Culture and Socialisation: the Building Blocks of Our Identity

Body modification has become increasingly popular due to the influence of media and social trends. As the popularity of body modification increases, the stigma and stereotype that has followed it for generations is gradually losing its prevalence (Keyser, 2017). Social media is a major influence on the popularity of body modification; it has brought body modification into the mainstream and due to this, is becoming more socially accepted (Murphy, 2015). However Cassar (2017) believes ‘Tattoos and piercings are no longer unique”, resulting in the more extreme forms of body modifications as people strive to be unique and stand out from the crowd. The survey conducted shows that 78.6% of the participants had a form of body modification. Out of

Our day to day lives can typically involve umpteen interactions with individuals from across the life span whose identity comprises multiple layers. Culture can often be a significant element of identity; thus practicing cultural safety, which can be viewed as an environment where individuals’ cultural identities, rights, and experiences are not challenged or denied, rather they are respected and understood (Williams, 1999), within interactions is essential. Cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence are intertwined in cultural safety, and a principle step in developing and understanding these concepts is examining our own cultural identities and how they shape our worldviews and attitudes. In this paper, I will reflect on my own cultural

Many children in various cultures had to undergo body modifications due to certain cultures and beliefs. “The feet of very young Chinese girls were bound and spliced, intentionally and irreversibly deforming them, because this was seen to guarantee the girls’ eventual amorous and matrimonial success.” (Borel,1994). In Polynesia, unless a girl was tattooed, she would not find a husband. An unornamented hand could not cook, nor dip into the communal food bowl (Borel,1994). It is as to say that “the fact that such motivations and pretexts depend on aesthetic, erotic, hygienic, or even medical considerations has no influence on the result, which is always in the direction of transforming the appearance of the body. Such a transformation is wished for, whether or not it is effective.”

There is a Mexican man that enters with the rest of his family. They eat beans, rice, flour tortillas and etc. The family does there every day routine, the dad wakes up at six- thirty to go to work in his truck. The children go to school and the mother stays at home. The things a person does in their all has a reason which goes all back to culture. Culture is what makes up everyone different from one another. Texts such as “What is Cultural Identity?”, “Where Worlds Collide” and “Two ways to Belong” supports that depending on one’s culture it effects one perspective on the world and others.

According to Salmon, 1985 (Salmon 1985, p171), development and change are not limited to childhood but continue throughout our lives. It is however argued that personal identities are similar to social identities, and include group or collective identities.

According to Beauty and Self-Image in American Culture, “In a society that equates the body with both self and moral worth, cultural meanings are attached to physical differences, so that the body provides a foundation for oppression based on gender, class, ethnicity, and age—all social characteristics that are deeply embodied.” (Gimlin 141) In the end,

What may be considered body deviance to some may be considered art or beauty to others. Body deviance can be either an “enlightening” experience or a failure. By having tattoos or participating in the “Carnival of the Grotesque” an individual may finally feel a part of something, or may have to deal with the consequences of being judged based on the decisions they have made by participating in body

The book Low Fat Love addresses a variety of sociological issues, one of which is body image (Leavy, 2011). While an individual may hold his or her own personal body image, that image is often shaped by social forces outside the person’s control. That is, standards set by society about gender, also known as gender ideals, influence how individuals view themselves. Gender ideals become internalized through the process of socialization. It is when individuals accept the messages of what it means to be a man or woman in their society and learn the associated norms that they begin to acquire a social identity (Ferrante, 2014).

