The Kool Kidz pose the following questions about "The Story of My Body." Choose one to respond to (although you are welcome to respond to more than one!).
You have until FRIDAY this week to respond :)
In her personal essay "The Story of My Body," Judith Ortiz Cofer describes the discrimination she faced growing up and how everyone's perception of her depended on the society she was living in. Consider the questions below based on the reading and personal experience.
Ortiz Cofer discusses her childhood difficulty and the perceptions that her community and peers have had on who she became. She noted that she was viewed differently depending on her location. Do you think that an individual’s happiness relies on how they are perceived by others? How much does our self-esteem and how we view ourselves depend on our location?
As location changes so does perception, what is the current perception in America as far as racism and other discrimination against appearance? In other words, what does American society consider acceptable/beautiful and what does society consider to be undesirable?
Despite the common wisdom not to allow people to influence our own happiness, it is an underlying belief in America that our own happiness is tied in with how other perceive us. Americans are constantly dressing and acting in order to impress their peers and even people who claim to not care, are constantly affected by the way people respond to them. The way that the eldest Italian brother at the market responded to Judith Ortiz when she tried to touch the doll, by calling her “dirty”, truly affected the way she felt about herself (539). When she is among family, Judith’s skin color is seen as a beautiful “coffee” color but when she is described by others, her skin color is “like dirt” (540). After the entire incident, Judith went home and “washed [her] hands thoroughly with soap and hot water” proving that her happiness was affected by the perception of the Italian brother. Our entire identity is composed of how other see us and respond to us. Your location does not really affect out self-esteem or how we view ourselves but the people in the different locations. The fact that Judith grew up in Puerto Rico didn’t affect her as much as how the people responded to her. While still living in Puerto Rico she “got a lot of attention from [her] relatives and many other people we met in [their] burro” because she was considered by those people as “being bonita, pretty” (542). Just because she changed locations doesn’t mean that her self-esteem would change, but it is because she changed ethnic groups. For instance, when I am among people who look and dress the same way I do, I feel a part of the group, but when I am among people who look and dress different than I do, I feel alienated. An individual’s happiness does rely on how other’s perceive them but it is not based on location.
ReplyDeleteThe manner in which an individual is perceived in society almost always has an impact on their happiness. The extent to which people allow this to affect them may vary greatly, but as a society based civilization, humanity must always consider those around them. Societal perception has the capacity to affect an individual in multiple ways. First, and the most commonly recognized, is self esteem. One may develop their own self image based upon how others perceive them. This image can be a positive perception of their character, and can just as easily be manipulated by others to become a negative and degrading representation. Different people will be affected in different ways by others' perceptions, but they will always have an impact to some extent. Another way that societal perception can impact a person's happiness is by limiting their access to things that make them happy. It is not as prevalent today, but in the past it has been very common for people to refuse goods and services to people of a different ethnicity. There have even been situations in which certain ethnic groups do not have access to the same jobs as others. While this may not directly affect somebody's happiness, not having access to a higher paying and safer job limits a person's access to things that may make them happy, such as food, shelter, and leisure activities.
ReplyDeleteA person’s happiness depends on different things than another person’s happiness. For some people, how they are perceived by others can affect how happy they are. However, some people do not need the approval of others to be happy. Those with self-esteem can be happy regardless of what people think of them. The location, also, can affect an individual’s happiness depending on that person. There are some people who do not let location or other people affect their happiness and choose to be confident in who they are and not let the opinions of the world around them determine their happiness. These people are ultimately happier because they do not allow their happiness to be determined by things outside of their control.
ReplyDeleteHere in America, people are constantly dressing to impress those around them. People feel that they have to fit-in to be accepted and that being unique is a downside. At a time, in certain areas, different races were discriminated against. Many immigrants could not get particular jobs or live in certain towns. This still happens today, but it is not as prevalent as it used to be. A person can let their happiness be determined by other’s perceptions and location or they can choose to be happy with who they are and not let a person’s opinion dictate their happiness.
