Cultural representations are a very important part of a person’s life because they attempt to render your racial identity formation. Racial Formation Theory is used to look at race as a socially constructed identity, where the content and importance of racial categories is determined by cultural representations and/or productions. I racially identify myself as a Pakistani. I am from a country called Pakistan and moved to the United States at the age of nine. I was very young when I moved here, but I still knew that my racial identity representation was of a Pakistani girl. Clothes, food, dramas, and holidays are all influential cultural representations that have rendered my racial identity formation.
Clothes are a big part of any culture, and especially a big part of my Pakistani culture. Both men and women in the Pakistani culture wear clothing that is called salwar-kameez. Any memory I have of my childhood I only remember my parents, aunts, and uncles wearing salwar-kameez. As a young child I also used to wear salwar-kameez around the house and also when I used to go out, but that has changed ever since I moved to the United States. The culture of the United States has influenced me a lot in positive ways but also negative. The culture here is very motivating and has lead me to the remarkable university I am at today. Though over the years I have slowly started to lose the cultural sense of clothing in me. It was hard for me to admit this, but I am embarrassed to wear salwar-kameez in public because I hate having people stare at me. When I moved here and wore salwar-kameez to public places, people would stare at me. Many times they would give me a weird “you don’t belong here look” because I would not always wear jeans and a t-shirt. I felt different, out of place, and that was not a good feeling. I though that conforming to the “American” way of dressing would also make me an American, but it doesn’t.
The Essay on Culture and Cultural Norms
Culture can be referred to as a people’s way of life. It can be used to refer to the way we live and all that goes along with our life. That means that for us to have a life we have to be affiliated to a certain culture or to belong to a certain culture. To be in a certain culture, one has to comply will the cultural values, norms and expectations. Cultural values can be used or rather the term ...
I didn’t want people pointing fingers at me and questioning my racial identity, so I started to never wear salwar-kameez and left my cultural identity behind. At the time I responded with shame and had no pride in my culture because I felt over powered by all the people that wore jeans. I used to think that just because I wore different clothes people would think differently of me and cast me out, but now I know that I was wrong. After taking this class I have realized that I can’t be embarrassed of who I am. Salwar-kameez is a part of my racial identity and I need to be proud of it instead of being embarrassed. By wearing salwar-kameez I am showing off the Pakistani culture in the United States and I have realized that people think it’s unique to have culture in you. I should be proud that I am able to represent Pakistani’s throughout the world in America by wearing salwar-kameez. Salwar-kameez represents the hundreds of years of Pakistani history and I have now learned to embody the Pakistani culture. This cultural representation is very unique to my identity formation because it is not popular among many people in the United States, though it has not been very influential in rendering my racial identity formation until recently.
Food however has made an enormous effect on my racial identity formation. I am a Pakistani girl who is all about the cultural and traditional food. Culinary arts in Pakistan is a big part of the culture because many women are housewives that like to cook daily. For women that cook daily, food becomes a part of their job and they become experts at cooking. Food has been formative to my identity formation because my family tends to bond over food and it is the one thing about my culture that I have actually always stayed true too. Over the years slowly I started to leave my cultural ties behind, but I made sure to always follow my religions regarding food. I am a Muslim and am not allowed to eat pork. When I was in Pakistan Muslims never had anything that came from a pig in their house so it was very easy to avoid eating pork. Though when I came to the United States I saw that pork was being sold everywhere and that it would have been very easy for me to sneak behind my parents back and eat pork. It would have been easy, but I knew I that I would not have been honest with my parents, my religion, or myself. The fact that I could not eat something that other people around me were; was aggravating.
The Essay on Eating Disorder People One Food
Teen nutrition in America has changed drastically since 1946. Some of the things that have caused this change are the initiation of a school lunch program, sedentary lifestyles, and changes in the type of food that people eat. This has resulted in obesity, type II diabetes at an earlier age, and eating disorders. The nation's school lunch program was issued in 1946. It opened in order for schools ...
