Addressing & Eliminating Labels
“Do not define me by my clothes or the color of my skin”.
These are the words that begin a powerful video titled, Labels. The video, created by Maneetpaul Singh, is a creative project featuring people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, wearing a stereotype or label written on a piece of tape, covering their mouths. The video featured labels like “know it all,” “shy,” “prep,” and “terrorist,” among others.
The opening and closing lines are from the poem that inspired Singh to embark on this project, written by Singh’s friend Bani Ahuja. The video ends with a woman, burning a piece of tape with the words “insert label here,” and the final words of the poem are narrated:
So take this label that I wear,
Let it burn into the air,
I am not the words that you assign,
There’s so much more that meets the eye.
Watch Maneetpaul Singh's video here.