I think an individual’s happiness is affected by how they are perceived by others, but does not rely on it. Psychologically speaking, researchers have determined that acceptance, love, and belonging are secondary human needs. That makes happiness somewhat dependant of others’ acceptance. That acceptance also affects self-esteem, and location would change the standards of what is accepted, which would affect how much an individual is accepted. This is exemplified in Cofer’s The Story of My Body, when she is seen as tall and pretty in her Hispanic community, receiving candy from the proprietor, but as dirty and unwanted in a Caucasian society.
ReplyDeleteEven though people are all different I do believe that an individual’s happiness comes from how people are perceived by other people. A person’s happiness coming from others around them could be as simple as receiving a compliment for getting a new haircut. We constantly change our appearance to gain attention from others. It’s a fact; we do care about what other people think of us. A low self-esteem and how we view ourselves are one of the reasons why we let other people affect our happiness in a negative way. In an American society, being in shape, wearing the latest clothing, and confidence is considered desirable/beautiful. Being selfish, overweight, and not out-going are some qualities that could be described undesirable. Our location determines how we view ourselves and what kind of people we are.
ReplyDeleteJust like in the reading, location really does impact the way people view your appearance. In America, more specifically, where I spent most of my life in Peoria, Arizona, there a certain "look" that is considered "desirable". At both my elementary and high school, most the of girls were thin, white (sometimes tanned from the sun, but not from birth), blonde or light brown haired, and a well manicured body. You would rarely find more than 3 colored people in the whole school. If you were of a different race, people would look at you weird and wonder why you went to that school and lived in that area. This is similar to the author in the reading. Because of her location, she was discriminated against. If she was located in her original hometown, she would have been less likely to be judged based on her appearance because she would look similar to her peers. I personally grew up trying to achieve the perfect "appearance" that fitted in with my surroundings, my peers, and the social norms around me. The society in which I lived in in high school and even now in college is somewhat similar. I still find the type of girls that fit the Peoria description, but now I am more culturally exposed. I see lots of colors, races, looks, and body types. In college, it seems to be less likely that you'll be discriminated against because you get so used to seeing all of these different people around you every day. In a smaller location like my old high school, it is more typical to be discriminated against because there was really only one dominant race and very similar appearances. Our location definitely determines whether we will be discriminated against and how we will be discriminated against.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I totally butchered the second sentence. I meant to say, "In America, or more specifically, Peoria, Arizona (where I have spent most of my life), there is a certain look that is considered desirable.
DeleteAfter reading the comments, I would like to make a distinction that seems to be lost on people. The word "location" it seems is being used as interchangeable with "culture" and this shouldn't be. When the question asks "does self esteem change with location" the answer should be "No" because location itself isn't what changes your opinions. If you are an American in California and people treat you as an equal, if you move to Iowa, people would still treat you as an equal regardless of the location change so your self esteem stays the same. If that same American went to the Middle East, he would not be treated as an equal but as a lesser human (I know I'm stereotyping but please just bear with me). This change in opinion is not because of location but because of cultural influence and it is this influence that changes our own self esteem. So no, self esteem doesn't change with location but with culture.
ReplyDeleteI think that location and culture are so interlinked that they can easily be used interchangeably. Eric you even say if you went to the "Middle East" you wouldn't be treated the same. That's a location. It is understood though that you are refering to the culture difference, just like everyone else is when they talk about a location in this context. One's happiness is definitely linked to their location and the perception of others. Whether one tries to or not they are looking for acceptance from other people and that directly affects their happiness. The famous quote "No man is an island" sums this up nicely and relates how no person's life is independent of the effects of other people. Location in general definitely affects one's happiness as living in a sunny place such as Tempe improves people's moods, as opposed to somewhere that is dark and cold all the time.
