Pattsi Valdez: An Example Of Intersectional Resistance

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A great example that portrays intersectional resistance would be the actions Pattsi Valdez took to resist the cultural norms and way of living while growing in a Chicanx community. As a Latina woman, she was bound to face discrimination because of her ethnic background and gender. Her actions defied the standard styles of art and fashion as well as the female role. In Marci R. Machon’s essay “Self-Fashioning through Glamour and Punk in East Los Angeles”, she states, “Many Chicano-movement murals represented women as passive wives…” (292). However, when Pattsi Valdez was photographed in the Instant Mural, McMahon explains that she was displaying “…an urban toughness that counters gender and sexual norms” (293). Through this image, Valdez was …show more content…

The art she created with ASCO was not a typical painting that would go into a museum’s collection. Chicanx art didn’t have much a meaning. Therefore, Valdez felt a bit discouraged to pursue a career in art. She knew art wouldn’t provide her with a decent lifestyle. Nonetheless, after working with ASCO, she saw a possibility for an art career. After getting her BFA from the Otis Art Institute, she went on to challenge the hegemonic ways of Hollywood film. This led to the creation of ASCO’s No Movies. No Movies was intended to critique the Hollywood industry. The author also mentions that ASCO’s No Movies “also deconstructed the Hollywood’s idealization of feminine beauty as white” (307). With the art piece LA Mode, Valdez also pointed the lack of Chicanx individuals in the Hollywood industry. Each of Valdez’s art pieces served as resistance towards the standard norms. She went against the normal gender and racial norms. Through her work she called out Hollywood’s segregation and urged for the display of Chicanx art in museums. Valdez is a true example of intersectional resistance because she doesn’t approach one type of oppression but rather several of them. In current day, Chicanos still face many oppressions, however we have acknowledged our rights and we are willing to fight for them just like past Chicanx individuals