I’m not quite sure if I should say unfortunately, or sadly, or if it is something that I should find neither good nor bad but in the end I am a victim of somebody who follows the norms and trends of society. Although I make my own decisions of how I choose to present myself based off of my own personal preference and style, my image can not be isolated as completely unique to who I am. Seeing what other people are wearing definitely influences my personal aesthetic and shapes what I see as ‘hip’ or ‘in style’. When you look at me I don’t believe people are saying “wow that girl really goes against what a typical college girl wears” or “I’ve never seen anyone dress like that, do their hair and makeup like that, or have adornment such as piercings and tattoos that are completely new and separate from todays norms.” As much as I would want to argue with that and say I came up with my own style myself, independent of everyone else’s, it just wouldn’t be true. With that said, when you look at me you also are looking at many other 20 something year old girls with the same type of style and image. It just so happens whether I like it or not, that what I see around me helps influence what I think is ‘cute’ and ‘hip’. With that said, although how I dress may be similar to other females my age, this does not mean I act how these other girls do. What I mean is that, I believe society creates an idea of what the personality of somebody who dresses in this way is like. I enjoy clothing that is flattering, and can be seen as girly, however I also like mixing these looks with sort of a hipster approach with flannels and converse, a style that has reemerged from older generations. This looks used to be seen as grungy, but today it is looked at as hip. I also have a nose piercing, and I used to have 5 ear piercings. Along with these looks I also enjoy wearing workout clothing because I am athletic.
I do not believe you can always jump to conclusions with peoples personalities based off of their image. It is not fair to say that I myself as a person is not uniquely separate from those around me just because I dress the way I do. Although this may be contradicting what I just said, I believe it is easier to get a feel for somebody’s personal beliefs or values when how they present themselves is completely separate and different from the everyday typical image. For example when somebody is covered with piercings and tattoos and wears all black, we have been subconsciously trained to think this person may be angry or may hate rules and regulations. I feel like these ‘outrageous’ or ‘different’ looks create a stigma of how these people may or may not act.
The core beliefs and values in my family were fairly normal I think. My parents always made me feel like I could express myself in any way that made me happy and I never felt like I had to dress and present myself in a certain way because of them. I see many other girls who feel like they have to maintain a certain image, because that’s the image that their mothers had. It makes me sad that some parents aren’t comfortable with self-expression in anyway what so ever. For example my father may not personally like tattoos, but he has never made me feel that if I were to get one it wouldn’t be ok. My parents have always supported my choices and taught me to be who ever I want to be. Neither of my parents dress out of the ordinary or customize their bodies, however if I were to choose to do so, it would be a fully supported choice.
The core beliefs and values of my peer community are mixed. Although piercings and tattoos used to be seen as a sort of rebellion against the norms of society, I believe today these decisions are viewed as a lot more normal and acceptable. For example having tattoos and piercings I think is seen as ‘in’ or ‘hip’ nowadays. With that change in image, many more people are making the decision to adorn themselves in these ways. I think these changes have a lot to do with the postmodern approach. Today, more people want to change the status quo and be different.