*This dream is a post-project artifact, courtesy of Emily Steinberger.
“[My social categories] probably gave me a bigger leg up than I ever would have gotten. Because I mean, I’m white. I’m cisgender. I’m straight. Like, I really didn’t have a lot of things that worked against me in the society we’re in. The only thing that really kind of worked against me, is just, you know, being a
woman.
It’s a man’s world, it always has been, and I don’t know how long it still will be. There’s still a wage gap. I am in a traditionally more feminine leaning job, which pays worse. Because again, it’s a female-led industry, communications. And I think that’s just how it is across the board for every female-led industry.
So I think that probably didn’t help me, but like being white, I mean… nobody is judging me for the color of my skin. … It’s just something to be aware of, because it is a privilege.
Just being cisgender, I don’t have to deal with any of the harsh realities especially what’s going on right now politics wise. I’ve never had to worry about that. I’ve never had to come out or have people look at me differently, or thinking about me differently because of my sexuality.
I came from a lower-middle class background. But I would say we dipped below lower-middle class when I was growing up, because it was the whole recession thing. My mom wasn’t working, and my dad was a car salesman, and everything just went a little south financially.
I was still a little too young to like, properly understand what was happening. But I knew we were in a little bit of a shaky place. So I was used to growing up without new clothes, or I got a couple new outfits for the school year, and that was like, what I had to rock with. Luxuries were not a thing. Christmases got smaller and smaller.
Growing up, I just kind of figured I’m gonna make my own way, I’m going to save money, I’m going to try to live a life where it doesn’t get into this scary place where I don’t know if we’re going to make a house payment, or if we have enough for a month groceries.
So I kind of just always wanted to live a life that I felt secure, financially and just secure personally, and just being able to live in a place where I could indulge myself.
So growing up, I just figured I would try to be able to indulge myself in those little things that are just small comforts that you don’t need, but like, you want, that I couldn’t have I was younger. So that’s just kind of been the goal.
And I just wanted to do a job I like that paid me enough to live a life I wanted to live, and just feeling happy and feeling safe and feeling comfortable, and just wanting to build a better life than what I had growing up.
This is a newish apartment; we just moved in in January. But it’s a bigger apartment than I would have expected being able to get into at the age of 25. Like a two bed two bath is crazy – I never would have thought that was something I could do.
And it’s just like a comfortable space. … I’m happy here. I have all of my creature comforts that make me smile or I bought because I wanted them.”