Friday, January 18, 2008
Post 1
Bodies function within my environment in a multitude of ways and are dependent upon the classification of my environment. Classifying my environment as Austin Texas or even just the University of Texas is too broad of a scope to analyze the plethora of body types. For this topic I'll discuss the bodies within my closest group of 15 or so friends I've met in college. No two people within my group of friends have bodies that serve as a similar function or have many similarities at all. Several of my friends are in bands. They dress their bodies in ways that display a particular image that is tied into the attitudes and beliefs of the bands as well as the ideals the bands believe important and a part of those bands. They do this through piercings, tattoos, and the types of clothing that they wear. Other friends of mine are not as concerned with what accompanies their bodies as much as they are how their bodies look. These friends do physical activities that shape their bodies in a way that they feel is more desirable. There are friends of mine as well who wish to convey an image that they do not care what is desirable by society norms or "attractive." My friends also belong to different bodies within society. A majority of my friends belong to fraternities. They decorate their bodies in ways that help them fit into norms of their respective fraternities. Some of my friends are members of the University of Texas a Camp Texas counselors. These friends tend to have higher morals and be more principl- oriented than the rest of my friends. This is due in one of two ways to being a counselor. They were either chosen as a counselor because of this fact or have taken this stance as a direct result to belonging to this body.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I am going to respond to your blog because I think this how we comment. Let me know if I am wrong.
I agree with your definitions of the body. Looking at how different groups form their identities, it is crazy to see how people in each group fall in those boundaries. My sorority friends also dress to impress. They dress like the norm or what the media portrays as fashionable. It is not to say that is a bad thing. You can sit in a huge lecture hall and pick out what groups people fall into. Some people are more obvious than others. You can tell who is in a frat or sorority by the clothing they wear or even their body language. You can also find people that want to be outside of the magazine fashion world. They want to be different and do not follow the trends. Most of the things people do or wear are not consciously done, I believe. I think society has instilled in our brains how we should act, and people do it because it feels “natural” or like the right thing to do. They do not realize their free actions are controlled by the life around them.
--Aubrey Levinstone
I think that you also made an important point in the beginning of your post, when you touched on the idea that it is important to classify which environment you are discussing when looking at body representations. The place you are in, and the reason you are in that environment will certainly have an affect on how a body wishes to represent itself.
I think that a given person would change how they dress according to which environment they are in. For example, a student or someone who shows up to class looking sloppy and uncaring will definitely (hopefully) not show up looking that way to a job interview. Celebrities probably do not walk around their living rooms in designer dresses and suits.
- Emma Janzen
Post a Comment