Gigi's Melania Impression: Everyone Just Chill | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Gigi's Melania Impression: Everyone Just Chill

Don't make a mountain out of an anthill.

24
Gigi's Melania Impression: Everyone Just Chill

The American Music Awards took place a couple nights ago, and unfortunately, the big news that came out of that included Gigi Hadid's 10-second impression of to-be First Lady Melania Trump.

Hadid co-hosted the show with Jay Pharaoh, and what was meant to be a brief bit that essentially poked fun at Melania's alleged plagiarization of Michelle Obama's DNC speech turned into a trending headline and enormous social media backlash. In light of the election this year and everything else that's resulted from it, is anyone really surprised by this reaction?

It was a 10 second long impression — her tone was clearly one of mockery, but the main points of offense taken were not exactly the fixation her impression meant to have.

I guess I understand the offense taken, as someone who also has immigrant parents, like Gigi Hadid herself. But at the same time, that’s not what she was mocking, and in a way, that means she understands the struggle and can and does respect it — especially as someone who is half Palestinian.

And others pointed to the fact that Gigi was bringing down another woman, and that was "not cool." I don't know about that. In the broad scope of things, is that really what we should be focusing on?

Hadid's impression, though of course meant to be trivial and likely with no intention of reaching such a grand level, was more about Melania’s inability to come up with her own material, not so much about her ethnicity and immigration status, nor her gender.

Two main things are evident following Gigi Hadid's condemnation via social media and her subsequent apology. One, in case you hadn't already realized, free speech and backtalk are increasingly challenged day by day following this election. No one can speak freely without fear of backlash, now. Two, we have to realize how much power public figures hold, no matter how much we ridicule or trivialize them.

The extent of my knowledge of Gigi Hadid is my purely shallow girl crush on her (I mean, she’s gorgeous). Beyond that, I don’t read too much into her personality or what she does. Yet, this brief moment in the spotlight, one of many for her, honestly, has thrown her into a pit of wolves.

Does everything always have to be political? Some Twitter users posited that Hadid should've targeted Trump rather than his wife, but if she’s going to poke fun at someone, why should it have to be Trump?

I'm not a huge fan of people telling me to chill. But in this case, I think the whole nation needs to take a breath. This post-election hubbub is exactly what so many feared, and what we should be afraid of.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

4028
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments