2020Ponce-RojasAlejandra

Again, taken back by the originality and non-settler explanation of physical and aesthetics that are caused by socio-economic conditions. Rasquachismo, as explained by the author, Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, is not something we label ourselves with, but is imposed and labeled onto poor brown bodies who live a certain lifestyle a certain way, which is seen as impoverished and noncivil by those possessing privilege of some sort. Many of the rasquache practices that the author noted were many practices and attitudes that I grew up around within my community. But they were seen as dirty and very traditional, not totally assimilated to the clean and civilized ways of America. However, in this reading, my analyzed sentiments are reflected when rasquachismo is defined as an attitude rooted in resourcefulness, adaptability, and mindfulness of style and stance. I thought this was really beautiful because it can be seen and understood coming from an understanding and nonjudgemental attitude. It is innovation to make do with what we had on hand, from school projects to home appliances to dinners made from scraps, because that was all we could afford. It's also an aesthetic, because of the practice of recycling fabrics to make new clothing or simply passing down items to younger siblings and utilizing old plastic containers and broken plates to make outside home decor.

Domesticana, as I understood from the readings, is a feminine focused version of rasquachismo. In the sense of acclamation and reaffirmation. Chicana artist uses the rasquache stance to stand against the domestic obligation the movimiento and the culture imposed on fem bodies. They were gonna take that narrative and ascribe themselves with a reimagined version of gender roles that were defined by the patriarchy within their society and culture. However, I am still confused about the definition of kitsch and its role in defining domesticana.