True, ever trivial characteristic of a woman contributes to her image and produces peer judgment, but in my opinion, a woman's "marks" ultimately speaks to her identity and individuality.
At the introduction of Tannen's essay, she critiques each woman's hair, makeup and sense of style, later claiming that every woman possesses distinct characteristics that set them apart from the others. But...what's wrong with that? Every woman chooses to present herself in a certain way for a reason - to show the world that we are not simply members of the female species, but unique individuals. Even in the few frenzy filled seconds before rushing out to the bus stop each morning, I usually manage to throw on something somewhat comfortable as well as adequately stylish. (Unless I have to take a practice ACT - those days call for automatic scrub mode.) I'm sure this gives the impression that I do put some effort into my appearance and have fairly decent taste in fashion. On the other hand, a girl I know regularly dresses in baggy shirts and basketball shorts almost every day. She establishes herself as a tomboy who doesn't care much about the idea of beauty. Another girl I know usually wears outfits that, while not exactly distasteful, are very plain and far from the latest trends. She sends the message that her physical appearance is not particularly important to her and that she'd rather not draw attention from a crowd. As expected, we do not run in the same social circles - our contrasting styles of dress are in a way an indication of the type of people we are and who we interact with. Is it wrong to look like the people we are?
Of course, the downside is that society is sure to form judgments upon us superficially - I'm sure we've all looked at a random girl in the hall and thought "Ew, what is she wearing?" However, undergoing a little social critique from strangers is by far a better alternative to being unmarked altogether. I mean seriously girls, do we really want to be like the typical teenage boy whose closet consists of approximately two sweatshirts that more or less look the same? I hope not. So embrace yourselves, chicas. On your marks...get set...go!
Angela, I actually wrote about the same thing! I totally agree with you that "marking" doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Girls dress the way they find appropriate or expressive. I wear sweats when I'm tired or feeling down, that doesn't mean I always dress like that or I don't care about what I wear. Society does put a lot of attention on what people wear and what it says about them.
ReplyDeleteI really do agree with you on this one. I agree with how our style can change but it doesn't set a specific title upon ourselves. I also really liked how Mark Zuckerburg somehow came up in this blog, with the whole "marking". Very clever!
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