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| bedroom decor using pine cones (domesticana) & using empty peanut butter or pasta sauce jars for decor, as a paintbrush holder, or water container for painting (rasquachismo) |
Rasquachismo is making do with what is at hand. As Tomas Ybarra Frausto puts it, "Rasquachismo is a sensibility [of the downtrodden] that is not elevated and serious but playful and elemental," which has become distinctly associated with the Chicanx community (p. 89). The way in which I have come to incorporate rasquachismo in my life has been through the utilization of empty peanut butter or pasta jars as containers to hold: decorations, paintbrushes, water for painting, and pencils/pens. Rather than purchasing over-priced jars or containers to hold things, I prefer to reuse jars I have. I LOVE peanut butter so I have come to collect many jars. This has become something fun and convenient for me to do. I also think is good for the environment and my wallet.
Domesticana, as described by Frausto, is "A defiance of an imposed Anglo-American cultural identity and the defiance of restrictive gender identity within Chicano culture have inspired a female rasquachismo," which allows for women to be both creative and have some control in the household (p. 94). This is how I interpret domesticana to have begun as and now I believe it has evolved to display Chicanxs' eclectic styles as they create unique ways of beautifying their homes and personal spaces. I have come to embody domesticana in my life by utilizing pine cones as decor that I collect from a park in my neighborhood. Whenever I take my little sister and nephew to the park, I search for pine cones that are odd-looking and distinctive and steal dog poopy-bags from the park to be able to take them home. I particularly search for pine cones that are still attached to branches so I can use them as flowers to decorate my room. I definitely think this is a better and free alternative to purchasing flowers every week. I make use of all the pine cones I get by spreading them out throughout my bedroom.
Hello! I enjoyed reading your post and I liked how you described how you yourself embody domesticana and your unique way you bring beauty into your home. The pinecones are beautiful and they do exemplify the resourcefulness and creativity you possess. To make things, that some might see as not valuable or beautiful, and in turn yourself rejecting those ideas and making them special and finding the beauty in them is really powerful. I think it is especially important that you talked about your memories in gathering the pinecones and perhaps when you see the pinecones they are also reminders of your time spent with your family, the time you spent at the parks with you sister and nephew.
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