Othering

This picture, We are the Other (2012-2013), was taken by Wing Young Huie in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was unable to find the specific name of this particular photo, however, I was able to find detailed information on a very similar picture...

The photo to the left features the same man as the one I have chosen to write this blog about. Both pictures are from Wing Young Huie's "We are the Other collection," captured in 2012. On his blog he gives a background on Hai, the man in the photo, along with what is occurring in this particular image.




At first glance of the linked photo, viewers are able to clearly see:

• an elderly Asian man playing the guitar while in a suit and tie (the focus and center of the photograph)
• the vibrant colors and style of the guitar due to its red and flashy style. It sticks out against the white background and looks like a new instrument out of the 70's rock era.

Viewers then move their focus to the items contained in the background:

• Pictures of people with various different hairstyles hung up on the mirrors. These pictures pop at the viewer because they seem to be out of place compared to the focus of the photo.
• The two mirrors that cover majority of the wall. These mirrors allow viewers to notice the whiteness of the room. From the ceiling to the curtains, the space is primarily white and looks sterile.
• The bright blue water jug, along with plastic cups on top of it.
• The green hanging plant in the top right corner.
• The pops of color from the magazines on top of the brown dresser.
• The metal, head-shaped, and transparent machine. Looks like one of those machines often seen in barber shops.
• The hair cutting tools and products placed on top of the white cabinet in the left of the picture.

As viewers delve deeper into the photograph, more emotion is revealed. Viewers begin to piece together the photograph and try to define what might be occurring in the image. A few connotative examinations derived from the image include:

• the man has several fingers pressed down and is strumming the strings of his guitar, however, he appears to be focused on something else. His face looks concerned, and overall, blank.
•  The hairstyle models, for the most part, appear to be looking in many various directions. This gives the image an ominous and unidentifiable vibe.
• The sterile, blankness, and whiteness of the setting allow viewers to have an imaginative mind when it comes to deciding what the seemingly out-of-place Asian rock guitarist is doing in a barber shop.

The term "othering" refers to the process of portraying someone or something as different. Wing Young Huie along with Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid's Tale, both do this in their respective works.The process by which the two show othering is the same. In the particular photograph I wrote about earlier, Huie shows the Asian guitarist as "other" through the lack of use of stereotypes. Atwood shows one of her main characters, Moira, as different through the same way.

       Wing Young Huie-Asian Guitarist                                           Margaret Atwood-Moira

-Stereotypical elderly Asians do not play                               -At the women's center, women were  

flashy rock n' roll guitars. Instead, a                                        taught the ideals of Gilead. All other

stereotype of elderly Asians is playing                                    women at the center followed along with

a simplistic wind instrument reflecting                                    what they were taught, except for Moira.

their culture.                                                                          She did not fall under the stereotypical

-The photos of hairstyles hung on the                                      woman at this time.

mirrors do not reflect the stereotypes                                     -Instead of becoming a handmaid, like

surrounding the looks of typical Asians.                                 the stereotypical woman in Gilead,

-The man's suit and tie is not a                                              Moira winds up becoming a prostitute at 

stereotypical outfit for a barber shop.                                      Jezebel's.

                                                                                             -Moira was the only character in The 

                                                                                              Handmaid's Tale that was lesbian, again,

                                                                                              not fitting in with the stereotype.

By displaying the differences in looks and actions of stereotypical Asians versus the actual look and actions of the guitarist in Wing Young Huie's photo, he is successfully "othering" this man. This is because the man does not fall under the stereotypes, which portrays him as different. Likewise, Moira in The Handmaid's Tale did not follow along with the stereotypical actions of most characters in the book. Atwood is successfully "othering" Moira in this sense. The two works are very similar with the process of "othering."