Category: Unit 05

I believe that some of my personal beliefs and values are supported and expressed by how I dress and adorn my body. An example of this would be my choice of tattoos on various areas of my body; I believe that a person’s choice of tattoos displays a personal reflection of how they perceive themselves. The reason I say that this is a person reflection for me is because I choose locations for my tattoos that are not easily visible to the public. I have chosen those locations, because each tattoo I get I get for myself and not for the purpose of other people seeing my tattoo. It isn’t because I fear the image that is attached to people with tattoos, I just believe that tattoos are personal and it should be up to the person with the tattoos to decide if they want them shown. My tattoos choices have changed over the years due to the fact that I no longer live at home and have more freedom to choose the amount of tattoos I am allowed to have. I highly value my comfort level and therefore choose what I wear based on how comfortable I will be depending on my activities for the day. The fact that I also value my personal health above the value of clothing also means that on occasion I will wear my workout clothes for convenience to ensure I have the opportunity to exercise that day. These outfit choices show my personal belief that “high fashion” is overrated due to its inconvenience and impracticality levels. My choice of clothing has changed over the years due to me living alone and choosing all my clothes and reaching the age of maturity where I realized that what you wear does not affect who you are as a person.

I was raised to value how other people viewed you only if it immediately impacted you, such as a potential employer or an officer of the law. This personal value is another reason why I take the extra care to choose my clothing according to whether my tattoos will be covered in certain important situations. My family (mostly my mother) believed that one tattoo was acceptable, but tattoos in excess would just hinder the possibility of a serious career later in life. I respected my family’s belief while still at home, but after leaving for college made my own belief and value system that did not limit the amount of tattoos I could get. My choice of clothing reflects my belief that a person should feel comfortable in their clothing while not revealing themselves to an extreme level. My belief about not wearing revealing clothing was instilled into me as a child; my mother always taught me that the level of respectability shown in your attire reflects how much a stranger will respect you. I have continued to follow and adhere to my family’s beliefs about clothing mostly out of convenience and habit, I don’t really see a need to change what I have been doing the majority of my life and don’t see that it is hindering me expressing my own individuality.

Here in Eugene I believe there are a wide variety of beliefs and values within the community, but looking at the University in general there is an obvious core belief and value system that is widely accepted. The fact that large margins of students here at the University of Oregon are from California (mostly the “bay area”) has made how the student body’s beliefs and values are expressed through clothing and body adornment not native to Oregon. There is a general consensus in the student body that clothing that is more expensive is more socially valuable and acceptable. The sorority and fraternity system and their uniformity of clothing options, i.e. the females choice of Uggs, leggings and sweatshirts, display this value system and how it has been distilled and portrayed throughout campus. My peer community’s beliefs about body adornment appear to be “shock and awe”, viewing body adornment options as a way to separate themselves from the masses of students, or as a way to fit in.  What I mean as shock and awe is that some people invest in forms of body adornment simply for the reactions and judgments that they would receive from the public. The belief that forms of body adornment would set someone separate from the masses would mean that the person would have to choose an uncommon form of body adornment in order for them to be seen as an individual on a campus such as University of Oregon with a large student body. A person who values fitting in with their peer community would most likely invest in a common form of body adornment such as ear piercings, belly button piercings and small common tattoos.

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.