Text Review Assignment: I, Tonya – Nicole Hughes

‘Otherness’ is the concept of an assertive group (the Self) establishing different groups (Other) by pointing out that they are different through identity. This concept can be seen in a scene from the movie I, Tonya. ‘I, Tonya’ is based on a true story of Tonya Harding, an American figure skater. Tonya had a hard childhood, she did not come from money. During most of her life’s relationships with people, she endured some type of abuse. She always tried her best and worked hard, even though sometimes it left her in pain. While skating in competitions, Tonya had been feeling like the judges were cheating her of a good score after her performances. So in this specific scene, Tonya skates up to the judges and asks them how she can get a perfect score because she has been working hard non-stop and believes she has been doing better than the other skaters she has skated against. One of the female judges looked at Tonya, staring up and down at her costume, and said that they also judge on presentation. Now, that did not sit right with Tonya. Prior to this scene, it showed her sewing and creating her costume, in which she was very proud of because she did it herself. Many of the costumes that can be purchased are very, very expensive. This is an example of otherness because the judges based most of Tonya’s performance on her costume rather than her accuracy and overall performance. The judges used their power to tear down Tonya. They basically told her she is not as good as she thinks she is just because of how she looks. People should not be basing their judgements on how people look but rather on who they are as a person. Tonya put in more work than the girls she faced, but was not treated the same because the judges saw her as “white trash.” She was belittled in front of many people.

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