Lorde’s oppression

September 6, 2013 by zamc35 Leave a comment

Lorde states “There is no hierarchy of oppressions” and she believes that all oppressions are intertwined in some form or fashion and that no oppression is worse than another.  I am a white female, overweight, heterosexual, lower-income and of Christian background.  I believe that everyone is oppressed in some form or fashion.  Being overweight (sizism) is one way in which I am oppressed.  While shopping it is hard to find clothing for a “larger” female.  Typically stores do not carry above a large.  To me this means that the retail industry believes that women should not be bigger than what they consider a large size.  Being a “larger” white female, which relates back to Lorde’s idea of the interconnecting oppression, is unaccepted within the female culture.  In the culture, females are supposed to be dainty and petite to be considered the norm.  So I am oppressed within the oppressed female group.  Because of this I have come up with the concept, that if society devalues having a “mythical norm” of what a person should be then there will be no “mold” for people to have to strive to fill.  So break the “mold of the mythical norm” and no one is oppressed.  It would take a considerable amount of time to undo the ideas of the perfect person.  This helps me to battle discrimination because I have broken the mold in my head.  I am a person who sees only the person.