Is she the female Eminem or the Jewish Madonna?
Noemi Zeigler, a professor at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., name-checks these celebrities while she stars as her alter-ego Madeline Minx in a new anti-bullying rap music video, “Feminem.”
Inspired by her students’ personal struggles, Zeigler raps in the video, “I am the Feminem, no compromising who I am," to emphasize the importance of being comfortable with who you are.
“My students said I was gassin’ and had flow," Zeigler said in a statement. "At first I thought that was a bad thing."
And her students are her biggest fans.
“My teacher rapping was at first inconceivable to me, but to see the music video process, hear the beat, and see the creative juices that flowed into this project is better of 'Feminem' than matzah ball soup at a bat mitzvah,” said A.J. Bozeman, a Laney college student who's featured as a freestyler in the video.
"Feminem" can be bought on the iTunes store and a portion of the proceeds will be donated as scholarships for media students at Laney College.
The catchy music video has also caught the attention of Mad Money producer Wendy Kram, and may inspire a TV series.
"I'd love people to embrace 'Feminem' as a catchy song," Zeigler said. "The real message is to embrace your authentic inner weirdo, be okay with whoever you are. That's what I am working through as an artist and how I hope to inspire others both as a teacher and a performer."
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, Noemi Zeigler's name was misspelled. Also, a portion of the video's proceeds will be donated as scholarships at Laney College, not all of them.