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.
Original Post:
Today, I sat outside the Starbucks and to watch people. Today is pretty hot, and most of the people’s hands are hold a drink. And almost people are wearing very colorful. The first person attracted my attention is a woman. She looks very mature in her dress. She is a brown curly hair, wearing a knee length skirt, and with exquisite piece of jewelry. Also, she carried a folder in her hand. She looks very elegant. I guess, she works in UO or works near campus. Moreover, from her dress, I believe she very care about her life details. In my eyes, women should dress up everyday, because proper dress can show a confident, and can make you looks better. The second person attract my eyes is a little girl. Maybe 3-4 years old, she looks very cute. She wears a pink tee and a yellow pants. But she did not wear shoes, maybe she felt hot. And her mother waiting in line to buy a drink. The little girl with yellow hair, big eyes, and always smiles. I believe she is very happy. Because her hands holding a toy. And she looks very pure. I believe in her age, she never has the feeling like boring or tired. She must feel happy everyday, and in her life, everything is very simple. But I guess, she is a curiosity child, because she has been looking around. And she is very polite, she always say HI and Bye to others. The last person attract my eye is a male. He looks tall and strong and full of muscle. His hair is red and yellow. I guess he has dyed his hair; it’s too colorful under the sunshine. But the most prominent is his necklace and tattoo on his arm. I do not what his necklace stands for. But it’s very wired. I do not how to describe it exactly, but just like a small snake. And he wears a pair of boots today. It’s very strange. However, I believe this young man had a wonderful personality, and he loves fashion. But maybe people afraid to close to him, because he looks a little different from others. But as I see, every one has the rights to pursuit what they wanted, even though others do not understand.
Reflection:
As Sanders said, “ A person’s physical appearance affects his or her self-definition, identity, and interaction with others” (1). According Sander’s point, I believe people’s dressing and body adornment reflects people’s beliefs, values and some personalities. Everyone’s aesthetic is different, so people dressing differ from each other. For example, the person who dyes his hair, with tattoo and earrings may want to show he is a fashion boy. And the guy who wear suits maybe is a serious person.
And I think my dress is almost same as my personal values. I always choose the suitable clothes to wear in different occasion. I do want others feel comfortable when they see me, rather than feel I am a wired person. But I think whatever you wear, the clean and tidy clothes is the most important. It’s one of the attitudes of life and also is a way to respects others.
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.
Future:
I want to know what people think about values and belief systems of physical appearance in different ages. Also I will still focus on my dressing and body decoration, I believe physical appearance should be almost same as my values and belief.
Table of Contents:
Artifact 4: Personal Adornment
Artifact 7: Creative Spirituality
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