Being Adopted
Being Adopted documents the nuanced emotions and experiences of adult adoptees. The narrative spewed by mainstream society says that adoptees are “lucky” or “saved.” This may or may not be the case, but what is always the case is that every adoption begins with a loss, that of maternal separation, and that every adoptee experience is absolutely unique.
Over November and December of 2019, I used email and social media to crowdsource words that adoptees use to describe their personal experiences. The question, seemingly simple is:
Fellow adoptee, if you could choose any 3 words to describe your experience as an adoptee, which ones would you choose?
adopted, adoptee, adult adoptee, Nicole Rademacher, adoptee Nicole Rademacher, being adopted
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Being Adopted
Being Adopted started with an online questionnaire asking the simple question, “If you could choose any 3 words to describe your experience as an adoptee, which ones would you choose?” of self-identified adult adoptees. 251 people responded from 16 different countries generating 352 distinct words. In order to honor their unique experiences, I created colored index cards with their names (as they identified), countries, and three words. The index cards are uploaded to a searchable database. Being Adopted gives voice to our complex experiences as adoptees. The top eight words were: Lonely, Alone, Confusing, Loved, Lost, Misunderstood, Loss, and Grief.
Over November and December of 2019, I used email and social media to crowdsource words that adoptees use to describe their personal experiences.
The project is ongoing… Are you an adult adoptee?
What are your three words?
