Have you heard of the “bootstrap narrative”?
Let’s look at it together. First, watch this video carefully.
This story obviously strengthens positive aspects:
By and large, the story is based on the narrative that self-care generates self-esteem and that you must love yourself in order to engage with society. However, this story might also reinforce some narratives that are widely considered negative in our community
In any case, this is a typical example of a “bootstrap narrative”:
Kingston’s journey is expressed in a purely individualistic way. He never speaks about community, family, or friends and no other character but himself is mentioned in the story. This might reinforce narratives that are not so helpful:
- The narrative that Trans people are isolated from the rest of society and lonely
- The narrative that being Trans is a purely personal matter, which does not require policies, supportive social actions, protective laws and regulations, etc.
- It only takes willpower to be happy. Unhappy Trans people are just not strong enough: it’s their own fault.
These narratives are foundational to individualistic societies and capitalist economies as they express the idea that success depends only on personal merit (often including hard work and the capacity to fight off challenges).