How sexist! Which leads me to believe that the biggest factor in our perseption of our identity is social. Our society tells us if our identity is appropriate or not. This is why high schoolers need cliques to survive socially. This is why one thing, like perfectly arched eyebrows are more attractive than say a perfectly level unibrow.
What pisses me off is that the average person has little to no control over how society, through media outlets, declares what is hip, attractive, and what is not. (Media also covertly tells us that outward appearance defines personality and therefore identity as well.) So much of identity is not about me worrying about what I think about me, but me worrying about what other people will think of me.
The scary part is that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Where do I begin and where does cultural indunation begin????????
You raised an interesting question that I have been thinking about a lot: Who gets to decide which traits are attractive, and which are not? I suppose we all have the ability to choose specific traits we are attracted to, but I wonder how much is our own choice and how much has just been brainwashing by Playboy, GQ, celebrity gossip magazines, and America's Next Top Model.
That last show I mentioned, though, has done something good for me. I now realize the power of airbrushing and makeup and good lighting and camera angles. Most of the women on that show are pretty normal looking (albeit ridiculously thin) when they are not doing a shoot.
Should we look at the pictures of those models the same way we look at a well-composed painting? There was intention in the production of that image; it didn't happen by accident, and it was very planned out. Most of us don't have the luxury of planning out every outfit we put on or photo we take, so it seems really unfair for any of us to hold ourselves up to the standards of models, for example.
I have another question to ask about this quote. Is it saying that women are vain and just spend time looking in the mirror, trying to look pretty and the man (the samuri) is the warrior, and his identity is reflected in the sword?
3 comments:
How sexist! Which leads me to believe that the biggest factor in our perseption of our identity is social. Our society tells us if our identity is appropriate or not. This is why high schoolers need cliques to survive socially. This is why one thing, like perfectly arched eyebrows are more attractive than say a perfectly level unibrow.
What pisses me off is that the average person has little to no control over how society, through media outlets, declares what is hip, attractive, and what is not. (Media also covertly tells us that outward appearance defines personality and therefore identity as well.) So much of identity is not about me worrying about what I think about me, but me worrying about what other people will think of me.
The scary part is that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Where do I begin and where does cultural indunation begin????????
You raised an interesting question that I have been thinking about a lot: Who gets to decide which traits are attractive, and which are not? I suppose we all have the ability to choose specific traits we are attracted to, but I wonder how much is our own choice and how much has just been brainwashing by Playboy, GQ, celebrity gossip magazines, and America's Next Top Model.
That last show I mentioned, though, has done something good for me. I now realize the power of airbrushing and makeup and good lighting and camera angles. Most of the women on that show are pretty normal looking (albeit ridiculously thin) when they are not doing a shoot.
Should we look at the pictures of those models the same way we look at a well-composed painting? There was intention in the production of that image; it didn't happen by accident, and it was very planned out. Most of us don't have the luxury of planning out every outfit we put on or photo we take, so it seems really unfair for any of us to hold ourselves up to the standards of models, for example.
I have another question to ask about this quote. Is it saying that women are vain and just spend time looking in the mirror, trying to look pretty and the man (the samuri) is the warrior, and his identity is reflected in the sword?
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