Day 10…Final day.

Sadly for my final day i was sick with flu. So other than attending college i was at home in bed, this did however provide a lot of time to reflect upon my body intervention. In the end there are several ways in which i wish i could have improved my intervention, i could have found better and more effective ways of appearing albino as this had no come across to people as clearly as i had hoped. Other than that i found my intervention effective in that it certainly took me out of my comfort zone and gave me an insight into what it might be like in the life of a person who does not appear normal to those around them, it is very uncomfortable to stand out from the crowd all the time especially not by choice. I have gained even greater sympathy for Albino’s, and i am sure to feel more understanding rather than awkward the next time i come across a person with albinism.

Day 9

Tuesday i had a short but interesting conversation with my domestic worker about her views and opinions on albinos in their culture. In short she had a lot of sympathy for them cause she said that a lot of people look at them funny and do not like them. She said that albino’s find it hard to get work because they are different and that they are victimized in rural areas as people there are not as educated. I found it touching that there were African people who sympathised with the albinos of their culture. I also discovered that this domestic worker was unaware that other races suffered from albinism to, which led me to wonder that if African people were better educated on albinism if it would not change their cultural views and opinions and help to create a better more accepting world for African Albino people.

Day 8

Monday i realised that i now tend to forget that i look different to other people even to the point where i get a little confused for a while when i notice people looking at me strangely before i remember that i am dressed unusually. I am looking forward to the end of this body intervention now as it is seeming just to drag on and it has become quite tedious and frustrating.

Day 7

Sunday was uneventful except for the fact that my skin has no begun reacting to the baby powder that i had been putting on, i had a a very red spotty rash on my chest, neck and face which are the areas with the most sensitive skin that also had some of the most baby powder applied to them in order to help me look more albino, therefore i will now be continuing still with white/pale eyebrows and eyelashes but no baby powder just translucent make up powder.

Day 6

Saturday i spent most of the day at home, but in the afternoon i went to the Sharks vs Lions game. Funnily enough i didn’t stand out to much as a lot of other people were dressed up just for fun for the rugby game, so i caught the attention of the many other people there but they found me humours more than anything as apposed to the usual awkward and confused looks i normally get. Sadly i didn’t make it onto television due to my outfit, i did however get talking to alot of people who commented on my outfit, alot were surprised to find out that it was infact a body ntervention as apposed to a joke and that i had been doing it for more than a day or so.

Day 5

Friday i came to college early morning and in class we had to do photographs, which dressed as i was i found far more uncomfortable than usual, as when you take a photograph normally you are aware as a women in which ways you look best and try to best adopt those to look good in the photograph, having been dressed in a way i have never been accustomed to and having had many of what i deem as my good features masked by powder and paint it was very uncomfortable and awkward. That night I also went and had a few drinks at the wings club at the Virginia airport which was also very awkward and uncomfortable as it was mostly elderly caucasian men who chose to stare and whisper but none of them actually had the courage to ask why i was dressed as i was.

Day 4

Thursday consisted of a short trip to college which was very uneventful in terms of my intervention, my housemates have however not grown bored of the mocking and teasing as yet, which i suppose in a sense embodies what it would be like to be an albino as they too get mocked and teased for how they look.

Information on Albinism.

• Albinism is derived from the Latin word Albus which means “white”.
• It is the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to an absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin,
• Albinism is known to affect all vertebrates.
• Albinism is associated to vision defects as well as susceptibility to sunburn and skin cancers.
• Most forms of albinism are the result of the biological inheritance of genetically recessive genes passed from both parents and in rare cases from just one parent.
• It occurs with equal frequency in both sexes.
• Parents may cary the gene with out exhibiting albinistic traits.
• Some cultures believe that potions made from albino’s body parts are medicinal, others believe having inter course with an albino cures AIDS.
• Albino’s are widely discriminated against, ridiculed and face fear and violence from their peers, more so in more traditional cultures especially those where pale skin and hair stand out more due to the ethnic majorities being of dark skin and hair such as in most of Africa.
• Many animals that suffer from albinism don’t last long in the wild as they lack the protective camouflage that is necessary to conceal them from their predators or prey.

 

Group Photo with other Interventions.

Top, a man dressed as a female domestic worker.

Left, myself as an albino African.

Right, non religious women as a nun.

Day 3

Having had a full day of college for my 3rd day it was fairly uneventful other than the other college students asking about my intervention and if and where I had been in public and what the reactions had been from the people I was near and came into contact with.