Click HERE to go back to the Humanities page
Sociology and Identity
Have you ever thought about how much society affects the decisions you make? How, the moment you get dressed you are thinking about what others are going to say or think? Most people don't realize how much of an affect society has them, but truthfully, society has the ultimate word on almost everything. Studying Sociology has been eye opening and intense at the same time. For example, Feral Children. Feral Children is about children who were abandoned and neglected at a very young age and were taken in by animals. After growing up with them, the children had taken on acting like the animals that had cared for them. In one case, there was a little girl named Oxana Malaya, when she was found at age eight, Oxana completely thought that she was a dog. Her behaviors consisted of walking on all fours, howling, sniffing her food before she ate it, and on top of it all, she had the acute senses of hearing, smell and sight. Feral Children explains that humans can be socialized to be anything, and if there is no love or attention from other humans, sometimes we will turn to the next best thing... animals. To learn more about Oxana, and other Feral Children, go to this link http://listverse.com/2008/03/07/10-modern-cases-of-feral-children/. Feral Children wasn't the only thing we learned about, we also studied Looking Glass Self, (the concept that a person's self grows out of society's interpersonal interactions and the perceptions of others), Agents of Socialization, the factors that socialize who you are, and much more. But, the major project that we did during Sociology was the Mask Project. The Mask Project was about who we are, and how we had been socialized. I wrote my paper on the pressure that society puts on women to be perfect. If you look at the paragraph and link below, you will see the struggle I had trying to keep up with that pressure, all because of society and the effect it has on people, whether you know it or not.
Change
Say you were to count how many times you saw advertisements for beauty products in a day. Just that alone would probably add up to about 32 times a day for the average person. That doesn't sound like much but then look at it this way, 32 multiplied by 365 is 11,680, take it a step further and multiply 11,680 times your age. In my case it would be 14 multiplied by 11,680 which add up to 163,520 ads a year. Every time you see one of these advertisements your brain registers it and after seeing 163,520 of them, it will start making you think that you need to be more like the models in them. It all adds up, whether you realize it or not. And unfortunately,
people will go to extremes in hopes of matching up to all of that photo shopped beauty.
The majority of society thinks that woman should have outstanding beauty and sex appeal. Most of those 163,520 advertisements are targeting the already delicate feelings of unsure women, making them think that all of that beauty is real, when in reality it’s an illusion. I know because I am one of them. At age 11 I began to give into that pressure to be perfect. It started off with an innocent want for makeup and straight hair. I had never known why I wanted those things so bad; all I knew was that it was everyone else was doing. It may have been the fashion magazines that I had been getting into, but I only registered that influence subconsciously. Never would I have guessed that until recently, I would step out of my home worried about judgment, teasing and embarrassment if something wasn't right.
From age 11 through 13, I found that I was most influenced and affected by the media and it was the worst that I had ever felt about my social image. I had no self-confidence and hid myself underneath a completely fake facade. And if you look at the right side of my mask you will see that. The over-the-top makeup, and sadness; is portrayed on my mask. During that period of time I was never happy with myself or my image. As embarrassing as this is to admit, I was always moping and never appreciating what was right in front of me, which is why I don’t have any symbols on that side… except for the key. The key represents how hidden I was and how almost no one knew what was going on. I would refuse the love that my amazing friends and family presented me and hex off their persistent voices telling me things that could have made me a happier
and better person in general.
It was during Christmas Break in 8th grade that I finally came to my senses about everything. Something clicked in my mind, “I can’t change who I am no matter how much I try.” Maybe I finally heard all of those voices trying to get through to me from three years before, regardless of what it was, I have realized that I’m not perfect and there’s no way I can be, but underneath it all I am happy and content with who I am. That’s where the blue on the left side comes in; it’s a light cheerful color that shows how my personality is now. Next is the symbol of the tree, the roots are representing the memories of my darkest point. But where would a tree be without the trunk,the strong core of its being? Supportive family and friends are what have helped me up, kept me strong, persisted me to keep going, and kept pushing me so that I can experience what there is to explore with confidence. While the roots are focusing more on memories, the trunk on supports, branches are there to symbolize that no matter how much I grow, change, and learn, I will never go back to the point where I was unhappy and pitiful. Whatever happens in my future I now know that I am strong enough to look through the mural of modern beauty and go deeper into the content of my crazy beautiful life.
