View my original posts about Personal Adornment here!

Objective:

– 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 culture, sub-culture, and generations

Reflection:

 This assignment was extremely interesting to me. I know that everyone unconsciously forms opinions of others based solely on their physical appearance and it was enlightening to acknowledge these opinions and biases and write them down for my classmates to view. I also enjoyed reading my classmates’ personal descriptions and thoughts about the people they saw. Even more interesting to me was how vastly different each of my classmates’ thoughts of the people around them tended to be. I read the description of a young woman from one of my classmates and could picture this woman in my mind. However, the values and identity that I ascribed to this person were completely different from the values that my classmate assigned. It was a great experience to be able to understand the different points of view that people at this university hold, and it made me interested in each person’s values and background experiences that brought them to the point they are at today.

In addition to enjoying reading my classmates’ interpretations of people’s appearance, I enjoyed reflecting upon my own personal beliefs. It was interesting to acknowledge my own biases and opinions and to think about why I may have formed these beliefs. In the assigned reading for this week, the author C. R. Sanders states that, “Permanent body alteration and non-permanent corporeal adornment in both tribal and modern cultures share the rigorous social support of the bearer’s significant reference group…The transformation makes the body aesthetically pleasing to the individual and the relevant reference group,” (Sanders, 6). I found myself identifying with this idea very strongly because my family has been a huge influence on the reasons behind the body modification I have and have not done. As I stated in my Personal Adornment essay, tattoos and other forms of body modification are somewhat unacceptable in my family. Because of my strong values relating to family and loyalty, I would have a very hard time going against the wishes of my family.

I also enjoyed this assignment because it allowed me to reflect upon the ways that myself and my generation seem to be different from our parents and their generation. For example, I feel that tattoos and piercings have become much more common in popular culture than they were in previous generations. The changes in trends and thoughts about what is taboo or unacceptable continue to change and it is interesting to have such a vivid example right in front of us.

This photo on the left is a photo of me wearing one of my favorite sweaters and a pair of jeans. The second image on the right is a photo of the cartilage ear piercing that I got in high school. These serve as examples of the body adornment that I do and have participated in.

Future:

I am sure that my personal opinions of body adornment will continue to change as trends change. I enjoy changing my hair color and dressing with fashion trends, so it is exciting to know that I will continue to grow and change into the future. I know I will continue to learn about myself and my own personal values as these trends change and I decide whether or not to partake in or abstain from the changes.

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