I was born in Oakland, California, and currently live there but I grew up in Gresham, OR. The neighborhoods here in Oakland were unsafe. In Oregon it was a very nice place to grow up in. I would describe myself as shy, but once I get used to someone, I’m a different person. I hate seeing my family or friends upset, so I try to help. I choose to be quiet, funny, and artistic, and I am and will forever be tall, American, and have colored eyes.

First of all, Dominant Narratives are stories told by people with power, people who don’t understand what it’s really like. So to begin, the first image I used to show a dominant narrative, was actually a quote from Trump, a famous one. It shows what a rich, famous, white, male thinks of immigrants. The second image shows how women should cook for men, make them a sandwich. This is a joke for some people, but it’s true. It’s mostly encouraged by males. The third image is an ad from back then next to an ad from today, showing how females are still seen as the typical wife and mother that cleans and cooks for the family. These images, what they mean, and who they are encouraged by really hurt me. It’s sad that there is still ignorance in the world, and most are afraid to admit their ignorance. These images make me feel like I’m expected to find a husband to cook and clean for the rest of my life. It makes me a bit angry to see privileged people talking about something they will never understand.

Another kind of narrative, is the Counter Narratives, which are used to correct those Dominant Narratives. One of the counter narratives I chose against the Trump quote is an image of what I believe to be a Native American, telling us who the real immigrants are. Another narrative fights back against the female stereotype by sort of reminding us that these are our old ways of living. The last counter narrative image shows us that we should stop gender stereotypes, not just female stereotypes. One or two of the images made me happy because they were funny in a way.

In addition, some images I used were used to describe my chosen identity. One of the images I chose was a picture of my mom because she helped me become who I am today. I decorated the back of the box with black and white illustrations and words. Art is a big part of who I am and what I’m going to do. The illustrations were really good, the pictures were really cool and they made me feel happy, remembering the good times I had before.

In conclusion, people may see me as a plain girl that loves art, who cares about her family, and who, like everybody else, likes pizza. If people really knew me, would know that I am very kind and accepting, I am convincing and helpful, I’m not just some quiet girl that seems to not care about anything. Correcting others with more privilege and power is very important because those types of people have the power to control others, to convince them of something that isn’t true. I learned that you can’t always trust what someone says about what they think of others, it’s not true. I learned that you can’t just assume someone is a certain way because of their exterior. We all have to learn that we can’t be harshly stereotyped and put into categories. You shouldn’t stereotype and categorize others, and you shouldn’t let anyone else do it to you.