The first person I observed through people watching was a girl in my class who appears to have her arms, legs and chest covered in tattoos. I noticed that the tattoos visible on her chest appeared to be Halloween themed, while the tattoos on her lower body seemed to not follow a specific theme. I believe that the fact that her clothing allows her tattoos to be visible shows that she values her individuality and desires to be set apart from the norms of society. Through the clothing this person is wearing I would assume that she is about a junior or senior in college and possibly did not grow up in this area. I make the last assumption because the clothing she is wearing is not commonly seen in this area but I have seen television shows and movies with the east coast as the setting that have actors wearing clothes similar to what she is wearing. Her clothing displays to the public that she is in good physical health due to the fact her muscles are visible and she appears thin. The fact that I made these assumptions would suggest that I value physical health and believe that tattoos are a form of body modification that represent a person’s desire to be original and allows a person to demonstrate “one’s disaffection from the mainstream” (Sanders 2).
The next person I observed was a man walking around campus with gauged ears and tattoos visible up his neck as well as numerous facial piercings while wearing all black clothing. I believe that through this man’s choice of clothes he is showing that he is “overtly discontented with the status quo” (Sanders 4), which leads me to believe that his choice of all black is a strong indicator of his anger towards the social norm. I think that the man’s choice in piercings and tattoos also symbolizes and outwardly represents the man’s desire to be outside of normal society and to identify as an outside in western culture. Through the man’s outward appearance I assumed he was in his mid 20’s and has lived a life that has left him disenfranchised with society and it’s expectations. The assumptions I made about this man just from a passing glance shows my value of being considered “normal” by society and my belief that the forms of body modification shown on this man would lead society to not accept him as normal. My assumptions also show my belief that the majority of the people displaying the extent of body modification this man was showing indicates the man’s discontent with society.
The third person I saw was a woman dressed in concealing clothes with no apparent tattoos and only her ears pierced with small diamond earrings in her ear. I believe through her conservative clothing she is showing that she is a respectable member of society and does not want to be excluded from society. Her choice of piercing her ears and having small diamond earrings I believe is “for decorative purposes and considered conventional” (Sanders 8), I think she chose to pierce her ears because it has become a norm in society. I also believe that her outward appearance shows that she has not had life experiences that have left her angry or disenchanted with society. Her appearance and conservative choice of body adornment also leads me to believe she is emotionally sane and healthy. The assumptions I have made about this woman shows my belief that a person dressed in clothing that is considered normal are accepted by society and have no desire to be seen as outsiders. My assumptions also show my value for a “normal” society that adheres with social norms.
Sanders, C.R. (1989). Introduction: Body Alteration, Artistic Production, and the Social World of Tattooing. In Customizing the Body (Chap.1). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
I think the last quote you mentioned was spot on. I think that society often tries to make decisions for us. The media and other methods of advertising tries to tell us what is acceptable by societies standards. When someone dresses differently than this mainstream fashion that we “supposed” to abide by, then they are seen as being out of the normal. The whole hipster title that is given to those who dress in a certain way that is different than societies guidelines is reflective of that quote. I feel that these hipsters have decided that they are displeased with the mainstream look that so many follow. The title hipster is basically given to those who are different than mainstream. I don’t like the labels such as hipster because it doesn’t allow for people to just people and dress however they want with some sort of title attached to it.