It is no problem to glance at someone on the street and notice how they have altered their bodies in order to look more presentable. Nowadays this is “normal” to most people. Many women perform a daily routine in the morning in order to be their finest selves, but why are they doing this? Their answer may be to create a positive picture of themselves, but deep down the source of their daily routines is to be portrayed as normal in the eyes of others within their culture. This is an example of disciplinary body practices, which are “routines, rules, and practices” which help to maintain the body (Women’s Voices Feminist Visions, p. 193). They come at a cost, which may include time, money, and effort and these practices are influenced by various sources, such as television shows and commercials, magazines, social media, and many more. Both culture and globalization are directly connected to the influence of these practices and many people believe that if they do not conform to these practices, they will be seen as “odd.” I have experienced this myself because of my daily practices. Some examples of these disciplinary practices include shaving legs, styling hair, putting on make-up, surgeries, piercing body parts, tanning, and many more, which all come at a cost.

A Mutual Cultural Perception Culture shapes one’s perspectives and characteristics in which paves a pathway into society; however, one’s cultural position is connected by one’s decisions regardless of the importance of one’s culture in terms of introducing values and beliefs at an early stage of life. In other words, as individuals within society begin to view others and interpret the world, they may choose to follow a different path into society in which their cultural influence remains static. Some individuals within society believe that one’s culture impacts one’s perspectives and moral values of one’s physiological beliefs, one’s cultural identity; however, some individuals effected by a new environment and society may feel disconnected

Individuals tend to compare himself or herself with images of those who appear on ads, commercials, television, and in magazines, causing himself or herself to notice differences between his or her own body and the individual’s body who is presented in the media. Consequences from viewing the media results in “ failure to meet important but unrealistic size and weight goals [which] lead to body dissatisfaction and negative mood. In the cognitive domain investment in appearance as the central criterion of self evaluation results in selective attention to appearance messages” (Tiggemann 295). Dissatisfaction with one’s body arises when he or she handles his or her perceived inadequacy by attempting to fulfill the media’s image of the ideal body but fails to meet society’s

Similar to my family’s critical role in my personal and social identity’s development, my ethnicity also contributes some of the most noticeable modifications of a social agents affect on an individual’s personal and social identity. Ethnicity provides a sense of belonging to a group and or a place in a globalised society. As for myself, ethnicity on a micro, meso and macro scale has become a major element in my personal and social identity’s

Moreover, as an individual grows up from being a child, they receive cultural values from the family or the society around. There are questions raised on matters dealing with identity: Can an individual choose his or her own

The article "Reflecting on Cosmetic Surgery: Body Image, Shame, and Narcissism" by Jane Megan Northrop points out that the physical body has always played a major role in society throughout history. This situation has caused cosmetic surgeries to increase rapidly, because people want to fit in to obtain a successful life. One of the aspects of society they want to fit in is their social groups. Northrop used Marcel Mauss’s idea to explain how body appearances influence social groups. According to Mauss this process is called “prestigious imitation” (Northrop). In the article stated “He argued that understanding such processes could not be achieved by sociological endeavor alone and called for a tripartite approach which incorporated sociology, psychology, and physiology” (Northrop). The use of body techniques or the use of outer materials like clothes to have ideal appearance to associate with different social groups. Mauss used sociology, psychology, and physiology concepts to understand prestigious imitation to see how others are socialize with their social groups. As people observe their society through the media or with their own experiences to see what kind of people are benefited the most. The result of the media is that the people with good appearances have more fun, are more sociable, are smarter, and have a better life. Their observations lead them to want to have good appearance which can result in the use of plastic surgery. When one person

At its core, cosmetic surgery, medical technology, physical and biochemical status of ethical issues are prevalent in modern society. Change of appearance in human development appears in one artistic expressional event after another, such as: Austronesian tattoo, tattooed, Western grant wash and circumcision, long-necked tribe neck plus a circle of copper rings, the wrapping of Chinese Ming and Qing Dynasty feet for small size, the obsessional fitness of modern society with fasting and its obsession with a set standard of female physical beauty ....... Its main purpose is nothing more than to improve the soul level, to define race, and cater to the beauty zeitgeist of the times.  An external change such as surgery or tattooing often produces an unnatural experience and a period of physical and mental suffering, or continuous self-restraint before they can reach the