Blog Post #6

Rasquache is a style that becomes a habit through lived experiences. This concept was recognized by Tomas Ybarra-Frausto who viewed it as working class Mexican communities making do with what is at hand and called it “an underdog perspective, a view from los de abajo” (Gonzalez 86). While rasquache has been traditionally for males, the term Domesticana is a version that focuses on rasquache’s female counterpart in which domestic spaces are decorated very well but with ordinary household items, such as making ofrendas, altars and any resources at hand. Essentially, rasquache and Domesticana are focused on being resourceful and making the best from what you have at hand.

Although I have never heard of this term before, I believe that rasquachismo sensibility and Domesticana styles have been crucial for my family and I. I grew up very poor with many sisters and so we often had to get crafty if we wanted to maintain appearances and fit in at school. Throughout my childhood, whenever clothes, shoes, or backpacks would rip and tear, my mother would quickly sow and patch it back together. She did this because of the scarce financial resources we lacked to just buy new clothes, shoes or backpacks. My sisters and I would have fun with passing down these items. When my oldest sister graduated middle school, her graduation present would be a brand new backpack or shoes, and her old backpack or pair of shoes would fall to either the next in line or whoeverecould fit her size. We used to have much fun with doing this and we never really realized how broke we were because we made a gam out of it. It was only until I reached highschool where I realized that this was uncommon among my peers and actually frowned upon. I still vivdly remember the surprise I felt when one of the strings on my backpack tore in class and people wondered by I still wore the same backpack the next day.

As for Domesticana style, I do not think this was present in my family until I reached middle school and developed a sense of style. It was around this time where I began making trips in richer neighborhoods with my dad looking for really good thrown out furniture.

When I think of rasquache, I think of being resourceful and making do with what you have to get the best result you want.