BLINDED

After the UC Davis pepper spray incident on November 19th, 2011, Vanessa Cruz runs home in pain seeking help from her family. She lies to her parents that she was at the store instead as her family becomes desperate for the truth. Blinded exposes the negative effects of machismo, toxic masculinity, and immigration in a Latinx household and how first-generation Latinas are targeted. Inspired by my own family and my two sisters, writing this piece has helped me understand my masculinity in a male-driven world.