Between Cultures, Between Selves: Reflections After Seeing Fugue by Tatty Macleod (Twice)

On May of this year, I returned to Fugue, the stand-up show by Tatty Macleod that first left a mark on me in 2024. Watching it a second time, I was struck by how much more I noticed — new details in the storytelling, deeper layers of emotional truth.

You might already know Tatty Macleod from social media, where she's built a strong following with her sharp, bilingual sketches poking fun at British and French stereotypes. Her short-form content is witty, relatable, and rooted in the everyday absurdities of navigating two cultures — a style that draws on both perceptive observation and lived experience.

If you enjoy her online content, you'll likely love Fugue, where she takes these themes deeper, weaving them into a long-form narrative that's as emotionally resonant as it is funny. That said, even if her social media persona hasn't quite clicked for you, don't rule out the show — Fugue offers something very different: a layered, intimate reflection on identity and belonging that stands on its own.

At its heart, Fugue is a show about belonging — or, more precisely, the lifelong work of straddling cultures, identities, and geographies in the quest to belong. Tatty Macleod's message — of holding pride in your roots even when they're misunderstood or judged — resonates profoundly with those of us living lives abroad. 

In this post, I reflect on the themes of Fugue and offer some journaling prompts and activities for anyone navigating identity, culture, and the longing for home.

1. The Third Culture Experience: A Life Between Worlds

Tatty's storytelling is anchored in the absurdities, losses, and resilience of living between two cultures. As someone who has been out of Australia since my early 20s, I found myself nodding along to almost everything she said.

Reflection Questions

1. Where do you feel "at home"? Has that changed over time?
2. What parts of yourself feel shaped by the culture(s) you live or have lived in?

Activity

Draw a "culture map" — list or sketch all the cultural influences in your life: language(s), food, humour, politics, expectations, social codes. Highlight the ones that feel like home, the ones that feel foreign, and the ones that are both.

2. Shame, Stereotypes, and Pride in Your Roots

One of the most powerful parts of Fugue is Macleod's candid reckoning with shame. How often do we internalise what others think about our culture — and feel small or ridiculous because of it?

Reflection Questions

1. Have you ever felt ashamed of where you come from? What triggered that feeling?
2. What do you wish people better understood about your cultural background?

Activity

Write a letter to your younger self — the version of you who felt most out of place. What do you want to say to them now?

3. Reverse Culture Shock: The Foreignness of "Home"

"Going home" is rarely what we imagine. In the show, Tatty explores how the home you longed for can feel even more alien than the place you left.

Reflection Questions

Activity

Make two lists:

1. "What I expected to feel when I went home"

2. "What I actually felt"
   Notice the gaps, and reflect on how those differences changed your self-understanding.

4. Bureaucracy and Belonging: The Paper Trail of Staying Put

Tatty's struggles with French administration are played for laughs, but for many of us, paperwork is personal. Visa renewals, job contracts, tax codes — they become gatekeepers of our right to exist in a place.

Reflection Questions

1. Have you ever felt your belonging was "conditional" — tied to a document or legal status
2. How do you carry that vulnerability in your daily life?

Activity

Write a timeline of the major "uprootings" in your life. What led to them? How did you rebuild?

5. Loneliness, Identity, and the Need for Representation

What makes Fugue so powerful is that it gives voice to something so many of us feel but rarely see reflected in culture — the loneliness of being in-between.

Reflection Questions

Activity

Create a collage (digital or by hand) of moments, objects, or people that remind you who you are — across all the places you've lived. Let it be messy, honest, and whole.

Closing Thoughts

Seeing Fugue a second time reminded me of how layered these stories are — how comedy can hold pain, pride, and power all at once. If you get the chance to see Tatty Macleod live, I highly recommend it. And if you've ever struggled with feeling at home — anywhere — know that your story matters.

Further Reading & Listening:

• Tatty Macleod's Substack, Tatty en Terrasse

• Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds by David C. Pollock and Ruth Van Reken 

• [Podcast] Expat Chronicles – episodes on belonging and culture shock