Fundamentals

Research
((or, back to the drawing board))
I was asked to participate in a thesis project conducted by two female friends of mine. They are Women & Gender Studies majors and this is the final course in their curriculum before graduation… They are attempting to address multiple arenas within identity formation/construction including (but not limited to) linguistics, community, creativity, media, politics.

I won’t disclose all information as they may publish their research in the future. But for now here are a few excerpts from interview questions. All answers are my INDEPENDENT personal responses…. I’ve edited a bit to avoid plagiarizing their work. If you’re interested in the project they are conducting feel free to email me or comment as they are interested in all feedback. You may have relevant input. =)

• For the following categories, you may use any words to describe your identification or relation to each identity category as you see fit (this includes preferring not to answer). You may also provide a brief explanation of why you choose that/those word(s).
  • Race/ethnicity: member of the genus: homo. member of the species: sapiens
  • Gender: woman
  • Sex: woman
  • Nationality: american (no caps purposefully due to white-mainstream english)
  • Sexual orientation: attracted to empowered & mindful men.
  • Ability status: competent in many fields. inept in others.
  • Education: obtained a writing degree from an institution of education that certified my abilities with credentials they implemented.
  • Class: privileged (had a house, pets, land, food, spending money, mentors, leisure time)
  • Employment: educator, citizen, person, friend, sister, daughter.
  • Religious/spiritual affiliation: sunshine, water, growth, change
  • Political affiliation: freedom. (i want the government to control the things that will stop me from being free. i also want the government to uphold high expectations of me and not limit my individual freedoms. there should not be doubt that with knowledge i can execute freedoms properly and thus have earned them.)
• Do you feel the media represents your identities in a positive way?No. I think unrealistic expectations are in place for human beings. Those that power mass media are not mindful in their presentation of ideas.
• Given the cultural view of your identities, how do you relate to your physical body? In other words, do you have a positive or negative relationship to your body?I love the body my parents made me. It has its qualms but it is what I have been given and functions well if I treat it properly.
• Describe a situation or moment, in which you felt negative emotions because of your identity (identities):I’ve felt degraded many times due to being a woman. Men have not respected me consistently. Many find interest in me due to my body, not brain.
• If you only had one word to describe your experiences with your social environment, what word would you choose and why?Educational. I have absorbed & learned a lot.
• Imagine that you are on the world stage and you’re holding the microphone. This is your chance to say everything you’ve experienced thus far in your life. What do you say? What would you want the world to know about your experiences? What advice would you give to improve the world?sit back. relax. smile. be mindful. be empowered. convey respect in all actions.
• Imagine you have a blank canvas and you’re asked to create an image that represents you, your experiences, and your relations to your body, your media, your community, and the world at large. What would the image look like? In other words, what colors, symbols, and pictures would you use and why? it’d be a big sketch of the diversity of nature. flowers because they start as seeds then become free art. butterflies because they are caterpillars & live in cocoons before flying. rainbows because they come after rain. waves because they rise. sunshine because it’s consistent. the moon because it’s only seen in darkness.