearing”

UMMA

Monday, 

December 4, 

2017 

EXHIBIT REVIEW
NO FILTER

REPUBLIC

Goddesses we don’t deserve to have
Replaying: ‘Feeling Myself’

Returning to Beyonce & Nicki Minaj’s overlooked single

The 
Pinkprint, 
Nicki 

Minaj’s third LP, released 
7 singles (“Pills N Potions,” 
“Anaconda,” “Only,” “Bed of 
Lies,” “Truffle Butter,” “The 
Night Is Still Young,” “Trini 
Dem Girls,” respectively). This 
boggles my mind. First of all, 
seven singles is excessive, even 
more so considering their from 
a rapper who prides herself 
on chart performance, but 
only one cracked the top ten. 
(“Anaconda” peaked at #2, but 
clearly should’ve gone #1.) The 
final single, Trini Dem Girls 
which features Lunchmoney 
Lewis, didn’t chart and doesn’t 
even have a wikipedia page 
(lol).

Her new album ~hopefully~ 

drops next week, nearly three 
years after the release of The 
Pinkprint, so it’s time to talk 
about the its greatest deep cut, 
arguably one of the greatest 
deep 
cuts. 
The 
sequel 
to 

“***Flawless (Remix)” (which 
was the number 1 song of 2014 
according to Time): “Feeling 
Myself (feat. Beyonce).”

I love (loooooove) Nicki 

Minaj, 
and 
she 
herself 

acknowledges that sometimes 
she is left in the lurch of the 
men she collaborates with. It’s 
an easy get for male rappers 
to feature Minaj to increase 
airplay and streaming numbers 
but on the flipside, Minaj’s solo 
work goes underappreciated 
on radio. This pattern also 
bleeds 
into 
Minaj’s 
own 

discography. During “Only,” a 
track off The Pinkprint, I go in 
during Minaj’s opening verse 
and immediately change it 
once Lil Wayne or Chris Brown 
pick it up. Okay, sometimes 
I stick through it for Drake’s 
verse 
— 
only 
sometimes, 

though. Ditto for “Truffle 
Butter”: Lil Wayne’s verse is 
honestly just gross, and I like 
to think I have a relatively 
high tolerance for gross sex 
stuff but damn. Additionally, 
it wasn’t until recently I was 
able to fully appreciate Minaj’s 
bars in “Buy a Heart” and 
“Big Daddy” (features with 
ex Meek Mill) because I so 
rarely stuck around through 
Mill’s opening verses. I have 
since had a change of heart 
regarding Mill’s contribution 
to “Buy a Heart.”

To bring us back to 2017 

for a moment, two of Minaj’s 
#ThreePackfromParis, 
“No 

Frauds” and “Changed It,” 
renew 
the 
tendency: 
the 

former featuring Lil Wayne 
and Drake, the latter featuring 
only Wayne. On both tracks 
Minaj’s bars are solid. Both 
verses are worth a rewind, a 
replay and a revisit whenever 
the thought or opportunity 
presents itself, but the tracks 
lose 
their 
energy 
without 

Minaj 
at 
the 
helm. 
“No 

Frauds,” specifically because it 
was released as a response diss 
track to Remy Ma’s 5-minute, 
bars-loaded “Shether.” While 
“No Frauds” flexes Minaj’s 
A-list status, it fails to show 
her as a master MC. The lyric “ 
‘Back to Back’? / Oh you mean 
back to whack?” rings slightly 
false seeing that Drake bodied 
Meek on “Back to Back,” Nicki 
got a few good shots in on “No 
Frauds” but Rem slaughtered 
Minaj on “Shether,” as far as 
bars go.

But, 
nonetheless, 

since 
the 
release 
of 

#ThreePackfromParis, Minaj 
has consistently been featured 
on some of hip hop’s hottest 
tracks of 2017. Everyone can 
agree that “Rake It Up” would 
be nothing without Minaj. 
Ditto with “Swish Swish.”

Okay, 
I 
have 
digressed. 

