Takeaways from Cameron Russell Ted Talk

During class Tuesday you could feel the tension. You could cut it with a butter knife. It was obvious the males in the classroom, including myself, felt convicted over the subject matter. With good reason. We all have done what model Cameron Russell has accused us of. We've all objectified a woman before. I know I have. I'm guilty of feeling entitled to a women's phone number just because I bought her a drink or because I mustered up the courage to ask for it. All that speaks to is the worldwide insecurity epidemic most men face.

I enjoyed listening to Russell's perspective. When she said she became a model because she "won a genetic lottery" and that she was the "recipient of a legacy" I was very impressed with her perspective. Standing in front of what appeared to be hundreds if not thousands of people and admitting that was nothing short of heroic. As a black man in the minority, I commend her for acknowledging that she has "cashed in" on the ridiculous gold standard of beauty this world has idolized over the years. I commend her even more for realizing that she will never have to worry about being pulled over and shot or being accused of stealing. Hell, she was given free stuff based on her looks. The process of healing can begin whenever white people adopt and advocate Russell's reasoning.

Finally, my heart broke when Russell hit on how insecure models are. Like I said in class, no person including women should feel anxiety over their body. It's not the way God intended. Women were the last thing God created at the beginning of time and upon the completion of Eve God said his creation of woman was "very" good.

It’s our responsibility as men to lead out in changing this horrible culture. It starts with how we treat our mothers and our siblings and then it should spill out to our other relationships.