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.