# Verse para ser vista: el poder de narrarse a una misma | Andrea Herrera | TEDxCali Women

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCFnjsF6nts
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/JCFnjsF6nts
Generated: 2026-01-09T16:38:28.342+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Andrea Herrera, a visually impaired speaker, argues that the power to narrate one's own story—'Verse para ser vista'—is crucial for transcending limiting external labels and societal expectations, emphasizing that self-narration allows individuals to define their own worth and potential rather than being confined by societal boxes like age, status, or disability.

**Key Points:**
- Andrea Herrera shares her personal journey of overcoming the limiting label of being visually impaired, which she experienced as a form of societal confinement.
- She highlights that many individuals, including women from indigenous, Afro-descendant, and conflict-affected communities, are trapped by narratives imposed upon them.
- Herrera recounts receiving a scholarship to study in Sweden in 2010, an experience that brought both nostalgia and shame because she felt she had to present herself as 'X' (a placeholder for an imposed identity) rather than her true self.
- The speaker asserts that labels, even if not inherently negative, become problematic when they are the sole basis for how the world perceives and treats an individual, reducing their complex reality to a simple category.
- She proposes a three-step process to transform this dynamic: moving from the label (the past) to the portrait (the present) and then to the agency (the future).
- The core message is that self-narration is a life strategy that shifts the focus from external definitions to internal truth, allowing individuals to define their own value and potential.

![Screenshot at 00:05: Speaker Andrea Herrera is introduced against the backdrop of the TEDxCaliWomen branding, featuring an artistic 'X' motif made of hands, setting the stage for a talk focused on identity and narrative.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JCFnjsF6nts/00-00-05.jpg)

**Context:** This TEDx talk, titled "Verse para ser vista: el poder de narrarse a una misma" (To be seen by seeing oneself: the power of narrating oneself), is delivered by Andrea Herrera at TEDxCaliWomen. Herrera discusses the societal tendency to label individuals, particularly women from marginalized backgrounds, and the importance of reclaiming one's narrative power to define oneself beyond those imposed labels, drawing on her personal experience as a visually impaired person.

## Detailed Analysis

Andrea Herrera begins her talk by challenging the audience's perception of labels, noting that while we often know the 'complete story' of a person, we immediately reduce them to a label, such as age, status, or origin (e.g., indigenous, Afro-descendant, conflict victim, successful professional). Herrera recounts her own experience of receiving a scholarship to Sweden in 2010, feeling immense nostalgia but also shame because she felt compelled to present herself using an external, limiting narrative ('X') rather than her authentic self. She explicitly states that she is blind, a fact that society often reduces to a limitation or even an object of pity, exemplified by her Australian floor-mate who introduced her simply as 'Hi, I'm blind.' Herrera emphasizes that the real danger lies not in the labels themselves, but in internalizing them to the point where we only see ourselves through those restrictive frames, leading to self-deception and limiting our potential. She argues that self-narration is a strategy for life, allowing one to change the narrative from the past (the label) to the present (the portrait) and finally to the future (the agency). This process of self-narration transforms the story from being a prison to being a starting point for what one can be and do.

### Introduction and The Problem of Labels

- We immediately categorize people based on labels (age, status, origin) even when we know the full story
- Herrera shares her experience of receiving a scholarship to Sweden in 2010 while feeling constrained by an imposed narrative ('X')
- The danger is internalizing these labels, leading to self-deception.

### Personal Revelation

- Herrera reveals she is blind, a reality often met with pity or reductionist labels
- She recounts being introduced simply as 'Hi, I'm blind' by a peer, highlighting how external narratives dominate.

### The Power of Self-Narration

- The solution is not to deny one's identity or past but to actively rewrite the narrative
- Herrera proposes three steps: moving from the label (past) to the portrait (present) to agency (future).

### Conclusion and Call to Action

- Self-narration is a life strategy that shifts the focus from external definitions to internal truth
- This process allows individuals to realize their full potential, moving beyond perceived limitations.

![Screenshot at 00:01: The opening title sequence featuring the letter 'X' overlaid with stylized hands and the word 'RECONEXIÓN' \(Reconnection\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JCFnjsF6nts/00-00-01.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:05: A title card introducing the speaker, Andrea Herrera, beneath the TEDxCaliMujeres logo.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JCFnjsF6nts/00-00-05.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:28: A wide shot showing Andrea Herrera standing on the red circular stage rug, with the large white 'Cali' letters visible behind her.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JCFnjsF6nts/00-00-28.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:50: Close-up on Andrea Herrera as she gestures, speaking about the limiting nature of external labels.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JCFnjsF6nts/00-00-50.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:17: A medium shot of Herrera gesturing with both hands while discussing how stories told about people often start only from external labels.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/JCFnjsF6nts/00-01-17.jpg)