During the Civil Rights Movement Dr. Martin Luther King expressed
that, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded
by the oppressed”. To be accepted in society, one must battle many internal and
external conflicts. One’s liberty will not come easy or for free. This is true
in the short story A White Woman of Color, by Julia Alvarez and in the
article “For Many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face” by Sharon Lafraniere .
Alvarez portrayed her impression that her appearance did not amount to
society's expectation of women. In “For Many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh
Face” citizens of China endure self-hatred for not being the flawless version
of societies beauty. Oppression on an individual can cause them to
re-evaluate their stance. During this process, one either accepts themselves
for who they truly are, or they develop into society's depiction of themselves.
In A White Woman of Color, Alvarez shows that
society has biased view due to the complexion of their skin. Growing up in the
Dominican Republic, citizens depicted people with Caucasian features as
prosperous being’s. Whereas one with a dark complexion wasn’t even worthy
enough to live their life in harmony. As Alvarez recalled, “to protect
Dominican race purity, Trujillo ordered the overnight slaughter of thousands of
Haitians by his military.” (Alvarez). Alvarez lived under the rule of a leader
who was determined to relinquish any being with dark skin. Along with the
public, Alvarez’s family also saw one with caucasian features to be more
appealing. As Alvarez clarified, “I experienced racism within my own family-
though I didn’t think of it as racism. But there was definitely a hierarchy of
beauty, which was the main currency in our family of daughters” (Alvarez 1).
Considering these circumstances, one can say Alvarez felt outside of society's
norm. This perception only grew when her family settled in America, where she
was forced to attend a private school after being bullied at a public one for
possessing genes of color. As Alvarez explained, “Go back to where you came
from!’ they yelled at me and my sisters from the playground. When some of them
started throwing stones..” (Alvarez 3). With the help of studying literature,
Alvarez finally accepted her heritage and disregarded any opinions of the
world. To further overcome her sense of isolation, Alvarez found her published
pieces of literature become a success to Dominicans. Consequently, she
connected to them through motivational speeches. As Alvarez writes,
“Ironically, it was through my own stories and poems that I finally made
contact with Latino communities in this country” (Alvarez 3). In the
article “For Many Chinese, New Wealth and a Fresh Face” by Sharon Lafraniere, citizens
of China endure animosity for lacking features such as wide eyes, a strong jaw
structure and perfect nose. To avoid societies disdain, people look to plastic
surgery. As Lafraniere states, “No official figures exist, but the
International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimated in 2009 that China
ranked 3rd (behind the United States and Brazil) with more than two million
operations annually. The number of operations is doubling every year, Mr. Ma
said at a conference organized by the Health Ministry in November” (Lafraniere
1). It has become such a common way to fight society's oppression on beauty.
Likewise, receiving money for plastic surgery as a graduation gift has become a
familiar present in China. As Lafraniere pointed out, “The youthful patients include job
applicants hoping to enhance their prospects in the workforce, teenagers who
received cosmetic surgery as a high
school graduation present and even middle school students, most of whom want
eye jobs, surgeons say” (Lafraniere 1).
People consider going under surgery so they appear more applicable for a job.
As a result, plastic surgery is no longer a taboo and is accepted by the
country as a normal procedure that will help one become successful in life.
Ultimately, Alvarez and the citizens
of China received a great deal of animosity in their life for their flaws. To
overcome contempt from society, Alvarez studied readings and began to accept
her heritage. Furthermore, her works of literature helped bring her together
with Dominicans. In China, people battled societies labels on beauty by
undergoing plastic surgery and transforming this taboo into a common procedure.
As a result, people use their procedures to help get them jobs and become a
success in life. Alvarez opposed society’s perspective on her by accepting her Hispanic
ancestry. Individuals in china conquered their imperfections by conducting
plastic surgery and therefore becoming more ordinary to the public.
Works
Cited:
LaFRANIERE,
S. (2011, Apr 24). For many Chinese, new wealth and a fresh face. New York
Times Retrieved from https://hs1.farmingdale.edu:2153/docview/863063900?accountid=8066
Alvarez,
Julia. A White Woman of Color. Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004.
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