I have never heard the term Rasquachismo before, so the concept sounded very new to me. But actually, I have been living it since I was born. As Tomas Ybarra-Frausto describes it, it is not a style but more of an attitude or a lifestyle. Rasquachismo refers to the lifestyle of lower- class Chicano communities and immigrant families that cannot afford new things often and have to find new ways of surviving. It is seen as a view “from los de abajo”, from those in poor states and have to make the most out of anything.
So after finding out more about Rasquachismo and what it means to many other families, I have found ways my own family have practiced it and made the most out of what we have. When I was younger, I remember a visual memory of myself sitting on the ground after a long day of grocery shopping with my mom. She gave me the assignment of putting all of the plastic bags into one larger one. I asked her why we always do this, and it was to save on bags for shopping trips. There were so many other examples I can think of as I reflect on my life at home such as:
Using random jars as piggy banks
Saving up every penny and nickel
Having my Dad’s friends donate their food cans
Being given old clothes so we can sell them or wash them
Me using old food cans as a pen holder
Painting old cardboard sheets to practice my portrait painting
Today, I still practice Rasquachismo even when I am away from home and live alone. I keep my own large bag of smaller plastic bags as well as keep a bin of smushed up plastic bottles to take back to my mom to recycle. We have lived this way since I can remember, and it has given us a grateful sense of survival. My family is always grateful for what we can get and do with it.
In the world of art, this sense of rescuing and recycle can be used by many artists as they use “junk” to turn into art and sculptures. A lot of people in high class societies see this as dirty and poor but that is because they have never been in our situations.
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