ReplyDeleteI think that a person's happiness relies on his or her personal values, not the perception of other individuals. Like in the story, Ortiz says that in elementary school, she had the same drive that made her want to be accepted. She places value on acceptance; thus, she will care about other people's perception of her.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are many people in the world who value other things like academics, sports, or their career. Ortiz even shows this by her ability to "hide behind her books." To me, I think she found a way to manipulate her values; she wasn't hiding anything. This granted her a better ability to cope. I think that if a person has strong values or goals, he or she will have less time to be analyzing the way people perceive him or her.
Overall, my opinion is that people are either, naturally, extroverted or introverted. People that are extroverted need feedback, motivation, and support from those around them. Thus, the perception of people around them will directly affect their happiness. However, people that are introverted have internal motivation, determination, and discipline that facilitates their ability to ignore outside influences. Thus, they will not be very concerned about the perception of those around them, and their happiness will not be affected by outside perception.
As sad as it is to admit, I definitely think that an individual's happiness is effected by how they are perceived by others. Humans innately crave acceptance from others and unfortunately, that is something we think is "normal" to do. However, what people do with other's opinions makes a big difference. For example, many people take what others think of them very personally and if it is a negative comment, than they will start to believe that of themselves and it will probably lower their self esteem. On the other hand, some people hear what other people think of them and although it may be discouraging, they don't really take it to heart or effect their way of life. Both of these techniques can be unhealthy if taken to the extreme.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I disagree with a student that said self-esteem does NOT change with location. Almost every state in the United States has a different way of life. Just for example, where a certain activity may be normal in Tennessee, it may be viewed as odd in New York. When my dad was growing up, he moved multiple times because of his parent's jobs. When they moved from California to Texas and he showed up to his new school in sandals and bright shorts, students gave him strange looks because that was not the "normal" attire in Texas. So yes, I think our self-esteem can differ depending on our location because each place has their own norms and lifestyle.
I think how people are perceived is always on a persons mind, no matter how much they say or show that it isn’t. Clothing is a way that people display how they want people to perceive them. Some dress in suits and business attire to fit in with a crowd, others wear tattered and torn clothes to fit in with another crowd. Either one takes steps to fit in with the crowd they assimilate to. And when you are in the crowd that makes you comfortable you will be happier and more at home with others you don’t really know because you feel like there is an unspoken bond between you and those people.
ReplyDeleteIn the US, depending on the location, discrimination has a wide range of intensities. In much of the South, if you aren’t a Caucasian American you are going to be thought of as an undesirable. Another undesirable seems to be the homeless and poor. How often when you are walking by a homeless person with a sign asking for money do you question how down they actually are? Being from Minnesota there was a news story a couple years ago of a “bum” that grossed over $100,000 a year, drove a new car and had a house with wife and children. He obviously didn’t care how people perceived him when it came to his job, but outside that you have to wonder what he told his friends and family he did for a living.
Americans have a larger pride issue than the people in other locations or cultures (I'll just use them both) as it relates to appearances but also in other aspects such as personal property. For someone to be "hot" they must show a certain number or combination of the guidelines that most of us can think of, even if we disagree with them. Being even slightly overweight or even underweight could affect your chances. Also, racial prejudice is still common even as the first African American man achieves the presidency of our nation. But after considering these and more problems we have with outward appearance we come to conclusion that, as a whole and also from an individuals' perspective, our nation is shallow. Because we are all self-conscious, we judge others with the same standards. This affects a person's marriage, friendship, career choice, and other aspects of their life for the worse.
ReplyDeleteAgain, it's a pride issue. From a Christian perspective it withholds me from ministering to people and giving them the gospel. I am so focused on my own glory that I don't give God the glory He deserves. I once read something saying that in the adolescent brain, the reward of social acceptance sometimes outweighs mortal risk, such as with driving recklessly. This affects my life similarly. I and most American Christians alike (I say this because Christians around the world are dying for their beliefs and my only risk is being a "jesus freak") value our reputations so high that we lose sight of our true purpose in life, which is to glorify God.
