Ingrid Illustrated

  After looking at sample essays in class, I realized that my essay wasn’t about true adversity. I wrote about personal experiences, and frankly, I have not gone through real adversity in my life so far. Ironic isn’t it, that I am so privileged I don’t even know what true adversity is.  There are 6 types of adversity and to better educate myself, I have done some research on each: Physical adversity- Having a disability, being blind or deaf, having chronic pain, anything physical that makes it harder for one to have a normal life. Ex: a professional athlete may face adversity after a career-ending injury Mental adversity- Mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. Ex: a teen girl who is going through an eating disorder such as bulimia Emotional adversity- Emotional immaturity which inhibits a productive state of mind and the ability to face difficulties in life, having emotions that consume you. Ex: not having a sense of self-worth which leads to rage and sadness...

  What is normal? In “Body Ritual Among the Nacerima”, anthropologist Horace Miner talks ironically about how Americans are quick to judge and condemn the customs of other cultures, especially Native American ones. In reality, Americans disrespect many more cultures of Asians, African-Americans, Hispanics, and beyond. Hawaiians are belittled for eating raw fish when the process to harvest it is much more clean and humane than eating steaks. Asians are made fun of for speaking their elegant native languages in public. African-American culture is seen as “ghetto” and even “dangerous” rather than beautiful. But American culture is heavily influenced by all of these things we see as “strange”. How would we feel if eating burgers was seen as “disgusting”? Or if wearing jeans was known as “trashy”? Or even if speaking English in public was deemed “embarrassing”? Americans are so quick to judge because we only know the customs of our own culture as the norm. So what would happen if the ro...

  I love my name. Well… maybe not love, but I do like it a lot more than I used to. Instead of being embarrassed about having to correct a substitute teacher every time they pronounced it wrong, or spelling out “I-N-G-R-I-D” every time I am asked my name for an order, or simply being ashamed of it, I now embrace it. I no longer get actually angry when someone calls me “ANgrid”, even after knowing me for many years. And yes, I know that “Ingrid” isn’t the hardest-to-pronounce, most exotic name out there, but you’d be surprised how many people have messed it up. The truth is, I hated my name growing up. It made me stand out in a room full of “Anna’s” and “Emma’s”. I didn’t like to stand out all the time. That’s still true now, even though I have grown to like the uniqueness my name places on me even before someone gets to know my personality. There was also the, “Ingrid’s a grandma name” and “The only other Ingrid I know is a grandma”. Kids used to be relentless, insisting my name w...

  Polite speech is something that we are all taught growing up, but is it really necessary? A simple “May I use the restroom?” or “Could you please pass the salt?” may seem unnecessary and redundant at times, but it can usually get you further than you’d think. For instance, in a classroom, being polite can even raise your GPA. If you are at an 89.4% in the class, instead of demanding “Round up my grade!” politely asking your teacher, “Is there any way you could round up my grade or give me an extra credit opportunity?” could bump your grade up a whole letter. Another example of when polite speech is crucial is in a courtroom. I have seen a video of the defendant constantly making aggressive comments toward the judge like, “What are you looking at?” which actually resulted in the judge giving them a longer sentence than originally planned. However, I have also seen videos where the defendant is very polite, addressing the judge as “Your honor” and “Ma’am” or “Sir” and clearly expla...

  I want a husband who will take care of me. A husband with movie-star looks and a great sense of humor. I want a husband who takes me out to date-night every Friday and constantly sweeps me off my feet. A husband who doesn’t stare at other beautiful women on the street and is loyal to me. I want a breadwinner, a go-getter. I want a husband who makes at least 6 figures, so my family will be taken care of. This way we can buy a house big enough to fit me, my baggage, and my closet! I want a husband with a steady job, but one who doesn’t travel too much and makes time for me and the kids. I want him to be a great father, of course, to make up for the times I am not always a great mother. I want someone who will discipline the kids, but also have fun with them. Someone who takes them to the park and pushes them on the swings. A father who will give his daughter his ice-cream cone when she drops hers. I want someone who is loving and affectionate, but also knows when to leave me alone....

  In Hollywood, women are 9 times out of 10 designed to play housewives, maids, mistresses, party girls, waitresses, and all other kinds of side characters. One of my favorite movies that breaks gender stereotypes is Hidden Figures . It is an inspiring story of three, brave, African-American women working at NASA. Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn worked as “human computers” for NASA, which was at the time not only male dominated, but also very segregated. Ever since she was a little girl, Katherine was out-smarting all the older boys and girls in her class, even after skipping grades. This alone breaks gender stereotypes, since in most movies, and in real life, boys are seen as smarter than girls. Also, Katherine’s favorite subject to excel at was math, when girls in STEM were almost unheard of.  The three women continue to break gender barriers as they enter their careers at NASA. Katherine is robbed of all her hard work when lead engineer Paul Stafford tak...

I completely agree with Deborah Tannen’s idea that women are always judged by their appearance and choices. A powerful quote she says is: “Gender markers pick up extra meaning that reflect common associations with the female gender: not quite serious, often sexual” (Tannen 553).  A prime example of this and the first thing that popped into my head when I read this was in Legally Blonde, when Warner told Elle he needed to break up with her because he needed someone “more serious”. By that he basically meant someone less blonde, less girly, and less attractive. Elle was heartbroken and wanted to follow him to law school. But when she told her friends and family her plan, they said the same things Warner did. That she was “too pretty” for law school or that she wasn’t smart enough. Just because Elle was the stereotypical blond hair, blue-eyed sorority girl, the people around her assumed she was less intelligent and took her a lot less seriously. So how come Warner wasn’t laughed at or...