‘How it was named’ is a series where I explore the creation of brand names that have caught my interest. This edition features Ajibawo ‘Ariella’ Gbemisola of Unmuted

 

1] Tell us about Unmuted; what do you do?

 

Unmuted is an app that has been created to support women who are facing or have faced domestic violence. It’s a digital sanctuary for women to speak, heal and rise.

 

I think that one of the biggest problems when facing domestic violence is the shame of talking about what you’re going through. Because for so long, society has made it look like the women being victimised or speaking up about it are the problem, not the abusers. Chances are if someone is going through such abuse, they’re thinking they’ve somehow invited it, by doing something wrong. It is, unfortunately, a typical reaction because abuse of that kind relies on making the victim think they’re to blame for it when it is not at all the case. But when you have access to a community of people who can help you realise it’s not you, it’s the abuser, that makes it easier to get help before it gets worse.

 

Systemic misogyny means women face the majority of such abuse, are isolated and made to think that it’s their problem alone and the world does not care. Unmuted is building a community for women, of women, and by women to help other women know they’re not alone in this — that you can find support, or understanding, at whatever stage you are in.

 

2] And why do you do it?

 

I remember specifically — I was eight, we had a neighbor being abused by her partner and I just saw the silence around it. It was a big compound, we had about 11 flats and 10 flats were silent about the situation. People would whisper and gossip about them, we could all hear the noises from their flat but no one would talk about what was happening openly.

 

Even as a child I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t understand what was going on. But I also understood that the silence wasn’t normal. It wasn’t normal for people to whisper in their houses but then see the person that was being abused the next day and act like everything was alright. That went on until she came back one day and her husband had taken everything that she had with him, apart from the children. He left an empty flat with the children in it.

 

And at that point, I realised that something was terribly wrong. I found myself speaking up for women, speaking up against abuse, especially for women. At some point, I had a personal experience that moved me from beyond supporting women to understanding what being in that situation meant — it made me understand how lonely it could be for somebody experiencing that cycle of abuse; that silence was not an option. So I think why I do it is because I know how the silence impacts survivors and I’m not going to go along with that culture of silence.

 

3] What values inform your ‘why’?

 

You know, in almost every culture, there’s a gag that women have, where you have to be silent about something like this. You have to be silent so you don’t spoil it for someone. Or you have to be silent so it doesn’t get worse. So for me, it’s about breaking that gag and breaking that culture of silence.

 

It’s about encouraging women to speak up, encouraging women to understand that you have a voice and you’re allowed to talk about whatever is happening to you. It’s about giving women their voice back, giving women the ability to be able to say “Me too, I’m going through this”, giving them the ability to recognise abuse.

 

Another major gap I noticed is that existing support operates in isolation. Most existing charities and organisations that already address the matter of domestic violence and abuse, supporting survivors of domestic violence, support them in isolation. It is one person at a time, as you walk in, when or after you recognise what you’re going through and are ready to seek support.

 

What about before that point though? A lot of times, before women get to the point where they seek help, it’s already gotten very bad. But if you have a community of other women speaking up, asking questions… it helps you see it earlier than you maybe would have, it means more women can leave these situations much sooner.

 

Because at the end of the day, a lot of people are in situations where they do not understand what’s going on. Helping women understand what abuse is, helping them name what they are going through… being able to name what is going on is important because if you can name it you can take the next step of finding the solution for it. So a community like Unmuted, where women are sharing their stories anonymously, is going to help a lot of women be able to name it, be able to speak about it. It will encourage more people to open up, to perhaps recognise themselves in someone else going through something similar to their own situation and not feeling alone… it fosters understanding and is necessary in taking the step of seeking support.

 

4] How did you end up with the name Unmuted? (did you work with an agency, undertake trademark searches and registration, indicative costs…)

 

I’m currently writing a book about women who had to stay in settings of abuse, and the name just came to me while I was writing.

 

And like I said earlier, one of the things that I’ve realised that is a major problem for women in this area is the culture of silence. So I just kept ruminating on the culture of silence, how the whole world tends to silence women — irrespective of where you’re from, irrespective of the color of your skin, irrespective of what you do for a living. And it starts early, that conditioning. Even now, girls are being raised with the idea that they’re going to grow up and become wives — that’s their primary role in life and that means protecting the family they marry into, protecting that family’s reputation, by not talking about situations like this that are having direct, dangerous impact on them.

 

And I thought, “Women should be able to speak freely about this.” In my head, the idea that I had is like passing a microphone around, just for women to speak. Because they’ve not chosen to be silent, they’ve *been* silenced, and now they’re unmuted.

 

5] What did you almost call it before deciding on ‘Unmuted’?

 

To be honest, Unmuted was it for me.

 

6] How important is a business name according to you?

 

It is is very, very important because it’s one of the things that people relate to the most. When they hear about your brand, it should be relatable. It should be something that they can imagine, something that they can picture… that helps a lot with brand recognition and recall.

 

For example, Unmuted — the first thing you think about is an unmuting a microphone and it gives you an idea of what comes next, that is very important in branding. You don’t want something ambiguous; you don’t want something where people would see it and start wondering “What are they doing here? What is this about?” So your name should be able to carry your purpose, your intention, and exactly why that thing was created.

 

7] What one thing do you wish people were aware of about your area of expertise/industry? 

 

I’d like people to be aware that it’s okay for you to be uncomfortable about it. What is *not* okay is for you to expect people to keep quiet because you’re uncomfortable. You might feel like maybe they’re sharing too much information, and it’s okay to take yourself out of that situation in that case. But what is not okay is for you to expect people to keep quiet and act like nothing is happening. People absolutely need to talk. That culture of silence that has reigned for so long is not acceptable.

 

8] Question for funsies! Fill in the blank: Whatever you do, don’t _____ 

 

Whatever you do, don’t haggle with small businesses just because you can.

 

Whatever you do, don’t let anybody shut you up.