Everyday
people are judged by the type of clothes they wear, and how they choose to
represent themselves. There are different forms of attire for different
occasions, but there are also forms of attire that we wear to represent our
identity. We choose to do this in the same way in how we personalize our homes
with different objects and decorations. Wood describes these objects and
representations as artifacts, or “personal objects we use to announce our identities
and heritage and to personalize our environments” (Wood, 2011).
While
working in California last summer, I was called out on two separate occasions
for wearing a Nebraska hat. The first time, a man said, “Oh you’re from Nebraska
huh? Not much around there except a bunch of cornfields.” I then had to explain
that while yes, there are miles and miles of cornfields in Nebraska, that is
not all there is. The second time, a younger guy asked me how I thought our
football team would fair in the move to the Big 10. It was not surprising to be
asked about Nebraska football in another state while wearing a Nebraska hat.
Nebraska natives probably find themselves experiencing conversations like these
many times throughout their lifetimes.
Although I
was not surprised as the questions and statements I heard regarding Nebraska in
California, I was not wearing a Nebraska hat to be recognized as a hick
Nebraska football fan. I was wearing the hat to be recognized as a Nebraska
native, still a football fan, but with Midwestern values learned in a great
state to grow up. I was trying to portray a hard working and respectful image. Clothing
will always be a way for me to reflect my identity, just as my home decorations
are as well as my Facebook profile and posts. That being said, artifacts are a
way for all of us to portray a certain image or representation of ourselves.
To show an
example of style as an artifact, here is a representation of a guy that is all
business, but knows how to party:
References:
Wood, Julia T. (2011).
Interpersonal communication: Everyday encounters.
Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
I think an interesting think to branch off of this blog is that we all are always talking about how others are judging us. It obviously does affect our social interactions, and sometimes I find it interesting to see how much we ourselves judge others, not intentionally, but naturally, as any human being raised in a specific culture. These "judgmental barriers" are all very influencing on a relationship between any individuals and is something to think very closely on when exposing yourself to an outside culture.
ReplyDeleteThat pic is hilarious! Great blog, but the content is from chapter 5 and the first blog needed to focus on chapter 4. How about for the next blog you pick a topic from chapter 4 to balance it out. For paragraph 3, think about how you can apply this concept to specific interpersonal interactions.
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