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Body Image Representations Essay

Decent Essays

The phenomenon of dress and bodily adornment has always been a matter of conflict. It seems that society is constantly trying to repress the notion of aesthetics being a priority in any sense. Generally speaking, we are taught from a young age that looks are not important and we should not use them to make judgements of people. This is then contradicted by the notion of a doting mother always concerned about their child’s appearance, a nervous girl on a first date spending hours attempting to find something to wear, beauty pageants, wearing your best for a job interview even if the job’s uniform consists of a store shirt and khaki pants, and the like. This discord between what we say and how we actually feel creates some problems in the …show more content…

As I have worked in the service industry since I have been old enough to work, the art of people watching and people reading has become an activity I like to think I have mastered. At the moment, I work at a bar in Atlantic Station where people come to be seen. Because of my experiences in the service industry, Turner’s article has only further validated my belief that what we put on is more important to us than we think. As far as fashion goes, there are two types of people who exist. People who are wearing their outfits and those whose outfits are wearing them. I have noticed that women who are “wearing their outfits” so to speak, exude way more confidence than women whose outfits are “wearing them”. It may be the confidence, but it seems that these ‘confident’ women are usually wearing outfits that seem to be congruent with their personality. By that I mean wearing something they are genuinely comfortable in, almost with an air of “this outfit was made for me and no one else.” On the other hand, there are those women who look as if their clothes are holding them hostage. It is as if the clothes are not correctly communicating to the rest of society who they feel they really are. A perfect example of this is a woman who frequents my bar often. She is quite friendly and always willing

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