Power and Privilege
Power and Privilege
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“Identity is a complex combination of our biology, personality, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds. Our identities are what makes us uniquely us. Identity also involves our sense of who we are and how we fit into larger society” (Vaccara et al., 2012, p. 25).
Note. Source: (IMDb, 2018).
Note. Source: (IMDb, 2018).
In watching and analyzing the film Girl, we were able to see how interrelated elements of power and privilege both positively and negatively impact Lara’s identity and lived experiences. Like us all, Lara belongs to multiple social identity groups, and these identities , as Hulko (TRU, n.d.) explained, are inseparably intertwined to form the basis of us as wholistic beings.
According to Sheild (2008, as cited in Museus & Griffin, 2011), “Intersectionality…can be defined as the process through which multiple social identities converge and ultimately shape individual and group experiences” (p. 8). Moreover, the “convergence of one’s multiple marginalized and privileged identities is an interaction that creates a unique experience, distinctive from those whom they may share some identities but not others” (Choo & Ferree, 2010; Crenshaw, 1991, as cited in Museus & Griffin, 2011, p. 8).
"We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are"
(Women in Canada, 2017, 0:02).
Note. Source: (IMDb, 2018).
Lara belongs to both privileged and marginalized social identity groups. From a privilege viewpoint, she is white and living in Belgium—considered a wealthy and socially progressive country. We feel that the change in her gender identity does not affect her privilege status because her gender does not affect having access to high quality education—a stark contrast to the denied access to education of many women in other parts of the world (Ukpokodu, 2010). Her social location further grants Lara access to female hormone treatment, gender confirmation surgery, and ongoing psychological services.
Even though her whiteness is not depicted in the film as a source of privilege, there are no people of color present in any of the scenes. It is also worthy to note that Belgium has been under scrutiny in the past few years for living in a bubble of diversity denial (Heath, 2017). Gorski (2011) emphasized that “schools, as the common refrain goes, are only microcosms of the larger society” (p. 8) and it is possible that the lack of students of color in the dance academy that Lara attends, is a manifestation of white privilege present in the larger society.
For us, the two main social identities of Lara that marginalize her, are being transgender and living in a single-parent household. Lara's experience navigating a non-conforming gender identity is discussed in length in our Reflections on Issues: Gender Identity section of this blog. In the film, Lara dispersedly moves between the majority heteronormative in-group and the marginalized transgender out-group as the girls in her social circle alternate between accepting her fully and pointing out that she is different from them.
Appiah (2006) claimed that members of outcast groups strongly make that group part of their identity as a form of healing. Lara, in this case, does not move towards a stronger identification as being transgender, but more strongly towards being female in all sense. Her expression of identity creation and attachment resonates with Dahmoon's (2011) statement that “not only is a singular dimension of identity interpretable in many ways, but there is also no ideal or authentic way of living an identity” (p. 223).
In society, coming from a single-parent or same-sex parents family is still heavily stigmatized in some areas of the world. Lara's social location in Belgium probably mitigates this reality for her, but she still lacks the presence of a woman figure in her life that can assist her with purchasing underwear, for example. Fortunately for her, her father fully embraces his responsibility to fulfill all parental obligations. He is attentive and supportive and demonstrates a genuine desire to understand what Lara is going through. Although Lara's household situation is healthy, we are aware that this will not be the case for every person in a similar situation, regardless of their social location.
Note. Source: (IMDb, 2018).
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