Goals
- Evaluate personal values and paradigms around body decoration and physical beauty.
- Investigate how physical appearance affects definitions of identity and belonging.
- Analyze values and belief systems of physical appearance across cultures, sub-cultures and generations.
When I get dressed every day and every morning, I never really thought of taking notice on what I wore actually portrayed. Even though I am aware on what I put on everyday, I never really thought of what other people actually thought of me. Am I judged? Am I stereotyped like a lot of other people are? Do I stand out to others that are
“people watching”?. I am an athlete on the University of Oregon track and field team, so I tend to where spandex shorts and leggings pretty much every day. But when I put those articles of clothing on, its not to show off my features its for the comfort. I’m so used to wearing it everyday to practice, it just became the norm for me. Wearing jeans or khakis is just so uncomfortable for me. Since I’m not a very religious person, I don’t think what I wear can really relate to my religious views or culture. In general if I was going to class I would not be wearing a belly shirt or a shirt that is really revealing. But if I was practicing, I am not against working out in shorts and a sports bra. If I am coming straight from practice I am also not against wearing just spandex shorts. But I am also not a person that has a lot of curves and features to show off. My body is more athletic looking not flirtatious looking. In a way, I think that’s why I think its ok for me to wear those types of clothing.The picture below shows what i wear competing and in practice most of the time which reflects my own personal adornment.
I guess in way the way I dress reflects my values. One of my main values when I put on clothes is based on comfort. A typical every day outfit is leggings and a big comfy sweatshirt. I think that shows that I am not trying to always impress anyone especially with what I wear. If they like me, it wont be based on what I wear. It will be based on my personality. This picture is my team, represents how we all dress pretty similar and have a value of comfort.
Why do I make these choices?
I think the reason I do this is so people judge me for who I am and not by what I wear. They will like me based on my personality. I think my smile and laughter in general will over ride anything im gong to be wearing, Well that’s what I would like to think and I don’t think I need to distract people with a crazy distracting outfit. I think im very simple the way I dress. Lazy, comfy and simple. I work so hard everyday with track, the last thing I want to do is get all dressed up in uncomfortable clothing and try to impress others.
What has changed?
Over the years things have definitely changed. From Middle school, to high school, even to my freshman and Sophomore year of college are different from my current junior year. I think I definitely was more into what I was wearing in my past years. I was more into impressing others and I wasn’t all just about making sure I was comfortable. I think that just comes with maturity. I don’t feel the need that I have to impress every body every single day. I think the way I dress shows that I am comfortable with myself.
What are the core beliefs and values in your family and how are they communicated through dress and body customization?
Honestly, My family isn’t very religious but I think the way my parents brought my brothers and I up was a with a value of HARD WORK. My family is made up of all state, all American, national champion athletes. We have values that make us push our selves to every level even when we didn’t think it was possible. We work hard to get good grades and excel what ever we put are mind too. When we fall short we are always there for each other. None of us dress crazy or have crazy tattoos and piercings because I think my brothers and I were brought up in a way that we knew we didn’t need to express our selves through what we wore. All of us dress pretty simply and comfortably. We dress pretty simple and ordinary, but are personalities are nothing but. I think personalities matter so much more then what you are wearing.
What are the core beliefs and values of your peer community? How are they expressed through dress and body adornment?
I’m surrounded from a team of athletes that all have the same goals and same clothing style. We all dress comfortably due to the fact that we all work hard every day. A lot of us don’t put the time and effort to be uncomfortable in other types of clothing’s like jeans or skirts due the fact that we have similar core values of working hard. In general I think the people you surround your self with tend to be pretty similar to you when it comes to values and the way they dress. So its not suprising all my friends I surround my self with have the same typical clothing styles. This picture below represents my friends and how we all wear similar things as well as us smiling and goofing up. We end up caring more about each other personalities and how we make each other feel around each other. Rather then what each other are wearing.
Reflection:
This weeks artifact has helped me figure out a lot about my personal adornment and how we all view other people and other cultures. It gave me the chance to think about what i actually wore and how my personal adornment were related to my beliefs and values. The way i dress is all through comfort because i put my body through so much work with what i do, i never put the time and effort to make my body dress in something that is uncomfortable. However, things have changed since i was younger. I think when i was younger, peer pressure to impress others took a toll. The idea of Beauty was all about impressing one another and showing others what you have. Which i think is all affected today by the Social media. I think as i have grown up and matured i have strayed away from not really caring about anyone else. I always do whats best for me. I feel like i know what true and real beauty is: PERSONALITY
This artifact allowed me to see how someones personal adornment can say a lot about there own value and beliefs. For example, I value comfort the most. It represents my values of how i think i have confidence in my personality, and don’t really bother impressing people with what I’m wearing. I think personality is the reason why someone wants to be with you or be friends with you.
Future
I think it would be really interesting to learn how personal adornment changes over time with other people, as well as yourself. Traveling a lot with my team to other states and competing abroad is always a awesome experience. But after learning about this artifact, i will have knew knowledge before going to other countries and observing what kind of personal adornment they have. Different countries dress different due to there cultures and beliefs. Here is a website that shows you the variety which i can’t wait to explore.
Artifact 1: Life Value Assesment
Artifact 2: What is Art for Essay
Artifact 3: Is Food Art?
Artifact 4: Personal Adornment
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