Back to the reason we are 
here: “Feeling Myself (feat. 
Beyonce)”. 
It’s 
the 
fifth 

track from the rapper’s third 
album and it has received an 
appalling lack of attention 
and appreciation from radio, 
awards show and, probably, 
you. (Until now.)

First and foremost, this 

track 
brings 
together 
the 

Queen of Rap and the Queen 
on the Universe, both of whom 
aren’t afraid to own and flaunt 
that status they have reached. 
While 
the 
argument 
that 

Beyonce is underutilized on 
the track could be fair: both 
women use to track to feel 
themselves by flexing their 
accomplishments. B stanks, 
“Changed the game when that 
digital dropped / Know where 
you was when that digital 
popped / I stopped the world.”

But it’s Nicki who shines 

brightest, closing out the song 
she spits, “Just on this song 
alone, bitch is on her fourth 
flow.” Minaj is, and has been, 
one of the top MCs and “Feeling 
Myself” is a testament. Three 
verses, four flows and back-up 
from the biggest star in music. 
Not to mention she drops some 
of her hardest bars of her 
career. Listening to the song 
and looking up the lyrics for 
examples is fruitless because 
the entire song slaps. EVERY. 
VERSE. POPS. OFF.

If you don’t believe me, here 

are the worst lines of each 
verse:

1. n/a
2. n/a
3. n/a
Fuck y’all I tried.
Moving 
on: 
the 
music 

video. Remember when Nicki 
tweeted her displeasure that 
“Anaconda” 
(egregiously) 

wasn’t nominated for video of 
the year? But the most absurd 
snub went largely unnoticed: 
Why did “Feeling Myself” fail 
to pull a single nomination? 
Sure, it was a Tidal exclusive, 
but 
I 
don’t 
think 
that 

disqualifies it. (I don’t know, 
I haven’t read the VMA rule 
book because I am too busy 
stanning 
these 
women 
on 

Twitter.)

Remember 
when 
Taylor 

Swift 
assembled 
her 
“girl 

squad” for the “Bad Blood” 
video? 
Or 
when 
Madonna 

followed-up 
by 
digitally 

placing 
Kanye, 
Beyonce 

and Minaj in the “Bitch I’m 
Madonna” 
video 
alongside 

real-life 
appearances 
by 

Alexander Wang and Diplo? 
Minaj and Beyonce — all in 
their lonesome — blow both of 
those groups out of the water, 
the industry and galaxy all on 
their own.

I say this a human who can 

hear and see, not as a stan, 
but every frame in this video 
is a keeper. I’m trying to pick 
the highlights out but they’re 
ubiquitous. The two baddest 
bitches become the two coolest 
just outside of the Coachella’s 
city limits. It’s hard to tell 
whether they’re messin’ around 
instead of going to the festival 
or throwing a dope after-party 
but it looks like a healthy mix 
of both.

The outfits are sick. Beyonce 

rocks a Chicago Bulls bathing 
suit, Nicki rocks a Moschino 
one-piece; Fur coats in blow-
up pools; Nicki reps the double 
sports-bra; and of course, the 
mesh “PERVERT” tee. Also, 
Beyonce is the only person who 
looks good in a bucket hat. The 
video is similar to Beyonce’s 
“7/11” in its casual nature: the 
MC and singer just hanging, 
stunting, 
in 
their 
amazing 

dream Airbnb booking for their 
Coachella weekend.

The video even goes as 

far as showing a (hopefully) 
candid moment the two share 
backstage at the festival sharing 
gum. The product placement is 
chosen-wisely 
and 
playfully 

placed: a fridge full of Ace of 
Spades and Myxx Moscato, 
empty bottles of the former 
floating in the pool and hot tub, 
and the pair eat “#2 with Mac 
sauce” on a bounce house while 
Nicki holds her Myxx.

It’s 3 minutes and 45 second 

of 
straight 
flexing. 
Their 

skills, 
their 
brands, 
their 

accomplishments. 
They’re 

well, feeling 
themselves.

CHRISTIAN KENNEDY

Daily Online Editor

Beyonce rocks 
a Chicago Bulls 

bathing suit, Nicki 
rocks a Moschino 

one-piece

First seen on 

no filter

