I think I was hazed?

This week I was given the opportunity to work alongside Maggie at Innova DDB. The first day I arrived I was greeted by the sweetest woman, Sabina. We were told we would be going on a shoot that day. This was a project for MTN, a client Innova has had for years. I was excited to experience what the production process was like! We went to the location of the shoot which was a local park and I was introduced to the creative director, Bright. He was very welcoming and encouraged us to share our suggestions.

We then went to a meeting later in the day which consisted of a couple announcements. Then, there was an hour long church service. Although much of this trip has been foreign to me, this type of religion practice isn’t. I grew up going to a catholic school up until high school. Many things that were said reminded me of the values and ideology that surrounded me for so many years. After the service ended they announced the new interns in the office, Maggie and I included, and called us up to the front. Everyone began cheering and laughing and I began getting very nervous.

We were informed that we had to introduce ourselves to everyone by saying our name, where we worked, if we are single, and lastly if we were a virgin or not. I thought the last two were a joke, but I learned quickly this was not the case. Then he explained that once we answered, we would have to strip in front of the entire office. I am not one to be confident when speaking in front of 20+ people, especially if it entails personal information. I scattered to collect my thoughts and decide what I would say. After I shyly introduced myself, we were allowed to sit down while the other interns began to strip pieces of clothing off. Luckily, after a couple began, they stopped and sat back down with everyone else, who were hilariously laughing.

What a crazy day. I thought about how strange it was for them to have an hour long church service immediately followed by a strip show. I told a couple of others when I got home and many laughed and exclaimed that if it was America they would be sued or worse. TI still don’t know how to think or feel. I know I’ll never forget it, that’s for damn sure.