Though I knew that my religion and culture were different than the people in the United States and I had to learn to adjust to the changes. Religion is a big part of mine and my family’s life and I knew that if I had started to conform to the “new ways,” I would lose my racial identity. When I used to feel mad that I wasn’t allowed to eat pork, I would get upset, but my mom taught me to never disrespect my religion. My mom cooks everyday and for her cooking is not a hassle, but something she likes to do for her family so that we don’t feel “left out” if we go out to eat and pork is the only thing available. The two most appealing things about this cultural representation are that my mom desires to cook us our favorite dinners and thus it brings my family closer together, and that I never disrespected my religion by eating pork even though I am around it everyday. Food is a cultural representation that many people among my generation are influenced by. When I reflect on my identity formation as a Pakistani, food is one cultural representation that has always rendered my racial identity formation.
Pakistani dramas are another cultural representations that render my racial identity formation as a Pakistani. The Pakistani dramas are very dramatic, though in many instances they can be relatable to every day life. Dramas have been formative to my identity formation because it is one activity that my mom and I like to do together. Ever since my family moved to the United States, our lives have become so hectic and busy. My parents are always working to keep up with the fast pace life in the Unites States so that they can build a nice home here for our family. When I was younger I did not understand why all of a sudden my parents were so busy. My sister and I often times were home alone; eating by ourselves and that made me very miserable. I knew that all the kids my age had their parents working late hours too, but I was not used to the new culture differences. With age though I have realized that they only want to build a good future for my sister and I and that is why dramas are one thing that my family and I always bond on. After my mom would come home from work we would all watch Pakistani dramas on TV. I have a very close relationship with my mother and while watching dramas we really got the chance to talk. Through Pakistani dramas I have realized to make time for family even in the fast pace life in the United States. In many dramas there is a lot of history incorporated in the story line, so I also enjoyed learning more about the Pakistani history. It is appealing to know that I know a lot of the history through Pakistani dramas, which shows me that this cultural representation reflects positively on my identity formation.
The Essay on Shaping Identity Family Person One
Shaping Identity Identity. What is identity? One will say that it is the distinct personality of an individual. Others will say that identity is the behavior of a person in response to their surrounding environment. At certain points of time, some people search for their identity in order to understand their existence in life. In regards, identity is shaped into an individual through the social ...
In the Pakistani culture we celebrate many cultural and religious holidays. Eid is a holiday that is a religious holiday similar to Christmas. Muslims celebrate Eid after fasting for an entire month. When I used to live in Pakistan, all the Muslims fasted, but when I moved to the United States fasting had now become odd. At school I was always asked and questioned about why I fasted? Was it hard? When do you eat? How long do I fast for? All these questions were now being asked, when before everyone knew because we all fasted together. I was culturally confused because at the young age of nine; having to answer people about why my religion required me to fast was difficult. In many instances people were ignorant and I started to feel out of place and mistreated at school. People questioned my culture and religion, but I knew that they had no right to question what I believed in. I was being questioned because I belonged to the “other” culture but I never let people over power me. Eid is one of the holidays that I celebrate that has rendered my racial identity positively and helped me become a stronger Pakistani.
The Essay on Immigration People Pakistani Pakistan
I am from Pakistan and I immigrated to the U. S about 5 years ago. I have noticed that Pakistan immigration is still going on till this day. People have heard how well people are doing in the U. S so they " ve applied for a visa and started immigrating. There are many unique contributions they " ve made and there are also a variety of reasons why they came. There was a war between Pakistan and ...
Racial identity formation is a difficult process to go through because in a different cultural environment it can get confusing and hectic. After being used to the Pakistani lifestyle; moving to the United States was a cultural shock, but I think I have done a decent job at maintaining my cultural side and not losing sight of who I am. In Chicano Studies lectures and discussion I have learned to never lose sight of the person you are or forget where you come from. If you forget where you come from, then there is no where to go. I am a cultural representation for Pakistanis’ and that is my racial identity.