Yes I do believe that the way others perceive an individual plays a role in their happiness. For example, every day she was picked last in P.E because she was not as fit as and smaller than the other girls. Although it may not seem like something important, something like that sticks with you. It can make you feel unwanted and you begin to think those opinions are true. I feel that most people want to feel accepted amongst their peers otherwise they feel like an outcast. They feel that they are not good enough to be around certain people. I know from my experience, I felt awkward in school if I did not have someone I could talk to. At times, I felt lonely because I had no one to talk or relate to.
ReplyDeleteLocation plays a major part of people’s self-esteem. Ortiz had discovered that at an early age because she was born in Puerto Rico as a white girl. She had been called nick names like blanca. She gets used to being the odd one out of everyone. For instance, she was yelled at the store because a guy thought she was to “dirty” to touch the Susie doll and made fun of her because of her skin tone. Also, she had been born with a pretty mother. Ortiz had been influenced that she needed to be pretty like her mom all the time. I know from my experience, I went to the elementary school that was near my house. The school was pretty poorly taken care of and many of the kids did not care about their education. I always loved school and did my best. I was considered one of the “smart kids” there. I felt odd when the teachers praised me for my grades in front of everyone because I still wanted to be like everyone else. I did my best to fit in with everyone else trying to take interest in sports like the other guys. I honestly do not care for sports, but I just wanted to fit in with the others. The location you grow up at and all the experiences you have as a child are all variables to how you view and feel about yourself.
Happiness is a feeling that can be manipulated very easily. For Judith all her childhood life was happiness because the people that surrounded her loved her and cared about her. As she grew up and moved to America it affected her because she couldn’t relate to others as she used to. She had to learn to communicate in a different language and dress differently. Happiness definitely ties in with location, and what people think of you. As much as a person denies it, it is obvious that it makes a difference. I know for me it was hard especially in school and at a young age. I was not born in Mexico but all my childhood I only knew how to talk in Spanish not English. Until fifth grade I started to learn it and it was difficult at times, I didn’t want to go to school because I couldn’t communicate with other students or teachers. Location is a big variable of happiness. I knew if I was with a group of people that were just like me I would be happier. As for what people think, America has this “desirable” qualities that a person should have especially for women; the typical skinny, flawless skin and with curves in the right areas. This has to do a lot with emotion trying to fit in the crowed, to not be alienated. Life is harsh for those that don’t know how to blend in and happiness is at risk.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the question, "Do you think that an individual’s happiness relies on how they are perceived by others?" I would say yes. However, to what extent it does, is different for everyone. Obviously if everyone treated you like crap you would most definitely be asking yourself what you're doing wrong. What matters is how you approach life and your attitude on a daily basis. I personally have more of an "I don’t give a f" attitude which just allows me to go with the flow. You take to heart what you want to take to heart and everything else really just doesn’t matter. Your self-confidence just depends on how you approach things. You're the one in charge of your happiness and you decide whether or not you want to be happy. If you let someone else do that for you, well then expect less than stellar results. It really just comes down to the type of person you are and the way you approach life.
ReplyDeleteIn America, beauty is determined by being pretty, having a nice body, and being sexy. In other words, Americans praise models. Pictures of models are posted all over the county. whether it be a billboard in Utah or a flyer in time square, models are praised.
ReplyDeleteAs far as people from different ethnicities go, it really depends on how attractive that person is. If anything, foreign people are sought to be very attractive and exotic. So pretty much, in order to make it in America, you have to look good.
The people that are kind of shunned in society are the over-weight, badly dressed, ugly people. These people are consider outcasts, loners, or the weirdoes. This degrading image that society gives them is unfair and discriminating, but this image of a perfection is set so high that girls do ridiculous things for it.
