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My culture is something I take pride in. I am able to understand and fully share what my culture means to me. I have two parents who come from a country in West Africa, Cameroon. They come from two different tribes but uphold the same values. They taught my sister and I that culture is something beautiful. The food, the music, the history, the people, the culture is something you should hold on to. In the picture below, it shows me and my beautiful best friend. We are wearing my culture's traditional clothing. When I got this dress made, I was proud of myself for always keeping my culture close to me, no matter the obstacles I faced. Being Cameroonian is such a beautiful thing, and I hope to pass it down to my future children.

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Growing up, I went to catholic school my whole life up until I was in high school. You can imagine the culture shock I had when I had to wear regular clothes to school. In Catholic school, we always wore a uniform and everyone dressed the same. Now, I am forced to actually try and put outfits together to show my personality. I come from a religious family. My mother and grandmother emphasized the importance of faith and believing in God. We always prayed together through our good and bad times. I was able to further develop my faith by becoming a leader in my church community. I helped reached high schoolers their faith and why believing in trusting in God was important.

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I grew up with two sisters, a mother, and a father. My eldest sister has three children, who happen to be all girls. My dad has been the only male figure in my household for as long as I can remember. There is always a hierarchy when it comes to roles and gender. My dad loves to say, "I am the head of this house" being that he is the only man of the house. Patriarchy, from which we learned from Johnson, is "The Rule of the Father". Men have control over women's reproduction, mobility, and wealth, etc. My dad has sets of rules, that we as his children, must follow. He holds this patriarchal view that we must do what he says since he knows what's best for us.

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Growing up, my parents always emphasized that they wanted my sisters and I to succeed. They both came from a rough background, which ultimately forced them to migrate to the United States. Coming to the United States was a big culture shock for them, as they had to adhere to different values and traditions. They were taught that the man has to be the one to provide. This forced the idea of heteronormativity, the belief people fall into distinct and complementary gender with natural roles. This idea was always something that bothered me. My mother woke up before everyone and was at work most of the day providing for her family. She did what she felt was necessary for her kids to live a normal life. This showed me that women can do anything. She showed me and my sister that we can do whatever we want, as long as we put our minds to it. We are expected to cook, clean, and take care of the children, while the man goes to work. Women can always put themselves first, and prove it to no one but themselves.

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As I got older, I learned that women are expected to be a sex symbol. We are expected to be submissive towards men, and let them control us in any way shape, or form. This an idea that stems from the 1900's. "True Woman" embodies Victorian ideals of good, proper femininity. To be pure, submissive, domestic, and to embody piety. In today's society, it's important that women use their bodies however they please. It is a woman's right to choose how what goes on in her body, that strictly only affects her.