Ali

How old are you, and where are you from?

23. Wellesley, MA.

How would you identify your gender?

Feminine, female, woman.

How did find out about the project and why did you want to be involved?

I wanted to be involved because I think it is important to teach people and yourself that gender and sexuality (or sexual organs) are not the same thing.

What presentation made you feel least like yourself? Why?

The one when I was wearing the button up shirt. I can’t tell if it was because it was wicked uncomfortable or something else. I felt like my neck was going to bust out of my shirt. I also felt like I didn’t know how to present or posture like a man so I was like, “What am I doing?”

Was there a gender identity/presentation that you wanted to try but hadn’t before this project but didn’t have the chance to do until this project?

Honestly, no because I haven’t been very thoughtful about gender. I have always dressed the way I dress and its not particularly feminine or masculine.

What words do you feel represent your identity?

White. Upper-middle class. Educated. Feminine. Woman. What else? Sister. New-Englander. East coast.

What do you feel is the most salient aspect of your identity (the part that shows the most on the outside despite the clothes you are wearing)? How do you feel that this part of your identity was presented/represented and/or misrepresented in this project?

Of course race and the fact that I’m white. How was the fact that I am white represented in this? I have no idea the answer to that question. I don’t feel there is any consistent stereotypical white stuff that I wore because I am white. “I am expected to dress a certain way though, partially because I’m white, but mostly because of how what I wear reflects my family’s values and my background. There were something things I wore today that definitely don’t fit neatly into that—like the camo hat. That represents rural America, which is not where I’m from. I guess the way you dress is completely affected by your socioeconomic class (and a million other factors). Never quite thought about it like that.

What do you feel is the aspect of your identity that you think about the most? How do you feel that this part of your identity was presented/represented/misrepresented in this project?

It depends on where I am. The part I think about most now is my whiteness because I work in communities of color so I am hyper-aware of the fact that I am white. In the past it has not been that. I guess the way you dress is completely affected by your socioeconomic class (and a million other factors). Never quite thought about it like that. I am hyper-aware of how expensive my clothes look when I go into a school because I work in communities that don’t have a ton of money. Also, as a woman, I am always aware of when I am dressing because I don’t want to put myself in danger.