Nice effort on your post!! Models are the only good looking girls in America you got it
DeletePeople are social creatures who go insane without the company of others, so it may not be going too far to say that the perceptions other people have of one can heavily influence one's happiness. Those who live in close proximity for a long time become used to one another, while those who have only recently come into contact are distrustful of one another, which is a trait people have carried over from far earlier in the timeline of the species. Therefore, those who are new to us, i.e. people of other ethnic backgrounds, tend to seem less trustworthy and not as pleasant or attractive. So it is difficult for someone to migrate into a different culture and form new friendships with locals regardless of which culture that is.
ReplyDeleteThe United States is one of the easier places to do it today, however. While there is a majority race, the minority population is large and diverse enough that most people have encountered many of the minority races at some point and are more familiar and comfortable with them. Discrimination based on race is now frowned upon heavily. Mainstream media no longer uses only Caucasian actors and actresses as a standard for beauty, so it is not impossible by any means for someone of a minority race to be perceived as attractive by others in the United States. Old habits die hard, so remnants of discrimination remain embedded in our culture, for example with regard to wealth. Therefore there may still be a certain weight in the way Americans judge attractiveness given to the traditional ideal. However, with time, this will fade more and more.
Judith Oritz Cofer's story is not an unfamiliar one. While her childhood plight should not be discounted, I would just like to note that "The Story of My Body" was published in 1993, and attitudes towards minorities have certainly changed since Cofer was a child. Degrading other cultures and races (especially children of said races) is no longer viewed as socially acceptable. Growing up as a minority is difficult, but I think that Cofer's experience demonstrates the entire attitude of Americans toward anyone who is different, not simply Puerto Ricans, African Americans, etc.
ReplyDelete"I was 4F, skinny, short, bespectacled, and apparently impervious to the blood thirst that drove many of my classmates to play ball as if their lives depended on it" (540). Cofer was teased in school because of her height, weight, and general appearance. Yes, she also claimed that there was a hierarchy for popularity in her school: "pretty white girl, pretty Jewish girl, pretty Puerto Rican girl, pretty black girl" (543). I claim, however, that this discriminatory practice was more based off of class than race. Cofer's family was not well-off. When she was yelled at by the butcher, he called her 'dirty' perhaps because she wore more ragged clothing and apparently poor. She could not go on a date with Ted because his father thought that Puerto Ricans lived "like rats."
We all know what many Americans consider to be beautiful--movie stars and airbrushed models. But I do not think that Americans consider people to be unattractive because of their race. Like Cofer said, in college she suddenly became exotic and attracted a lot of male attention. Race is not as big of a factor in beauty anymore, but I do sympathize with Cofer's story because people are still ridiculed for being different, and ones' wealth is unfairly indicative of their character.
An individual's happiness is greatly influenced by how others perceive the individual. But I believe any happiness derived or relied on others' perception proves to be short term happiness in most cases. Happiness is still today an abstract concept and hard to define; when how others see you affects your happiness then you are happy just for that limited time. Ortiz Cofer's story supports this since the others' perception of her resulted in temporary happiness or sadness. Each experience affected her to a different extent. The moment with the supermarket man "is frozen in my mind" but it also "was not a turning point, a disaster, or an earth-shaking revelation." Her attempts to be accepted by her peers from PE classes and the subsequent peers' not choosing her remained part of her life and happiness for just that period when she was a kid. The incident with "Ted" was by far what affected her happiness the most and this time it was a result of her being perceived by someone whom she had not even met.
ReplyDeleteIn society most individuals crave for acceptance of others since their happiness is linked with others' perception of them. Cofer's story of her childhood experience could in fact be a lot of children's stories and something which even more adults can relate to. But I feel that whatever happiness or sadness is resulted by others' perception is only a part of the bigger picture. For Cofer says, "My studies, later my writing, the respect of other people... were the criteria for my sense of self worth" which means in her case that happiness relied more on her achievements and self-esteem.
