Ashley and Marianna
New media plays a big role in helping communicators develop resistance rethorics to assert the identities of racialized communities not only in the U.S., but almost everywhere in the world. Thanks to social media, people are now able to spread their message to a larger number of people from different communities and places in the world. It is something that back in 2002 was not actually possible. Going back to the readings, what happened with A&F could have had a much bigger impact in creating resistance through new media channels if they were as available as they are today. With new media, information spreads faster than ever creating a space to develop resistance in order to assert different issues in society. An example of that can be seen with AOC social accounts where she uses new media as a platform to share her politics and plans to fight for marginalized communities that she represents and cares about. In regards to how would these communities perform or practice cultural representations in a way to subvert their misrepresentation and assert their agency, an example that came into our minds was what Blaklava did in response to the A&F t-shirts. They used that as a way to represent their culture and their community and stand up for themselves against the injustice, misrepresentation and offensive work done by A&F. By using their voice, standing up and sharing their story, these communities are asserting their agency as well. Lastly, as a personal example, Ashley’s sorority is a great example of a community that subverts stereotypes. She is part of an Asian-interest sorority and feels that all of the multicultural organizations take pride in defying stereotypes while also following traditional rhetoric in order to “defy the odds” and not letting stereotypes define who they, their stories or identities.