Barrie Jean Borich’s Restoring the Color of Roses :: Barrie jean Borich Restoring Color Roses

Barrie Jean Borich’s Restoring the Color of Roses An unstable family environment can shape the way a girl is brought up a great deal. The way her family treats her and reacts to her helps her develop her attitude for and her outlook on the rest of her life. In Barrie Jean Borich’s Restoring the Color of Roses, she presents the reader with a somewhat unstable and sometimes scary family situation. Through her narrative, Borich proves that this type of environment is destructive for a growing girl. With most of her family, Barrie is unable to be her true self. Her mother is not comfortable with Barrie’s lesbianism. In Slouching towards Chicago, Barrie has a conversation with her mother that reveals her mother’s attitude towards her sexuality. Her mother asks her if she’d ever â€Å"do things† with women (21). Barrie’s internal response to this question was, â€Å"And now the implications are clear. Not only will I do it, I will be it. And this is what I didn’t get before. People are going to hate me for this† (21). She can not be completely comfortable with who she is because she does not exist in a supportive family environment. She feels people are going to hate her for her homosexuality. This type of family situation is detrimental to the development of a growing girl. Another aspect of Barrie’s family life that is destructive towards her development is the issue of self confidence and body image. In A Body’s Documentary, moments appear where Barrie’s self image is damaged by her family. One such occasion is when her father got angry and broke a plate because Barrie â€Å"never talk[ed]† and was just like her mother, resulting in Barrie questioning her features and becoming extra self-conscious of them (38). Immediately following that incident, Barrie talks about preparing for picture day: â€Å"On picture day I could not find an outfit that would make my body disappear, but in the back row, at least, my sausage thighs could hide. I could only pray my nose would shrink beneath the crown of my new bangs† (38). She has a very negative opinion of herself. Obviously this self confidence issue stems directly from her father’s comments. Barrie’s mother also shares some of the responsibility f or Barrie’s self esteem.