Wilson-Yangs Small Beauty Analysis - 1266 Words

Introduction Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang is about the experiences of Mei, a mixed-race trans woman, who moves from the city to rural modern-day Canada as she deals with past and present trauma. The text is an exploration of personal identity and how one connects with the place they live. Colonization still impacts how people shape their identity today; in Wilson-Yang’s Small Beauty the lasting impacts of colonialization shape how Mei views aspects of her identity through the novel including gender identity and race. First, this essay will set the definitions that set the foundation, second it will explore colonization in relation to Mei’s gender identity, third it will examine the impact of colonialization on Mei’s racial†¦show more content†¦Mei, while drunk ranting to Connie, says â€Å"Blue and Pink! Boys and girls†¦ like the only thing that you can be is a boy or a girl which is a totally white idea.† (Wilson- Yang, 126). Mei is referencing h ow the transgender flag helps perpetrate the binary system of gender, and Wilson-Yang in writing this scene seems to be referencing how during the process of colonization the gender binary was forced upon other groups who may have had a different belief on gender. Many academics now understand gender is a social construct and colonization enforced the binary system of gender. (Schiwy, 271-274). One can infer Mei is against the binary conceptualization of gender due to how she reacts to the trans pride flag. Also, one can assume that the way Mei grew up would have impacted how she identifies. Being a trans woman is a label that would have been indirectly forced upon her due to the societal norms in the Canada in which she grew up. It can then be applied in a broader context and not just to Mei’s experience in Small Beauty, gender is a complex idea, and many people are starting to understand that the current system in place simplifies gender too much and there are more ways to identify that are just as valid as male and female. The gender binary is not the only aspect of the lasting impact of colonization that affects an individual’s personal identity