07.11
“‘I know your name.’ And so she stopped, afraid. If this were true she would be trapped. Naming meant power. Adam had named the animals and the animals came at his call.” (Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeannette Winterson 142)
The lines above, from the book Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, were inspiration for an essay that months ago, one of my Twitter homies – Naima, tweeted a few lines from. I was immediately intrigued, because it was relevant to the name changing or name change debating, that a lot of my music peers were going through. As per my request, she shared her entire essay with me. Finally, I share it with you.
Photo from Crimson Devices
Naming Meant Power by Naima Ozier
Naming means power. Naming can refer to your identity, how society labels you, or the way the public diagnoses your attitude. Naming can be a double sided sword that can hurt as well as defend – be cautious. This ideology may be difficult to accept at first, but your name can be a wall if you allow it to be – it can protect you, while it’s keeping you hostage. Don’t be a prisoner of your own name.
When you allow someone to name you, you give them power. Don’t. Your name is not what you are called, but what you answer to. Don’t put energy in names that won’t empower or help you grow. Give power to names that give power to you. Give life to identities that breathe life into you.
When you give someone your name, you give them power. And while staying mysterious may seem to allow you control, it’s only a false strength. To be invisible is to be powerless. Being one of the faceless majority is to have no name at all.
But when you name yourself, the power is all yours.
When you give yourself an identity, you create your own boundaries, set your own rules. When you label yourself, you put yourself on a pedestal, where you determine the dimensions. Naming yourself inspires others, while invigorating your being.
Your name can empower you, or be the cause of your ruin.
Use your name responsibly.
I love it.
The only other thing I would add to this, is that you can’t force names for yourself either. Names have to come naturally, and spread organically. When you try to make a nickname or stage name for yourself, and ask people, who’ve called you something else for so long, to call you a new name, things get awkward and…even sad.
What are your thoughts on the power of names?
Follow Naima on Twitter; and check out her Tumblr
