Final Post! 5th and Congress

As an Asian- American female, I've always felt pretty drawn to things that resemble my cultural background. That is what caught my eye about the Geisha Room. It wasn't a typical quiet, small, Asian restaurant. Instead, it was this lively and fun area that people of all races went to.

My gender identity is a traditional Asian reserved female. However, I did not let that stop be from asserting myself when necessary. This encouraged me to be polite, within reason. However, when the need arose, I could assert myself aggressively. This was especially important when downtown at night.

When I was downtown, I was alone and trying to write down my notes for the site. But then, interestingly enough, an older man approached me, trying to pick me up. This was an unwelcome, but interesting development that I think shows how my gender identity affected the way I was interacting with the landscape.

The man came up to be trying to be friendly and asking me about myself. Knowing this man was a stranger, I  answered his questions cautiously and made sure he knew I could take care of myself.

First, he tried to establish my age, to see how much more dominant he was in age than me. Then, when he learned I was a university student and not a confused tourist, he was disappointed and became defensive. He then tried to see if I knew my way around the city, which I did. Rebuffed, he then realized I was only friendly, not interested. Annoyed he he wasn't more dominant, he made a last-ditch effort to brag about his job.When I did not show admiration for his job at METRO, he became frustrated and left.

This encounter says many things about my gender identity, the man's gender identity, and the surroundings.

Because I am reserved and traditional in some aspects of my gender identity, I did not directly say to the man that I was uninterested and relied on implied meanings and body language to convey my message. But at the same time, I was independent enough to not give into his obvious attempts to peacock himself.

The encounter was extremely revealing for him as well. He first approached me because I was alone and am young and Asian (stereotypes, which are not always true do still color people's interactions). Because of this, he probably thought I would be more receptive to his advances. However, when he tried and failed, he became annoyed. This shows that he  believed women who he deemed docile enough to approach were expected to be receptive. This shows a rather archaic and sexist view on his part. Most humorously, his attempt to reestablish him masculinity by stating his job was a classic way men asserted their power in the 1950s. However, these days, that practice is simply an indicator of ignorance.

The area, between commercial, entertainment, and business buildings, made for an all-encompassing group of people who were around. As a business- student, I was intrigued by the corporate banks that were stationed on the corner. This was one of the least intimidating areas of the finance district because it was by retail and entertainment areas. In other financial areas, the urban landscape is less welcoming to females in terms of social context. Although business does have many successful businesswomen, banks are still heavily male-dominated.