Fluid Identities

After reading these pieces I noticed identity as a very common theme. I realize that, in today’s world, using the term “identity” could be saying thousands of different things, and this is exactly what these readings did for me. They showed me, in 4 readings, more perspectives on identity crisis and struggle than I have ever heard before. They catapulted me into a tizzy, questioning myself, “Have I gawked? Do I assume gender? Who have I offended”? Hopefully, not too many.
As a (mostly) heterosexual, white woman, it is hard for me to really understand what it feels like to be labeled in such a ridiculous manner. I will bitch and moan about being seen as a hippy, or a country person, or whatever; but I have never faced discrimination anything like that of Clare, Martin, or Alsutany. I strive to put myself in their shoes, to feel their resentment, their passion, their embarrassment, their pride….. But I just can’t do it. Even though I have had my fair share of crazy times in my younger days, I have never really experienced city life on a level like these authors have.
I really enjoyed Alsutany’s outlook on being an “other”. In “Los Intersectios: Recasting Moving Spaces” she writes that, “My body becomes marked with meaning as I enter public space” (292). This is the absolute truth. Any person’s identity is differing from how others see it. In a public space you are constantly judged, categorized, and placed into brackets. Even at the grocery store people are watching how you walk, how you talk, and peeping in your cart to see what you’ve got. It happens to me all the time and, like I said before, I’m just a boring old country girl. Public spaces are exactly what they seem –Public. No covers, no umbrellas, no hats. Just you and thousands of others who are going to put you into some checkbox in their mental bank.
Speaking of public spaces, I must say that I adored Clare’s friendly “fuck you” attitude towards gawkers. On page 225 she says, “They think I’m that pane of glass”. This can be read many, many ways. First of all, I think she is saying that they seem to gaze through her, like she won’t even notice their staring or gasping. This is a good option, as bigoted people will usually think someone under them (in their mind) is not as smart or mentally competent as them. Secondly, I noticed that this quote is similar to other ones I have read regarding women’s rights. The early Western woman, particularly the Victorian woman, was commonly related metaphorically to a looking glass, or the likes. These women were seen as dainty, sheltered women who spent their days tending to their children and brushing their glorious hair in the image reflected by their vanity’s looking glass. Many other women have asserted that they would not be fitting into this looking glass. Clare, like Martin and Alsutany, will not either