The Influence of Gender and Sexuality on Skim
Mariko Tamaki’s Skim discusses the life of a confused, adolescent woman who is aging through a time of pressure and influence. Skim, the comic's main character, works to express her sexuality and gender by breaking heteronormative binary norms. This affects the way in which the plot and its themes are communicated, as well as showing that the form and content present need to be one. The story’s climax involves Skim piecing her life together, while slowly learning about herself through the actions of her school mates and friends. Without Skims struggle with sexuality, she would be unable to experience personal growth, as she learns a sense of independence and develops a sense of self through her developmental stages.
Mariko …show more content…
When these developed fads or trends change, so does the meaning of normal: “Do you think this is a club for people who are going to commit suicide or people who know people who might commit suicide/Why are you thinking of joining?/ Ha! I’d rather hang myself/Shoot yourself in the head!” (Tamaki, 2008). A club, “girls celebrate life club”, was created after a boy in the neighbourhood took his own life. The girls involved in the creation of the club have become obsessed with the idea of suicide, and how it affects others. The girls who are indifferent to participating in this club are considered to be outsiders because they are not as consumed with the trend like those around them. These fads affect the ways in which characters like Skim, and Lisa express their sexuality, but more notably, the way they are criticized. Their peers are more compelled to judge their personal decisions based on their involvement with the trends that are prominent in the moment. The idea of what is normal is prominent in this piece as it is something relatable for those reading it, and it helps the reader to build more pure connections with the words on the
Mariko Tamaki’s Skim discusses the life of a confused, adolescent woman who is aging through a time of pressure and influence. Skim, the comic's main character, works to express her sexuality and gender by breaking heteronormative binary norms. This affects the way in which the plot and its themes are communicated, as well as showing that the form and content present need to be one. The story’s climax involves Skim piecing her life together, while slowly learning about herself through the actions of her school mates and friends. Without Skims struggle with sexuality, she would be unable to experience personal growth, as she learns a sense of independence and develops a sense of self through her developmental stages.
Mariko …show more content…
When these developed fads or trends change, so does the meaning of normal: “Do you think this is a club for people who are going to commit suicide or people who know people who might commit suicide/Why are you thinking of joining?/ Ha! I’d rather hang myself/Shoot yourself in the head!” (Tamaki, 2008). A club, “girls celebrate life club”, was created after a boy in the neighbourhood took his own life. The girls involved in the creation of the club have become obsessed with the idea of suicide, and how it affects others. The girls who are indifferent to participating in this club are considered to be outsiders because they are not as consumed with the trend like those around them. These fads affect the ways in which characters like Skim, and Lisa express their sexuality, but more notably, the way they are criticized. Their peers are more compelled to judge their personal decisions based on their involvement with the trends that are prominent in the moment. The idea of what is normal is prominent in this piece as it is something relatable for those reading it, and it helps the reader to build more pure connections with the words on the