The women in "Reeling for the Empire" frantically reinvent their pasts as a way to maintain their individuality and sense of self in an environment that seeks to strip them of their humanity. Kitsune explains that the women are forced to wear identical kaiko uniforms and are subjected to long hours of monotonous work. She says, "We are required to wear identical kaiko uniforms and work long hours with no breaks. It is an environment that seeks to eradicate our individuality, to reduce us to interchangeable parts" (Russell 22).
As a result, the women feel a deep sense of loss and disconnection from their former lives. Kitsune observes that "our memories fade, and with them our sense of self" (Russell 23). In order to resist this erasure, the women begin to invent new stories about themselves, creating new identities that allow them to maintain a sense of agency and control over their lives. Kitsune explains, "The more our kaiko-bodies begin to resemble one another, the more frantically each factory girl works to reinvent her past, to distinguish herself in some small way" (Russell 23).
By inventing new stories, the women are able to assert their individuality and resist the dehumanizing effects of their work. As Kitsune notes, "We are not machines. We are not interchangeable parts. We are women with stories" (Russell 23).