When I wake up in the mornings, nobody tells me what to wear. Nobody tells me I have to shower or bush my teeth, or whether or not I should eat breakfast, but I it do anyways. But what if I didn’t? What if I just rolled out of bed, morning breath and all, and went about my day. Maybe it would be gross or unhygienic and I would have gingivitis as a result. Maybe all that would happen would be that others would give me “that look”.
By “that look” I’m referring to that questioning look of distain that seems to be saying, “Really? What were you thinking this morning,” that people get when they’re not perfectly adhering to the standards set for us by society. Now I’ll be the first to admit I have been the giver of that look before, but not assimilating to expectations is like coloring outside of the lines- as much as you want to do it and sometimes do by accident, it just looks better if you don’t. The age when I started worrying about what I wore was around elementary school when some of the other girls would giggle at my outfit if I wore my pink and orange striped tights with a blue patterned dress. How did they know whether or not it was going to be the next big thing? Either way, I quickly learned which kinds of outfits were acceptable, and which would land me on the swings, alone, for the majority of recess.
What we think about our bodies, not only how we dress them, is largely based on the visual stimuli that bombard us every day from getting up to going to bed. We have become desensitized to the images of half-naked women that jump out at us every time we flip the page of a Cosmo. When I see an ad with a stylish woman walking down the street smiling while men are whistling at her, I’m going to assume that’s what’s supposed to happen. Advertisements like that one however, only reinforce the idea that men act and women appear, and the mindset that women are sexualized and it is mans role to act upon that sexuality. For example, when a woman is in a state of undress or even fully clothed and she is taking a passive role in an advertisement where she is the focal point, it makes her into an object. At some point you might as well replace the model with a mannequin because it reaches the same conclusion without the cost of the model’s salary.
Society controls us and the media and society go hand in hand. They tell us what information is pertinent to know, how we should behave, act, dress, what kind of a person we should be, and everything in between. Whether it be trying out a new trend or objectifying women, the free patriarchal culture that we as Americans have aimed to build over the decades is now what limits and defines us. We are its creators and enforcers, and we do so with an iron fist exiling anyone who dares cross the boundary lines.
I had similar experiences picking the wrong outfit on dress down days at my grade school. The most embarrassing incident being when a group of girls told me that flares were the IT pant. I dragged my mom to the Limited Too and begged her to buy me this trendy new cut of trousers. I arrived at school the next day in the right cut, but the wrong color. My pants were a baby blue plaid (!!) and my peers were sporting denim. I could have dropped dead.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a particularly sheltered child and even had a cool older sister to look up to. However, I just didn't get the memo about the particulars of flare wearing. I'm wondering who/what informs the cool preteens about these trends. If you look to shows like iCarly or Lizzie McGuire, the stars often seen wearing quirky, miss-matched pieces that are reminiscent of playful younger years, like pre-k to 3rd grade. Definitely not the same stuff you see these hip youngsters sporting.
Are these young girls looking toward stuff like Cosmo? Probably. You talk about the roles men and women are placed in within advertisements as the object and the object-gazer. Do you think that viewing these advertisements does more than shape young girls ideas of what it means to be attractive? That is to say, at a time when these kids are beginning to developed their sexuality, are these advertisements shaping the way they understand their desires? And what it means to be desired? If so, what do you think are the implications of this skewed idea of human sexuality?
I completely agree with Michelle, ads can definitely influence the early developments of sexuality since you assume the desires in the ad is what you will feel too. To use your ad example, Alice, of a woman enjoying the catcalls of men, this will tell others that you should want this. Their catcalling is proof you are lookin' good and sexy (whatever that means). Then you begin to dress just so you get this response, to be "desired", thus turning the wheels of a problematic cycle.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your various points here Alice. In my opinion, our body is like a canvas. No matter how much we try not to worry about what others will think about us, what we wear, and how we dress ultimately depends on how we will be perceived. What we wear almost represents who we are. I mean should it actually be that way though? Should the style or color of my clothing, tell you a little bit about the person that I am? It’s hard not to be exposed to or consumed by outside perceptions, but I’m wondering how this could change. Although, I think there’s dangers in both ignoring perceptions and being consumed by them. No matter what, people will still perceive you by what you look like; so not being aware of how your perceived could possibly blow your chances in getting a job, and then being completely consumed by how you’re perceived, could literally drive you to insanity.
ReplyDeleteAlice,
ReplyDeleteWhat you were writing about at the beginning of your piece reminded me of the “disciplinary practices” talked about in the Foucault reading.
I don't hesitate too much to generalize and assume that most people living in the U.S. wake up brush their teeth, shower, dress, etc. I agree with you completely that most of this is probably generated from people's fear of being judged by others. I never hear people say "oh I didn't brush my teeth this morning. I hope my plaque doesn't build up and cause a cavity." Instead, I hear "I didn't brush my teeth this morning. I hope no one gets close enough to me to smell my breath."