Today, our society is filled with various cultures, beliefs, and lifestyles. Despite differences, everyone wants to be accepted by others in their community, but there is no clear line to what defines what has to be done in order to be accepted. Being accepted could mean wearing the right clothes, being involved in the right clubs or groups, or simply being a kind or generous individual. As stated in the book Remix, “the label ‘normal’ is loaded with a range of cultural assumptions” (Latterell p. 9). Everyone has a different view of what is normal. No one can clearly define what normal is, but people still expect others to act normal by their own standards. Today, people are pressured by society to conform to expensive trends when they would …show more content…
Anyone can observe the appearance of others around them and make assumptions about what kind of person they are. However, judging people by how trendy they are is not an accurate way to decipher who a person truly is. For example, the website Bustle states that “humans are acutely social animals, and trend-following appears most radically in our youth and early adulthood, when we're most self-conscious about our social standing” (Thorpe). This quote demonstrates that large groups of people only follow trends because they are self-conscious and feel pressured to do so in order to be accepted by people their age. Conforming to trends is meaningless; following trends does not change who someone is or what they believe in. If people dress for themselves rather than for others, people will express what they perceive to as normal. If someone wants to wear an expensive item of clothing, they should wear it because they enjoy wearing it or to celebrate and display their success, not because they feel obligated to wear it in order to be deemed normal by others. By dressing according to their personal taste and style, people will be able to better accept what others perceive as normal. People should not focus on how well someone conforms to trends, but instead, what kind of person they truly …show more content…
2008, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043473/School-children-called-geeks-wearing-cheap-clothing.html. Havrilesky, Heather. “Bobos.” Remix: Reading & Composing Culture, by Catherine G. Latterell, 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017, pp. 34–40 “How Much Do Consumers Spend on Apparel?” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2012 https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2012/fashion/. Latterell, Catherine G. Remix: Reading & Composing Culture. 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017. “Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms?” ProCon.org, ProCon.org, 15 Nov. 2017, https://school-uniforms.procon.org/ Thorpe, JR. “What Fashion Trends Really Represent.” Bustle, Bustle, 22 Dec. 2017, https://www.bustle.com/articles/94811-where-do-fashion-trends-start-why-people-care-about-whats-in-style-and-what-it-really. McKay, Hollie. “How Much Do Oscar Attendees Really Pay for Their Red Carpet Looks?”Fox News, Fox News Network, 24 Feb. 2012,
Most people want to be normal. The definition of normal however, depends on the culture of the person making the judgment. Far too often, normal is defined in America by looking at the actions and beliefs of the average white middle class family. This definition of normal fails to let other cultures to be accepted, creating distance and misunderstanding.
Once you are born, you become a part of a larger group. You will grow up starting at a point in your parent's life and then over time they or even you will change the direction of your families subculture in whatever country you all live in. In America, People strive for the best. Not all get it, but somehow or someone will push that family into a situation where they can move up in the world. Over the years America has came to a point where most jobs pay well and mostly anyone can be considered a middle class resident. In America this is considered normal to the general public. Being normal and striving to be normal is the focus most people try to reach within their lifetimes. Normality is a subculture in itself.
Everyone has different opinions on what is normal and what is not normal. Some people think giving junk food to their children is not normal and some people think that it is completely normal and okay. Some people think getting married at a young age is normal and some people don’t think it is okay to get married until you have your life together. We can never as a society judge someone by what they personally feel is right or wrong and there are many things that people will disagree on but what matters is what is morally right and sane. That is why we have laws and consequences for the things we do morally wrong like murder, rape, etc.
Think about a time when you made a decision without carefully thinking. What factors motivate us to make such decision? We often make quick and effortless decisions based on our stereotype of other people. The stereotypes we make are simply due to the difference between their nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age or ability, and ours. Racial stereotype, as one of the most commonly seen stereotype in our life, has an efficient job on how people form judgments of other people and then make decision through three situations.
In the 1980’s classic The Breakfast Club, John Hughes wrote it best, “We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all.” Societal normalcy is more of a false notion and facade rather than an fact. Who dictates what normal is? With every person on Earth being different, how is there a norm? The idea of what is “normal” in society is what plagues the monster in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Wanting to be a functioning member of society, the creation of Doctor Frankenstein is judged based on his physical differences rather than given a chance to show his true nature. However, society is not always to blame for a person or creatures’ adversity with society.
School Uniforms." Phi Delta Kappan 92.6 (2011): 63-66. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
There is no concrete definition to what is normal. Taking a look at society’s law to see what is considered culturally normal doesn’t necessarily give us the right idea of what is “normal.” The characteristics of being male, white, financially stable and Christian represents society’s view of being normal. This is what is accepted. Amy Tan’s short essay of “Mother Tongue” and Audre Lorde’s essay on “Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” both portray the figure of family and cultural concepts of what is “normal” and relating that to gender, class and race.
In society today, the clothing that someone wears is basically a billboard for his or her personal, or family's financial situation. For children in public schools, fitting in with the popular, or most fashionable people is probably the most important thing to them. When children are preoccupied wi...
middle of paper ... ... This is because I am aware how society tries to control what should be seen as normal, but as humans we are all individuals and there is no 'norm' there is only an ideal self, how society would like everyone to be and conform. Works Cited Ferrell, J. (2004). Boredom, Crime and Criminology, Theoretical Criminology, 8 (3), pp. 287-302.
"School Uniforms? Yes and No?" How We. TypePad, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Jan. 2014.(School)
...o contextual influences and past experiences. Therefore it is almost impossible to pre-empt the ways in which others will perceive you. Over time ideas will change and therefore alter the ways in which we look back on past clothing choices. Whilst symbolism in fashion may no longer be subject to laws as it was in the 14th century or defined by strict social rules in the 17th century, the clothes we wear are still today subject to imposed social ideals. Apart from distinguishing one status group from another, a style of dress may also aid group cohesiveness, provide the individual with an identity and a feeling of belonging, and communicate the wearer’s attitudes and interests. The ways in which we interpret others and present ourselves for interpretation is the only true way that we can be individual. Symbolism in clothing may not seem as obvious or important nowadays as it was in times of extreme social bigotry, but it is still highly prevalent and has remained one of the most effective ways to project our desired image to those around us. ‘The state of a person’s clothes is synonymous with self respect and is a sign of responsibility’ (www. Pemberley.com/janeinfo/vebleis7.html)
One of the most obvious things that we are noticing in our everyday lives is that people are distinctly different. There are 7 billion people sharing the earth. But how many are considered “normal”? When are people considered abnormal? To be normal is to adhere to a standard or norm, but unfortunately, normality is an impossible and unlikely dream that we will continue to strive for all our lives. We strive for it because it gives us that sense of self that we need to reassure us that we fit in. While undefined, depending on your upbringing, generation and culture, what you consider normal may not be normal for someone else because other countries and cultures have different traditions and practices that they view to be routine; and what in the past has been viewed as normal has evolved throughout the course of time.
Boutelle, Marsha. “Uniforms: Are They A Good Fit?” The Education Digest Feb. 2008: 37. Print.
... show off one’s wealth, such as through expensive hair highlights, jewelry, or manicures. Students will also inevitably talk about their families, vacations, and hobbies. Finally, students will be wearing normal clothing at social events outside of school, which can establish social hierarchies based on clothing, if these hierarchies exist.
Wharton, Claudene. “School Uniform Study.” UNR.edu. University of Nevada, 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 21 Feb. 2014.