So for the most part how we view ourselves is the driving force for our happiness and even this, to a degree, changes with location. As others have mentioned location and culture can get intertwined and thus both, or a mixture of both, do affect an individual's self esteem to a degree. Many manage to stay true to themselves no matter the location and remain happy. But again, different locations mean more people who will judge you. In an entirely new culture you might in some cases view yourself as superior or inferior by yourself perceiving others' lifestyles.
As of present day, the perception in America, about racism, is that it is of the past and will not be tolerated now. Although, I suppose there could be some discrimination that exists among those that hire. For example, an owner hiring someone for Baskin Robins probably wouldn’t hire someone who was obese. Their reasoning is that, people won’t buy that much ice cream if they see someone with that kind of figure, serving them. Also, a person hiring a nail technician probably wouldn’t hire someone that was over the age of 50. The reason behind that is because they fear that the person of age can’t see as well and would accidently make the customers bleed.
ReplyDeleteI believe that nowadays people consider thin and slender to be beautiful. Even though, back then it was more attractive to have a fuller figure because it meant that one had enough money to buy food. Now, since there is food always available to us, moderation is more attractive. Society considers obese to be undesirable. Ads portray this fact because it is VERY RARE that there is an ad featuring a plus size model. But when we talk about a majority group of people (society) there are the minority that view this as beauty.
An individuals happiness shouldn't be based on how the world sees them. A person's happiness should draw from with in. Unfortunately when you're growing up if you haven't built up any self-esteem or self confidence it may be hard to find happiness. Everyone longs for social acceptance of some kind. The key to happiness is to draw joy from other things besides that. I believe that the environment you grow up in affects how you view yourself. I was the bigest and strongest child growing up so I was always physically accepted. Luckily I grew up in a school where race wasn't seen, but for many people they are judged on something they had no control over and that influences how you act and develop. Social acceptance affects you're happiness if you like it or not.
ReplyDeleteWhat people desire is constantly changing and differs from each individual, but generally speaking most people are attracted to fit, thin, tall, caucasian people. You don't see many people in American media as objects of attraction. This doesn't necessarily have to do with racism but more of demographics. The majority of America is still caucasian or white. and one of smallest demographics are asian. So location has a lot to do with what is desirable.
American society has always stood behind the public policy of equality for all. Obviously, this was the very idea our county was founded on but despite this attitude, there are still considerable levels of discrimination against appearance in our county. Perhaps this discrimination can best be seen in the marketing of beauty supplies. The aim of these advertisements is to convince the audience—you—that you are not good looking enough and need to buy Product X so that you can be beautiful. Corporate advertising is so prevalent in our society today; it scares me to think about marketing techniques in the future. What new methods will American corporations use to try and manipulate our emotions in the future? Similarly these advertisements display women in minimal clothing that appear to be on the verge of starvation. Within the last five or six years, people in our society have began to point out that this should not be the image America strives to portray.
ReplyDeleteTo some degree yes, I believe that an individual’s happiness is somewhat dependent on how others perceive you. Humans are social animals and covet human-to-human interaction and because of this we are very conscious on how others perceive us. The opinions we form about ourselves and on how others perceive us make up our self-esteem and as Ortiz Cofer points out, high self-esteem leads to happiness. In this way, happiness is dependent on how other perceives you to some extent.
Everyone is affected by the opinions of others. We can not avoid it. If you walking by someone, for example, and they say something to their friend negatively about what you are wearing you will automatically second guess your style. This then effects your self-esteem (which we are told shouldn't) in a negative manner. When someone from a "nicer" city goes into a bad part of town they automatically place themselves as better than the people who live there solely off of their class. Opinions effect the very way we do things; some more than others. It is how much we let those effect us that determines our overall happiness. Therefore, our happiness is not based on the opinions of others but how much we let the opinions of others affect our self-confidence. Someone with a higher self-esteem is almost always more likely to be happy than someone who thinks poorly of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe happiness is solely derived from the perceptions others have of us. However, the opinions of others and the standards society has deemed acceptable or desirable do unconsciously affect us. The author, Ortiz Cofer didn’t let these outside influences determine her self-worth. She was a bright student and found solace in her studies. Contrary to what I learned in my human diversity course this semester (which is that there is a universal standard of attractiveness), I believe these “standards” are different depending on your location, as they are highly subjective. However, our self-esteem should not be affected by a change in location, but realistically the comments and reactions we get from others inevitably will.