People have asked if I have ever wished that I could take back that point in my life and every time my answer is “definitely not.” Going through that experience has made me a better person today; I now understand why some starve themselves, why others will spend thousands of dollars in beauty items, and why others dread stepping outside the protecting shelter of their homes. Society expects perfection, the pressure of that can equal up to just a little thought in minds for some, the lucky ones. But on the other end of the scale, there are times where it’s all that anybody can think about, something bigger than you would ever expect. It can bruise, scar and sadden a mind, heart, and confidence. If you are reading this and had or have the same problem that I
experienced, just remember that it can get better. Just let the ones you love, love you in return, and know that you can change yourself for the better, and
remember that change isn't always bad.
Say you were to count how many times you saw advertisements for beauty products in a day. Just that alone would probably add up to about 32 times a day for the average person. That doesn't sound like much but then look at it this way, 32 multiplied by 365 is 11,680, take it a step further and multiply 11,680 times your age. In my case it would be 14 multiplied by 11,680 which add up to 163,520 ads a year. Every time you see one of these advertisements your brain registers it and after seeing 163,520 of them, it will start making you think that you need to be more like the models in them. It all adds up, whether you realize it or not. And unfortunately,
people will go to extremes in hopes of matching up to all of that photo shopped beauty.
The majority of society thinks that woman should have outstanding beauty and sex appeal. Most of those 163,520 advertisements are targeting the already delicate feelings of unsure women, making them think that all of that beauty is real, when in reality it’s an illusion. I know because I am one of them. At age 11 I began to give into that pressure to be perfect. It started off with an innocent want for makeup and straight hair. I had never known why I wanted those things so bad; all I knew was that it was everyone else was doing. It may have been the fashion magazines that I had been getting into, but I only registered that influence subconsciously. Never would I have guessed that until recently, I would step out of my home worried about judgment, teasing and embarrassment if something wasn't right.
From age 11 through 13, I found that I was most influenced and affected by the media and it was the worst that I had ever felt about my social image. I had no self-confidence and hid myself underneath a completely fake facade. And if you look at the right side of my mask you will see that. The over-the-top makeup, and sadness; is portrayed on my mask. During that period of time I was never happy with myself or my image. As embarrassing as this is to admit, I was always moping and never appreciating what was right in front of me, which is why I don’t have any symbols on that side… except for the key. The key represents how hidden I was and how almost no one knew what was going on. I would refuse the love that my amazing friends and family presented me and hex off their persistent voices telling me things that could have made me a happier
and better person in general.
It was during Christmas Break in 8th grade that I finally came to my senses about everything. Something clicked in my mind, “I can’t change who I am no matter how much I try.” Maybe I finally heard all of those voices trying to get through to me from three years before, regardless of what it was, I have realized that I’m not perfect and there’s no way I can be, but underneath it all I am happy and content with who I am. That’s where the blue on the left side comes in; it’s a light cheerful color that shows how my personality is now. Next is the symbol of the tree, the roots are representing the memories of my darkest point. But where would a tree be without the trunk,the strong core of its being? Supportive family and friends are what have helped me up, kept me strong, persisted me to keep going, and kept pushing me so that I can experience what there is to explore with confidence. While the roots are focusing more on memories, the trunk on supports, branches are there to symbolize that no matter how much I grow, change, and learn, I will never go back to the point where I was unhappy and pitiful. Whatever happens in my future I now know that I am strong enough to look through the mural of modern beauty and go deeper into the content of my crazy beautiful life.
People have asked if I have ever wished that I could take back that point in my life and every time my answer is “definitely not.” Going through that experience has made me a better person today; I now understand why some starve themselves, why others will spend thousands of dollars in beauty items, and why others dread stepping outside the protecting shelter of their homes. Society expects perfection, the pressure of that can equal up to just a little thought in minds for some, the lucky ones. But on the other end of the scale, there are times where it’s all that anybody can think about, something bigger than you would ever expect. It can bruise, scar and sadden a mind, heart, and confidence. If you are reading this and had or have the same problem that I
experienced, just remember that it can get better. Just let the ones you love, love you in return, and know that you can change yourself for the better, and
remember that change isn't always bad.