What's In a Name?

II would like to first talk about how boring I find my name. Kayla is very common for girls in my age demographic. I wanted to feel special about my name and the cool meaning behind it but it simply means pure. My last name I like way more because it has a more complex story. It's Scottish and an occupational last name. Like my first name, my last name doesn't define me either. I'm not Scottish and my ancestors probably weren't tailors. I does provide a better understanding of my identity. My great-grandmother, who is still alive today was a sharecropper and lived, interacted, and experienced the testament s of slavery through her grandparents. Their owners were of Scottish descent, which was the majority of Halifax county. My last name depicts the complexities of human interaction and development over time.

I feel like I'm two completely different people depending on which parent's house I'm living in. Because I spend less time with my mother, I feel she tries to make up for the lost time and almost feels guilty for seeing us less than when her and my dad were married. I think my dad feels guilty too because he works a ton. He tends to get more stressed so I get more stressed as a result and become distant. My mother on the other hand, tries to make the environment seem comfortable and relaxed. I thrive in her home. I seem to get more work done and I feel I can live more authentically. Because my dad is so stressed out I don't want to branch out and voice my concerns which would create a more stressful environment. I'm extremely reserved at my dad's and almost pensive and lofty at my mother's. My role as a daughter, to love my family and help is the smart in both households, they're just executed differently to accomadate the situational aspects.

Othering by Huie and Atwood

http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz3lkxgSZm1r3166lo1_r1_1280.jpg,

"American Girls", Frogtown, St. Paul, Minnesota (1993 - 1995)- Wing Young Huie  From the Archive

This picture depicts an interracial couple kissing with two young smiling gazers.  The setting appears to be looks urban or even rural due to the dilapidated buildings.  The caption reads:


"This is my first American girlfriend. We met at a party and she asked me to go to a movie with her. I like American girls. I would like to marry an American girl because they are more pretty. I like how they act, all nice and stuff. I like Mexican girls too. But they are different. I can’t explain how."

http://know.wingyounghuie.com/tagged/From+the+Archive/page/3, Accessed 9/7/2014.


A deeper examination of this picture can first be critiqued by the color contrast.  The color contrast between the woman and man highlights the "otherness" of the two individuals.  Him, being a Mexican-American and her being a White-American.  The lady also seem very aggressive while kissing the man.  I look at this stereo typically: Western women  are looked at as more daring for displaying their sexuality because their default display of sexuality is reserved or modest. Women of color, and in this case Latinas, are often displayed as promiscuous, "spicy", alluring, and sexy. We can also juxtapose the beauty norms of western culture and that of Latin America.  Euro-centric beauty ideals have been ingrained in every culture colonized by Europe, which is the entirety of Latin America.  I critically assess the claim, "I would like to marry an American girl because they are more pretty." The apparent ambiguity of "American Girl" should be highlighted.  He follows this statement by saying "I like Mexican Girls too". The question arises: "Does he generalize Mexicans as not being American living in the U.S" and "Does he view himself as being American" This creates the otherness-sameness dichotomy by generalizing behaviors of different ethnicities and nationalities and  and also propagates the stereotypes that Latin women are aggressive. He ends his statement with: " I like Mexican girls too. But they are different. I can't explain how. " He blatantly professed the otherness of Mexican and American girls but he couldn't conceptualize his statement suggesting that this type of thought is normalized.

Margaret Atwood and Wing Young Huie both portray the concept of "otherness" by contextually depicting individuals.  You understand individuals background through societal context.  The privileged-underprivileged dichotomy, female and male relations, religious and political conservatism, and the disenfranchisement of minorities.