Ingrid Illustrated

  One major theme I have noticed in The Picture of Dorian Gray is fetishization. This means a sexual fascination with things that aren’t inherently sexual like sexuality, body type, gender, or race. Fetishization almost reduces people and dehumanizes them to a point where no love can exist.  One obvious example of this is Dorian’s fascination with Sibyl. He describes her like a child. Her pale skin, and small body and head is very childlike and he is obsessed with it. Her innocence is fascinating to him. Furthermore, her career draws him in. He loves the idea of her, the many roles she takes on each night. He never truly loves her for Sibyl, only the fantasy of her performances.  Another prime example is Lord Henry’s obsession with Dorian. He is extremely interested in his beautiful looks, but if those looks one day faded or were nonexistent to begin with, all his interest would be gone. He could also fetishize his sexuality. It is clear that Dorian and Basil already had...

  First and foremost, I would like to thank my family. Thank you mom and dad for listening to me complain about English class (just kidding) and brag about my essay grades (not kidding). Also, thanks to my older brother Frank for staying awake with me on even the latest nights and the earliest mornings. Your ability to never sleep has kept my GPA alive!  Next, I would like to thank a few of my 2nd hour Valentino friends. Julia, Charlotte, and Hailey, you have all brightened my 2nd hour. No matter if it’s shooting looks at each other from across the room or making funny comments under our breaths, you have all made this class even more enjoyable!  I would also like to thank these blog posts. They have motivated me to actually do some thinking on weekends (even if it is usually Sunday morning). I truly believe I have become a better writer by just jotting down some of my thoughts each week. The consistency of my writing has improved tremendously as well as my style and orga...

  My first ever dance. The beloved daddy daughter dance. I vividly recall getting my hair and nails done for the first time ever and feeling like a real life princess. As my thin, short hair was whipped into elegant curls and my small, stubby nails were painted pink with purple polka-dots (per my request), the fantasy started to come to life. I remember picking out a certain dress for the special occasion, from the many in my closet, and of course, it had to be pink. My outfit was completed with a cute, cream cardigan my mom picked out, and a matching pink wand was the cherry on top. And just like that, a princess was ready for her first ball. This was such a special moment for me. It was the first time I had ever gotten all dolled up and believed I could be just as beautiful and brave as a princess from one of the many fairytales I loved. I also believe this single preschool dance was what first sparked my love of dance to date. A few years after this picture was taken, I requeste...

  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...