ReplyDeleteI feel that your location and surroundings can hugely affect your happiness. I feel this way because i have lived in several different locations. I was born and raised in San Diego then i moved to Kansas for my first year of college. I think a lot of the time people do not understand how different of a lifestyle people have even in our own country. Growing up in a city and then moving to a town is a major culture shock and your appearance to others is perceived very differently. Many things that are the norm to you are not the norm for everybody else. I feel very strongly about this because i could personally see my happiness change when i went to and from Kansas and San Diego. I feel that surroundings actually have a bigger impact on happiness than most people realize. That is untill they go somewhere with a complete different culture.
ReplyDeleteLocation certainly has an effect on the perception of a person because the "standard" of what is good-looking changes from place to place. It is in this way that happiness can be subjective to location. While being considered "pretty" is not a necessity to life, it is the want of every teenager to be desired because of your looks. Being perceived as desirable generally boosts self-esteem and therefore makes a person happier. Because Judith Ortiz Cofer is in America, she is perceived as less desirable by her looks than if she had been in Puerto Rico. I believe that if she had never moved to America, she wouldn't have encountered the same issues of a minority (and therefore less attractive) physical appearance and instead would have been regarded as beautiful like the perception of her mother is described.
ReplyDeleteIn current times in the United States a variety of opinions exist on what is beautiful and what is undesirable.
ReplyDeleteFor the greater population, having a healthy weight is considered acceptable. On the flip side of the greater population, there are companies, active groups that are trying to suppress this social norm. The glorification of a single body type is demeaning to men and women of all shapes, according to these groups.
Another social standard of beauty is to have symmetrical features on an unblemished face. In movies and in television the monster, or despicable creature is always the person with the less-than symmetrical face, often accompanied by a variety of blemishes.
Having an outgoing personality is another prized attribute to a person as seen by Americans. Once again, as displayed through media the person to "get the girl," or to reach the goal, is an outgoing person.
Those are just a few ideals of American society,
:)
I do think an individual's happiness relies on their location and the way are viewed by others. For example after the 9/11 attacks, many indian looking americans were harrased and even killed because people thought they were terrorist.
ReplyDeleteAmerican society has a high standard when it comes to beauty. It is actually phyically impossible to have the perfect body as you see in the magazines because they are photoshop! And most people that do want that perfect body would risk their health to get it. I see this alot in some of the college girls at ASU. They would go a whole day without eating just so they can have a good body. You are considered undesirable in american society if you don't have nice clothes, a nice car and money. And the funny thing is you can be highly disirable if you are a douchebag but have all these things.
I think that a lot of what makes us feel good depends on our location. This reminds me of a girl I recently met here at ASU. She was telling me how she was likely going to transfer because she felt that she did not fit in here. Originally from Iowa, I was curious as to why. She said that she did not like Arizona because it was too much like California. She said she had never been to a place where people could only dress “glamorous.” She missed the days where she could simply dress in sweats and some sneakers. I had never really thought about it, but people do really care too much about their looks when they live here. Wherever you go, there are nicely dressed people. People pay tons of money for clothes, makeup, and other accessories all just to make themselves feel better. However, as my friend pointed out, this is not the case in all places, so I think that it definitely depends on their location.
ReplyDeleteI think what Americans view as beautiful is also very stereotypical. I once asked my friend from high school what his ideal wife would be. “Dumb, blond, and with big boobs!” was his reply. Look at any ads for cologne, fashion, and even food, and you’ll find that most of the models are tall and skinny, or muscular and clean cut. Even in this “non-racist” society you still don’t see very many ethnic models, which shows that America still isn’t very comfortable with the idea of a woman of color being the idea of beauty, which is a problem that most do not notice.
