Emotional labor is everywhere and it’s important to think about who is engaging in this work. As discussed in class, emotional labor is the management and/or suppression of emotions while performing paid labor. Because of this definition, it is implied that emotional labor refers to domestic, sex, and service work, among other things. Essentially, emotional labor is tied to jobs that require an emotional appeal to others while maintaining one’s own composure. 

But who is most likely to engage in this form of labor? Lower class women of color. These are the women who have to take up intimate labor jobs such as maidwork and food service. These jobs are hard enough, especially having to deal with rude customers who treat workers like they are undeserving of human respect. Women of color may face racism, classism, and xenophobia while simply doing their jobs. On top of that, workers must put on a smile and just dreadfully make it through their shift. They must feed into a capitalist system and be compliant to protect their jobs even when they are being treated unfairly. For lower class women of color, emotional labor is not only required for their jobs, it is necessary for their lives. Their bodies are used to create profit, and they must operate like perfect machines, else they be easily replaced by someone more obedient. 

I also wonder about the emotional labor that disabled workers must face. For disabled people working in intimate labor jobs, their bodies are made to be spectacles. Those with physical disabilities may be infantilized or treated poorly. The worker must manage the anger and frustration and anxiety that comes with this treatment. Those with hidden disabilities may have to work much harder to be a productive and fast worker, likely without accommodations. Of course, there is a layer of exhaustion that comes with this constant overextension of the body without rest. 

In both cases, the worker is displayed as a capitalist object whose only purpose is to contribute to mass production and consumerism. Their bodies are strategically put into low wage positions and are then made to be scrutinized. The exhaustion and anxiety that comes with this must be managed by the individual. It is unfortunately their own responsibility to handle the emotions that come with systemic racism, classism, sexism, and ableism. 

I’m not lower class or disabled, but in sharing a bit of my own experience as a woman of color, when I worked in a local boutique, this responsibility fell on me. We had a very close-knit and small staff, and while diverse, I felt like I was constantly dealing with microaggressions. This was back in 2020 while the elections were going on, and so you can imagine my fear, confusion, and overall frustration when I found out my seemingly cool boss with a dyed pixie cut was a Trump supporter. Suddenly I began reexamining the way she had been treating me. Every time she would come into work she pretended like she didn’t know I was working that day and she would constantly ignore me in conversations with other staff members. She successfully made me feel like I didn’t belong there. I became increasingly uncomfortable but I still had to maintain my composure and make sure that I wasn’t showing my emotions. I had to suppress my anxiety and fear because I wanted to keep my job and I didn’t want to make my work environment any more uncomfortable than it already was. I thought the more I tried to manage my own emotions while putting on a smile and just working, the better my boss would treat me. Then I ended up quitting because I realized that it should not be my responsibility to put on a good face when I’m being treated poorly…amongst other reasons. But for many lower class women of color and disabled folk quitting is not an option. So what is the answer to this problem? Do we have to just endure and cope? Is there a solution to the harms of emotional labor?