I watched Makenna Pope speak about Easy-Bake Oven’s. The
first thing she did was acknowledged what her speculators would use against
her, her age. Her audience was mostly children, more able to relate to a
fourteen-year-old girl. Pope connected how changing something as simple as the
colors a company makes a toy can affect a generation’s thought on gender
association and gender roles in our society. She connected this on a personal
level with a story of how her little brother wanted to cook but was growing
less confident because of the gender specific marketing done by Hasbro (the
Easy-Bake Oven makers.) She also kept her body language open and flowing, never
seeming stiff or uncomfortable, ultimately projecting confidence. This sense of
certainty was projected through every part of Pope’s speech, from changing her
pitch to using her arms and her even pacing (although a little fast for me.)
Speaking about the challenges she faced, like rude comments and attacks on her
activism, as well as how they affected her, gave her credibility toward her
cause, and made Pope look like less of a child in my eyes. The one thing I
found that was ineffective in her speech was how she presented her examples, by
reading off a little piece of paper that was tucked into her belt. While she
dressed in a professional but approachable manner, I found this method of
sharing the verbal attacks on her impersonal. It seemed that if these comments
hurt, she should know what they said or be able to memorize them without the
distraction of having to pull it out and read off a scrap of paper. Overall,
Makenna Pope was effective in connecting her speech to her audience and
explaining how her activism played a larger role in change in our society.
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