Oral Histories

Interview of Nicole Clary

Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Experiences Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Former social worker. Advocates for better understanding of MCS, as the myriad of physical and emotional symptoms associated with it often lead to impartial diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
Series:
Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness
Topic:
Environmental Illness
Social Movements
Biographical Note:
Interviewed for the UCLA Center for the Study of Women’s Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness series. Experiences Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). Former social worker. Advocates for better understanding of MCS, as the myriad of physical and emotional symptoms associated with it often lead to impartial diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
Interviewer:
Kim, Kelsey
Interviewee:
Clary, Nicole
Persons Present:
Clary and Kim
Place Conducted:
The interview was conducted by telephone.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library’s Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
This interview was conducted by Kelsey Kim, graduate student interviewer, for the Center for the Study of Women; PhD student in Anthropology, UCLA. Kim’s dissertation focuses on gender and racial inequalities in the Silicon Valley high-tech industry.
Processing of Interview:
The interviewer prepared for the interview by reading Anthropology and Environment Society’s Engagement blog, as well as a pre-interview questionnaire completed by the narrator.
Length:
1 hr
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Audio:
Series Statement:
Chemical Entanglements: Oral Histories of Environmental Illness is a collection of interviews with over seventy individuals living in the U.S. and Canada whose family history, occupation, art practice, or activism have brought them into direct contact with illness experience and disability related to chronic, low-dose exposure to toxicant chemicals. The procurement of this collection (from March 2019 through September 2020) was sponsored by the UCLA Center for the Study of Women under the directorship of Rachel C. Lee, with interviews conducted by six undergraduates, five graduate students, two career staff, and two faculty members at CSW.
Personal background--Born in 1971 in Marietta, Ohio, and moved to Pasco, Washington shortly after--Post-college, moved to Ecuador to teach English and English literature--Went to Oregon for Masters in social work before moving back to Pasco--Being emotionally sensitive affects how she processes external things like chemical sensitivities--Sensitive to scented candles, Windex, and Pine-Sol without realizing it was due to MCS--Struggled with clinical depression, and realized her fatigue was related to MCS--Experience with healthcare providers--Support from family but lost a lot of friends due to her MCS--Advocacy through support groups--Father and brother’s sensitivities--Having MCS during time of COVID--Financial impact of having MCS--Mental health counseling for clinical depression and MCS--Discussion of race and gender identity in MCS experience--How MCS has made her more isolated and how she hopes MCS will be viewed in the future