Intersectionality Map
1.culture:
( source: http://www.pamper.my/news/lifestyle/festivals/5-healthy-eating-tips-lunar-new-year/ ) ( the second pic is taken by myself)
I come from China and have been studied in the USA for about 5 years so far. One of the biggest cultural differences I have noticed is food. People from either China or America shares almost zero similarity in food culture. For instance, most chinese food are made with lots of oil and seasoner because we like cooking in the way that is based on fry or decoct. Unlike some food in USA that do not need lots of oil or seasoners, cook’s garments will have strong smell ( in a good way) from food and even the whole kitchen will have the smell long time after cooking the food. Therefore, when chinese people cook food, they usually do not wear delicate garments or something that will get dirty or absorb smell from the food. For myself, I would have an outfit that is specially prepared for cooking and not wearing the outfits that I wear outside.
2. Ethnicity:
( source: https://diversityq.com/diversity-and-inclusion-is-more-than-just-ethnicity-and-gender-1002745/)
As Kaiser said, ” The concept of ethnicity refers to the place or space from which people articulate their identities and communities …. It is a process of belonging-in-difference.” (p 88)
As an international student, I have become a combination of both cultures — China and USA. Although I am a Chinese who is born and raised in China, my own personality and identity has changed since the time I study in the USA. When I am in USA, I keep part of Chinese identities, but when I am in China, I keep some habits which are gained from the experience when I am in the USA. It has been an ongoing process, specially for my dressing habit, my dressing style is not just based on who I am ( as a chinese ) but who I want to be ( individual person) .
3. Gender/sexuality:
( source: https://www.mercatornet.com/mobile/view/an-evolutionary-biologist-dissects-gender-theory/21707)
Before I study at Parsons, I thought only female could wear dresses and do makeup or manicure and men should not. However, everything seems not working in the same way based on what I have seen in the school. Boys can wear whatever they want, including pink bubble skirt and combine with a transparent tight on the top. Or they can do makeup all over the face. No one would make judgment on their outfits because the freedom of dressing up within the atmosphere has become an important part of school’s culture. As Kaiser said, ” Gender is not just who we are; it is what we do or perform as we participate in an embodied way with cultural discourses.” (p 123) The way how people get dressed up is not jus limited to one’s gender anymore but has been extended to broader range — people can wear whatever they like in order to become themselves but not just follow what other people expect they wear or not wear.
4. Class:
( source: https://www.alamy.com/kolkata-india-03rd-jan-2019-poor-and-rich-people-take-lunch-at-the-street-of-kolkata-during-a-campaign-join-the-fight-against-hunger-credit-saikat-paulpacific-pressalamy-live-news-image230248318.html)
As Kaiser mentioned in the book, ” Class is a tricky and unstable subject position: it is always in relation to the subject positions of others.” (p 98) In Chinese culture, there is a saying “人靠衣装”, which means people are relying on the outfits that they wear in order to tell others who they at the first sight. It is quite interesting that no matter what culture, people are tend to “judge a book by its cover” and have an idea what class does that person belong to. Dressing habits can really crucial for forming our personal appearance to others. For instance, if I see someone is wearing a coat which has not been washed for long time and has lots of dirt or wrinkle on it, I would consider that person is from low class. However, if I see someone is wearing a fit suit with matching color, I would consider that person is from middle upper class.
5. Place:
(source: the photo is taken by myself, where I come from)
The place where I come from is Shenzhen, China. It is a place that has becoming one of the top globalization cities all over the world. In other words, it now is like another Beijing or Shanghai. Because of its advance in development, compared to other cities in China, people live Shenzhen also dress up a little bit differently a way. We tend to dress up more formally that fits into the level of globalization style — we would buy brands from other countries such as Zara etc.
6. Nationality:
( source both: both pics are from my own. The Chinese on the first pic means “The king is here.” The second pic is me. )
As Kaiser mentioned in her book about Chinese cultural revolution ( p 69-71), it is not hard to know that the conservative way of how Chinese people dress up has been rooted in our culture, which is deeply influence by our nationality. In my country, it is more important to dress up properly instead of showing one’s “personal statement” as a special identity. Of course Chinese people in nowadays do not dress up as conservative and identical as before, however, the society still holds a belief that if someone is dressing up out of “boundary”, like a man is wearing skirt or do nails etc, then most people will consider he as a weirdo or psycho.
Bibliography
Kaiser, Susan B. Fashion and Cultural Studies. London; New York: Bloomsbury, 2012.
