Veronica Esaki
Veronica Esaki was born in Joao Pessoa, Paraiba, Brazil on September 26, 1959. She moved to Sao Paulo when she was three years old, and lived there till 1980, when she came to the United States. She was educated in Sao Paulo, and received a degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Spanish and Portuguese languages, where she worked as a professor for several years. She now lives in Plano, Texas with her husband Edson and two children.Veronica is a writer who isn’t inspired to write, but “was obliged to write by the immense flow of conversations in her mind.” As a writer, she has a unique and refreshing way of speaking her mind and ideas which are made up of mixture of feminism and religious sentiments.
Her poem, December/11/1992, written by Esaki in Sao Paulo, has a deep and sensual theme of love, a love sometimes people today can’t seem to understand or grasp. This poem could be summarized as the boy she loved then and now. As Esaki puts it, the poem captures the essence of “A boy that lived inside of the man who he does not recognize.” In the poem, she invites him to live in the THEN, verses the man who lives in the NOW. An example of this boy she loved then and misses now is expressed through the following verse: “You were the best of my dreams. You are still the best of my dreams. Not even the graying of my hair or the scars on body, or the wrinkles of my face, today, inhibit in me the right I feel I have of loving and of being loved by you.” The idea of a past love, and a current love she struggles with, through this boy and man is brought to life.
Veronica’s poem could be interpreted as the love for a boy who is now a man, but there is also an underlying tone, beneath this sentiment she has mentioned, stating: “ He loved the poet in me, and feared the woman.” Why does her fear the woman? Is it because of her success as a talented woman artist? This question give us a glimpse into Veronica Esaki’s ideals. Due to the fact that she is a successful writer who has a keen mind for deep thought and analysis, my partner and I had the opportunity to converse with her about her views on women in Brazilian society. Her responses were brilliant, and opened both of our eyes to new insights and, not only did she identify the root of many problems, but also backed up her ideas surrounding these problems with a relevant solutions.
Women in Brazil have been a topic we have discussed throughout the year in our Afro-Brazilian Literature class under the guidance of our dear professor, Paula Gandara. After gaining insights through our analysis of famous works of Brazilian Literature, exploring women’s place in Brazilian society, and their struggle, we knew we needed to get insight from a current Brazilian author, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to discuss with Esaki her views and opinion on the topic.
We began by discussing with her how she felt about women’s rights in Brazil. She explained to us that women have came along way, but still are not equal. She told us “I look forward to a world where people are not as captive by sexuality as we still are. I feel that women's rights and freedom are intrinsically connected with dense sexuality.” We agree with Veronica’s statement, as she believes that women’s general freedom and women’s sexual freedom are intimately intertwined, and in order for women to truly escape oppression and gain equality, it is essential that they gain sexual equality to men. This idea is especially pertinent in Brazil, as dense sexuality is very much tied with Brazilian culture. In the article, Is Gisele Bundchen A Self-Made Multimillionaire Sexist? Brazil's President Apparently Thinks So by Anderson Antunes, it is explained that women such as Gisele Bundchen, who is a self-made millionaire, capatilizing on her “Brazilian heritige” through sex appeal, are bringing a sexiest, seductive attitude to their personal branding, which Bundchen specifically does through her Hope Lingerie online ads. In the ads, Gisele presents herself in her Hope Lingerie and insists for ladies to use their “Brazilian charm.” This marketing plot has become an outrage to some people, as the article summarizes the ad by stating, “The campaign promotes the misguided stereotype of a woman as a sexual object of her husband and ignores the major advances we have achieved in deconstructing sexist practices and thinking.(Antunes,Is Gisele Bundchen A Self-Made Multimillionaire Sexist? Brazil's President Apparently Thinks So) ” This article can connect with Veronica’s feelings towards the way women are perceived in society, as Veronica also feels that “When, as a species, we begin to understand and comprehend the magnificence of sexuality as a lifeline tool, as a transcendental modality for our humanityness, when we are capable to perceive that being a man and being woman is nothing but two faces of the same hand of nature.”
Under Veronica’s vision, men and women would be equal and appreciated for their natural biological differences, and these differences would be cherished, as opportunities to transcend our human experiences and connect not only each other, but with something far greater, and more spiritual than ourselves. Women’s sexual appeal would not be objectified, but rarely recognized as natural and respected as beautiful, and through this recognition, both men and women would realize that biologically, they are “both are fully equipped to provide pathways to heaven on earth; and that sexuality is simply the way we have to glimpse at the possibility of magnificent pleasures” and through this recognition, equality will be achieved as we will “no longer will have to distinguish one another as this or that rather we'll know each other as you and me, one and one.” Veronica’s vision for attaining equality by revolutionizing the way men and women view sex and their sexulaity, is pure and refreshing, and captures what we believe to be not only an educated and insightful identification of the problem, but also creates a relevant and uplifting solution to said problem.
This topic of sexuality and how we perceive ourselves as sexual beings, generally speaks on how Veronica views sexuality in Brazil, and also how women are very much connected with sexuality. At one point in our interview with Esaki, she talked about how women in Brazil are perceived on television, in the movies, and in other Brazilian media outlets. She explained that through these mediums, women are strictly sexual objects, and are rarely depicted as having intelligence or desires that are not sexually centered or sexually driven. Esaki made a very intelligent point when she posed the question: “why is it that in the media outlets listed above are women only the ones to show their private parts, versus men, who seem to always be covered?” Esaki went on to explain that in Brazil, people learn life lessons due to their soap operas, and even on the soaps, she observed, women are carrying a very sexual dialogue. In the article Media cited for showing girls as sex objects by Sharon Jayson, an analysis of 300 studies over an 18 month period including women in movies, television, magazines, and even girl’s barbie dolls, found that media images make girls think and treat their own bodies as sexual objects(Jayson, USATODAY). This epidemic of how women are perceived as sexual objects, speaks to Esaki’s previous sentiments on how sexuality and equality are intimately connected, and the portrayal of women in the media drastically contributes to their status in society in terms of equality.
Overall, Esaki’s unique insights on sexual inequality in Brazilian society eloquently identified a key problem: overexualization of women, in the media. However, Esaki’s character and intellect shone through when she not only identified the problem, but also proposed a relevant solution, that called for both women and men to approach sexulaity through a new mindset, which focuses on self respect and true appreciation for the beauty of both the female and male bodies. This sentiment is echoed through her works, as in her poem, December/11/1992, she glorifies the beauty and purity of a sexual attraction rooted in appreciation, not objectification. Esaki’s fascinating insights as a Brazilian, female writer, enriched our understanding of women’s experiences in Brazil, and we genuinely look forward to reading her next work, which, a she explains encompasses “the live I live among people.” In our interview, Esaki’s intelligence for observing those around her was very clear, and this novel promises to include invaluable observations about the world around us, depicted in Esaki’s vivid and romantic voice.
We would like to thank Veronica Esaki very much for her willingness to be interviewed by us, and for the thoughtful and thorough responses she provided us with. We very much so enjoyed conversing with her, and we would like to wish her the very best in her professional writing endeavors and beyond!
Taylor Tomlinson Kirstie Gallimore
English Education Major Art Studio Major
Miami University Class of 2014 Miami University Class of 2014
Work Cited
Antunes, Anderson. "Is Gisele Bundchen A Self-Made Multimillionaire Sexist? Brazil's President Apparently Thinks So." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 30 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 May 2014.
Jayson, Sharon. "Media Cited for Showing Girls as Sex Objects." Media Cited for Showing Girls as Sex Objects - USATODAY.com. USA Today, 20 Feb. 2007. Web. 12 May 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment