"The confluence of multiple identities in each individual (Korsomo, 2014)."
checking my PRIVILEGE
A large amount of my intersectional identities are privileged. It wasn't until I learned about intersectionality that I became aware several identities that I was blind to because they fit the norm. Being straight, able bodied and cisgendered are all identities that change how I navigate the world, but I was completely blind to them. Growing up in a predominately white area, I never really considered how being white shaped my experience. We are taught that the white experience is normal, so I grew up believing that everyone shared a similar experience to be regardless of their race. Part of me coming to terms my white privilege was simply accepting the fact that I am privileged. As simple as this sounds, it is not as easy in practice. I do not feel comfortable with this privilege, but instead of shying away from this discomfort I have tried to tackle it head on. I have recently realized that if I deny my own privilege, I am also denying the experiences of others, and that is an act of marginalization in and of itself. Since many of my identities are normalized in society, I constantly have to challenge myself examine the ways which these identities shape my life, and listen to the diverse range of experience others face with empathy instead of defensiveness and judgement.
|
Being female
Being a female is the only identity I hold that is marginalized within society. Since I do hold so many privileged identities, I do tend to focus on my gender more than any other identity. Identifying as female shapes everything from how I choose to dress, to my feeling of safety when walking around at night to how society views me and how I view myself. A lot of my struggles with being female are highly internalized. This is something that has been socialized into me from a very young age. Judging myself and others based on appearance is something I have struggled with my whole life. Around the age of 16, I was introduced to feminism and began to develop my feminist lens. As I became more aware of my own intersectionality, I realized that my feminist lens sees things a lot differently than other people with different mixes of identities. Being female has impacted my decision to become a human services professional, since the feminine traits of caring and compassion have always been nurtured within me. Its hard to know if I would have chosen this major as a male, since I may have been socialized differently and may have not placed as much value in these traditionally feminine personality traits.
|
being "middle class"
Growing up, I always considered myself middle class. I have now come to realize that middle class looks very different from individual to individual. My class status influence where I lived. I am from Shoreline, Washington, which is a fairly affluent area. My neighborhood was largely free of crime and I felt safe the majority of my childhood. Even though we where above the poverty line, my mom still struggled with being a single parent working on commission. There would be times right after she sold a house that we would have a lot of money. However, there were also times where she had not sold a house in a long time, and without the support of a two parent income, we often struggled to maintain an illusion of a middle class lifestyle without the money to support it. It is impossible for my mom to fully financially support me through college, so I have to balance work and school in order to help support myself.
|