The Grocery Store is My Battlefield
Author: Rouzalin Hakim
Rouzalin Hakim says that, as an amputee, she faces a variety of unique physical and emotional challenges. One of her biggest is the grocery store.
“It’s my battlefield,” Hakim says, “and all those minor micro-aggressions that I experience there can take a major toll.”
I live alone and take care of my day-to-day tasks on my own, so I’m often out by myself. I’ve never seen another amputee anywhere in my community, so as you can imagine, I get quite the looks when I’m out and about. I wish it stopped at just looks, but I get pointed at, stared down, and asked some incredibly rude questions. It tears me to pieces when a child is pointing and staring while asking their parents “what’s wrong with that lady’s leg?” The kids I can forgive; they don’t know any better. They come from a place of innocence and pure curiosity. The adults however, sometimes make me wonder what’s wrong with the world.
Those little actions, whether verbal or nonverbal, from others we encounter every day are certainly bothersome, and sometimes I just say to myself “whatever” to wash it away. Yet, together and over time they add up and take a toll. Constant reminders of our differences. Those subtle offences can even be quite unintentional by well-meaning others, but noticed by me. The grocery store is my battlefield. I feel like I’m in a fishbowl when I’m there.
I live alone and take care of my day-to-day tasks on my own, so I’m often out by myself. I’ve never seen another amputee anywhere in my community, so as you can imagine, I get quite the looks when I’m out and about. I wish it stopped at just looks, but I get pointed at, stared down, and asked some incredibly rude questions. It tears me to pieces when a child is pointing and staring while asking their parents “what’s wrong with that lady’s leg?” The kids I can forgive; they don’t know any better. They come from a place of innocence and pure curiosity. The adults however, sometimes make me wonder what’s wrong with the world.
Those little actions, whether verbal or nonverbal, from others we encounter every day are certainly bothersome, and sometimes I just say to myself “whatever” to wash it away. Yet, together and over time they add up and take a toll. Constant reminders of our differences. Those subtle offences can even be quite unintentional by well-meaning others, but noticed by me. The grocery store is my battlefield. I feel like I’m in a fishbowl when I’m there.
Hakim shares her strategies for managing awkward encounters in public places.
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