Artifact Five: Adornment
Objectives:
- 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.
Kat Von D is one of the first people that comes to mind when thinking of tattoos. She wears her tattoos with confidence; they are a massive part of her identity and I truly admire the way she believes in herself and goes against the “norms”.
Artifact:
My choices regarding my dress and how I “customize” myself, I would describe as circumstantial. When I am at work, I am required to dress in nicer clothes that cover myself more than what I would typically choose to wear. I choose to wear makeup and maintain high hygienic standards because I want to embody a professional appearance. When I am not at work, I would describe my style as casual, although I have been known to wear all varieties of clothing. I have never reflected on what I wear like this before, but some days I will dress simply, and other days I will feel like wearing something more elaborate. Regarding body adornment, besides a navel piercing, and two ear piercings, I have no other types of adornment (tattoos, other piercings, etc.).
My personal beliefs surrounding my appearances are not extremely correlated, although I do have a personal belief/value that in order to be taken as seriously and professionally as possible, having multiple facial piercings or easily exposed tattoos can be a detriment in the business world when trying to get a job. I chose to get my navel pierced because I think it looks good and was a purely personal decision. Going off of that though, I do believe I liked that particular piercing so much because of my personal value that it can easily be hidden, but I still am able to express myself. To answer the question “Why do you make the choices you do?” I would respond by saying it is a combination of personal expression, but yet still thinking realistically about my future and how my choices of expression may affect me later down the road. I make choices with myself in mind, but also the consideration of my family and other loved ones. When deciding to get my navel pierced, I did consider my grandmother, who is extremely traditional and does not understand the reasoning behind why I wanted it. But, I knew that no harm or damage would be done to her, it was just a minor conflict of personal expression differences.
I have absolutely nothing against tattoos whatsoever, but I do have a value or belief that when you choose to ink yourself, it should be something of meaning. I do not carry negative feelings or judgments towards people who recreationally tattoo themselves, but for myself I would never get a tattoo without serious consideration and consulting. Piercings can be taken out; tattoos are forever (for the most part).
My personal choices have changed drastically over the years. When I was in 6th grade, I chose to get my nose pierced. I picked the biggest and shiniest stud available, and flaunted my new piercing to all of my peers. Reflecting back, the reasoning behind the choice I made was clearly based off of wanting to impress or “outdo” my friends, not because I truly wanted to express myself. I also did not consider my family’s opinion or the professional aspect when making this decision, which is now very high on my list.
My family’s core beliefs and values have definitely effected my own expression of body adornment and dress. They never emphasized a particular way of how I should dress, with the exception of pajamas never being worn outside of the house. They raised us to never critique or look down on the way a person dresses, so I think I have a very accepting and understanding view of people’s self expression because my family never commented on people with body adornment or made them seem like they made a terrible choice. With that being said, they also never fully supported my siblings or I when we wanted piercings, and would strongly convince us to seriously consider many factors before getting a tattoo. My mom has three tattoos, and they are all meaningful and symbolic of aspects of her life. She had demonstrated through example the reasons why I should choose to value and not be sporadic if I ever had the desire, but also that I would not be looked down upon would I ever choose to express myself in that way.
Amongst my peers, it is difficult to pinpoint core beliefs or values they hold. I have a vast spectrum of values that my friends hold, some being extremely religious and holding core values based off religion, and others holding family and friends above all else. My peers also express themselves through dress and body adornment in a variety of ways. Some of my friends that have lost loved ones have tattoos representing their memory, and hold that above all else. My best friend lost her uncle while he was overseas in Afghanistan, and she got a quote on her 18th birthday of something that perfectly embodied him; this tattoo makes her feel connected to him at all times. Other friends on impulse chose to get tattooed, and now even a few (at just age 20) already regret their choice of tattoo.
Tattoos and body adornment can be used for self-expression in a powerful way, but I always go back to the thought that there are so many other ways of self-expression rather than how one dresses and tattoos or pierces themselves, and people should never forget that. Judgments and assumptions only go so far, but actually knowing the person and understanding why they dress or pierce themselves the way they do will completely change how you view them.
Reflection:
I realized after completing this week’s reading and assignment, that I am not as keen on personal adornment for myself as I thought before actually reflecting on it. I do not have intentions of getting a tattoo unless there is a significant event or picture that resonates strongly with me, and I feel the desire to add it to me. Piercings I do enjoy, but in the traditional places (ears). I can realize how personal values align with body decoration and physical beauty. I began thinking of cultures that praise adornment, even within the indian community and using henna (which is a temporary but still stains the skin), and how that is seen as a form of beauty. Also another example being the nipple piercing, and how urban legend describes the Romans as a sign of strength or solidarity. Whether or not that is true, it still shows a connection between what adornment and symbolism through cultures or communities. In the US, some areas praise and admire tattoo art, whereas other groups view frown down upon it and view it as unprofessional and sporadic.
I also reflected upon our generational change, and how significant the way we dress has changed over the last two generations. I think my age group truly uses the way they dress to describe themselves more so then any other group. We have so many styles of clothing (boho, preppy, athletic, to name only a few), and it impacts how one views that particular person, whether they make assumptions off what they are wearing about their belief system or identity. I personally do not see a correlation between how one dresses and their belief system, as I think I dress more casual or boho, but hold conservative values, but I think it is an outlet for our generation to describe ourselves.
Future:
In the future, I hope to appreciate and respect those who have body adornment, whether that be tattoos, piercing, or the style of dress. It is difficult to now make judgement on those who have multiple types of body adornment, but having a open mind at all times, and not closing myself off to assuming something about the beliefs or identity of that person without personally getting to know them first. This unit was very intriguing to me, and I hope to research and read more about modern day adornment, and also cultural body adornment and the meaning behind it, and how our society became to be so into piercings and tattoos.
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