American society much more than other cultures and regions of the world places a strong emphasis on physical appearance and beauty. Essentially as a culture, we stress the importance of maintaining a certain physical look that is considered acceptable by other members of society. Body image is something that many individuals struggle with because of the immense pressure to achieve that ‘perfect’ figure. Teens and adults often feel such pressure that they seek alternative non -healthy ways to be thin or slender. Rather than our society emphasizing the importance of maintaining a skinny figure, we should be placing an emphasis on healthy eating habits and proper exercise. Individuals who are overweight or do not meet these ridiculous standards, often experience ridicule and a lack of acceptance from others. American society considers desirable women to be thin, have good skin, hair, and wear make up to be more beautiful. Physical musculature, proper hygiene and stylish dressing habits are among the standards that American society has for men. Our lack of appreciation for an individual’s character and emphasis on how an individual presents themselves physically is a true testament to the long road ahead of changing popular culture in America.
ReplyDeleteRacism in America, at least as far as the more violent, oppressive racism is concerned, has been marginalized and for the most part been extinguished, except for in a few radical pockets. However, soft discrimination still exists. But what is considered "unattractive" or "unpresentable", as this article discusses, is definitely subject to the setting. What is considered beautiful in America is often parallel to what would be typical of an attractive, young, mid-lower weight white girl (only using women as an example because who knows what they find attractive in men?). This leads to the vast majority of individuals of other races to be found unattractive by the general population. Perhaps as the average racial makeup of America changes as races mix there will be broader societal definitions of beauty.
ReplyDeleteI believe that when someone has high self-esteem and is noticed in a positive way by others then those people are generally happier than people who have low self-esteem because they do not feel as important. I think if you are in a location that you were raised in and are familiar with the people, then talking down to specific races or looks would not occur as often and would be rare because as Ortiz Cofer said in the reading, she was called pretty and was not talked down to because of the way she looked, and that was because it was her home town and everyone is familiar with each other and would not talk down to people that are just like them selves. In America the characteristics most people look for when they think of attractive women are unreasonable and exclude a large number of the american population, therefor a lot of women do not feel beautiful and beat themselves up for it. Men consider if you are attractive, you are skinny, tall, perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect teeth, and other assets which all together is very unrealistic which is why women now get surgery to feel “pretty”. Society considers people who not nearly overweight “fat” and people who are so skinny it is unhealthy “a good figure”, it is sad and has effected many peoples outlook on life because it lowers their self-esteem which results in not being happy with themselves.
ReplyDeleteOur self-esteem should not have anything to do with where we live as children or adults. However, the way that people precieve you does have a huge influence on your happiness as an individual in the sense that people who have authority over your life can make life changing decisions based off of what they see or believe about you. Superficial factors such as where you live or grew up, your nationality, education level, etc. are factors that people who do not know your inner character use to judge or form an opinion about you because it is the first thing that they can see. That does not make them right for feeling or labeling you the way that they have, but in cases where such an even has taken place it is important to have a health self-esteem about yourself otherwise the way that people may judge you could have a huge effect on the way you view yourself. With that being said I do not believe that someone esles opinion about you should hold any weight on how you view yourself, but I understand that in many events it happens.
ReplyDeleteI believe that yes, a person's happiness does have a substantial dependence of other's perceptions of him or her. This is because based off these perceptions a person will be treated differently, whether it be positively or negatively. These reflected appraisals shape how we view ourselves and how good or bad we evaluate ourselves. If this causes you to have low self worth it is very difficult to be happy. Because what people value depends on the location and that location's society and culture our location can be a very large factor in how our self-esteem develops and how we view ourselves; pretty or ugly, dumb or smart, tall or short, etc.
ReplyDelete