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How Does Race And Appearance Affect One's Identity?

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Identity, as a concept, is broad and difficult to define because of how personal it is. To me, identity is who you are, and how you see yourself as a person. Accordingly, some of the most important factors that contribute to one’s identity are your racial background and physical appearance. In society, these factors have a great influence on the understanding . The stories “Blonde” and “Passing” focus on how your race and appearance can affect your identity. “Blonde,” by Katherine Min shows how beauty standards can affect the way young girls see themselves. “Passing,” by Langston Hughes shows how people are judged in society by their color. Together, these texts convey the theme that society can affect one’s identity. The short story “Blonde” shows how your racial background and appearance can affect your identity by lowering your self esteem and the way you see yourself . Jean, a young mongolian girl, is dissatisfied with her physical characteristics because she believes the standard that only “blonde” is beautiful.The author begins by using a positive tone when talking about the color blonde, using diction to describe it as “Blonde: dark yellow, gaudy as margarine… the color of gold… luster of gold or platinum… like the sun,” (1) implying that being blonde is something that is positive. This quote shows that Jean looks up to the idea of being blonde. This relates to her identity, as she is negatively affected by this standard because she does not believe that she is

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