Blog Post 3

In class we have recently been discussing the idea of positionality and autonethography. We read an autonethography piece by Dr. Manda Hicks that discussed her position in the military and what it was like to be a female soldier in a trade that is dominantly male. She says, “Being a female soldier is always being trouble. Being a female soldier is making sure not to cause trouble; to be the girl that ruins everything. Being a female soldier is a built in assumption of many that you could not have done what a man has done and you could not possibly have given the same that a man gave” (Hicks, 2016). In this work, Dr. Hicks is using personal stories to tell a narrative as to what it means to be a female soldier and how that compares to her male counterparts.

I have also been learning about personal narratives in one of my other classes, and my professor made a point that has stuck with me. As humans, we naturally tell our selves stories to make sense of the world, but my professor asked, “If we don’t tell our own story, who will?” The answer is everyone; people will naturally create a story that makes sense to them. If Dr. Hicks had not shared her story through her autonethography, many of us would continue to think and expect her experience as a female soldier to be similar, if not exactly the same to that shown in movies and other types of media. By telling her own story, Dr. Hicks eliminates false narratives about what it means to be a woman in a man’s world.

Another example of someone who is currently dealing with false personal narratives is Taylor Swift. With her new music coming out, many people are trying to read between the lines and create a new story as to what her songs mean. Is she going through another break up? Is this to get back at Katy Perry? The snake represents her conflict with Kanye West…. The narratives go on and on. It won’t be until Taylor releases a personal narrative regarding her music and its meaning that we will stop speculating her work.

Moral of the story is to tell your narrative in your own words. This will eliminate any confusion and conflicts that may arise. It will also allow you to speak for yourself and not be bounded by the definition that society has created for you.

Hicks, M. V., (2016). Making my narrative mine: Unconventional articulations of a female soldier. Qualitative Inquiry, 17(5), 461-465.