People Watching
Today I spent some time people watching on campus while walking to class and these are the three people I decided to write about.
I saw a guy who was wearing a black jacket, I did not notice if there was any logos on the jacket but there was some white writing on the front that I was unable to make out. He was wearing an nba logo cap that was backwards and to the side. This told me that this person enjoys sports, and was rooting for the Portland Trail Blazers in the playoffs. The fact that it was meticulously in the back and to the side position told me something about his age, and that he valued a certain since of style and wanted to appear to the outside world in a certain youthful way. He also wore sweatpants, but they were the type of sweatpants that seem to be part of popular culture today and are worn by celebrities, this again pointed to youth and a value to be “in style” with popular culture.
I saw another person, this time a girl, who was dressed in leggings with wild patterns. They had bright colored stripes that went all the way down the legs. This told me that this person valued standing out, to dress in a way that would be a bit outside the norm. This was accentuated by the fact that she had gage style earrings, which I think certainly make a statement about style in the since of going against the grain or willingness to modify appearance to create a certain look. She also had a flower tattoo that running down her right arm. This told me that she values art, maybe even that she was an artist. For her to have art physically put a permanent form of art onto her body must say something about her opinions on art, specifically the type of art she likes, there is also the possibility that this had a deeper meaning to her.
The third person I decided to write about was a bit more unassuming than the first two. While the first two people seemed to have some value in standing out and wanted to make a statement of some kind in terms of style, this person seemed to care a bit less about outward appearance. This person was wearing shorts that were gray, and a plane t-shirt that was white with bear company logo on it. While the first two seemed to be a bit more effortful in what they wanted to represent with there clothing and style options, this person clearly valued comfort, telling me he may be bit more pragmatic than the first two. The fact that he was wearing sunglasses on a sunny day that were not necessarily any recognizable name brand only furthers this assumption. I will say that making all these judgments based on clothing and appearance seemed a bit odd, I understand that this happens constantly on a subconscious level, but to actively notice these judgments and to try and make assumptions about values without any further knowledge seemed a bit off-putting. I suppose this says something about my values.
Filed under Unit 05 | Comments (3)3 Responses to “People Watching”
People watching is a very interesting and engaging activity and I found it interesting which people stood out to you. The third person was particularly interesting as he seemed very ordinary in terms of his attire. I find it interesting about your take on the sunglasses. Although the glasses were not branded, and his attire seemed fairly simple, this may be his way of expressing himself. He may not be someone who values appearance as highly as others but like you said, comfortability can be something that adds a lot to someone’s confidence. On the other hand, the woman with the leggings definitely is someone whose style is an expression of herself. By wearing something of bright colors shows that she is not afraid to express her thoughts and feelings, and this shows through in her appearance. Additionally, the tattoo represents something about her life. It may be art but it could also represent her family or where she is from. Tattoos often have many different interpretations so it can be difficult to know exactly what they mean. I enjoyed your post a lot.
I too thought people watching was very engaging and entertaining. I believe that the third person expresses his sense of simplicity through his clothing. I think that simplicity in itself is a style. The outfit described makes it seem as though he is laid back and relax.
The girl with the tattoos seems to be very confident in who she is. She knows her style and wears it. Tattoos usually have a deeper meaning, as stated in the first comment, it is usually a representations of some aspect of her life. I agree with you though that she is an artists. She may not have tattooed herself, but her body is her canvas, and she chooses to cover her body with this art.
Your observations about the guy who wears a black jacket is very interesting. You mentioned about how an NBA logo cap could indicate an active, sports loving life style, and that the sweatpants seem to be a product of the celebrity influences nowadays. I think your association of a clothes choice and contemporary fashion trends and the celebrity effects is interesting. Your observations about the girl in leggings and how the ‘wild patterns’ indicates an ‘out of norm’ is intriguing. I feel that we associate clothes choice with social norms because clothes represent personal beliefs, and maybe socio-economic statuses. I really like your angels of looking at people.