I turn my head and see a streak of blouse and miniskirt flouncing by, its wearer dark and supple with the tan of a Pittsburgh January and luxuriously blonde from the bottle of her favorite stylist. Her male companion wears a sweater that cost him more than the herd of sheep from whence its essential material came, with baggy blue jeans marked with the name of a certain Hilfiger fellow, and shoes pioneered by one Dr. Martin, likely a prominent podiatrist somewhere in the world. The girl giggles airily and shoves her companion playfully with a hand accented by newly (and plastically) long, manicured, French-tipped nails. A small wonder it is indeed that she did not lose her balance in so doing, for her towering shoes elevate her feet to such an alarming angle that I am scarce able to understand exactly how she is able to walk.
They continue sauntering along together, linking arms and looking reminiscent of a modeling photo shot for that certain Abero-something-or-other clothing store, only in color and live action. I conjecture the communal price of their clothing and fashionable accessories. On second thought, I do not even want to conjecture; I have quite enough of an idea. “’The virtue in most request is conformity,’” I think to myself, repeating the adage mentioned by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay on Self-Reliance, “and from that standpoint, this is a very ‘virtuous’ couple indeed.”
Emerson precedes himself in wisdom. I heartily agree with his standpoint on conformity. Society today encourages many different aspects of compliance, but perhaps the most prominent one is conformity of appearance. There are societal standards for males, females, young and old that make them either ideal or outlying, and most of these standards are dependent upon cosmetic appearance. Ours is a superficial society, a manufactured American view of perfect people and perfect beauty thrives almost universally unbounded by resistance, whether passive or powerful. The manners in which people conform to the society’s image of beauty are many, including cosmetics, fashions of clothing and shoes, hair styles, modish colors; everything down to the size of purse a woman carries is first spotted in a magazine and then purchased and used once deemed to be worthy of public sight. Outlandish fashions become the mode primarily because they are advertised as being “the things you simply cannot live without!” It is a universal truth that fashion is a form of ugliness so hideous that it must be changed every four months; but the public is content to stay within the confines of the current trend in order to conform, and not necessarily because the fashion is attractive.
...ther, and nearly kills an innocent woman. In a broader perspective, conformity can leave people walking aimlessly down the beaten path with no real direction except conformity, doomed to live yet another meaningless life in a society based on archaic principles.
Emerson writes “The world is his who can see through its pretension” to inform the reader that success in the world belong to the person who is able to recognize everything that is false, the pressures of society, the unrealistic expectations, the negative values, and is not influence by them. When he writes “What deafness, what stone-blind custom, what overgrown error you behold, is there only by sufferance…by your sufferance”, he demonstrates that people put up with or accept and do not question or challenge norms, bad behavior, wrong doing and questionable traditions that they are not in agreement with. Instead they turn a blind eye and
An influential literary movement in the nineteenth century, transcendentalism placed an emphasis on the wonder of nature and its deep connection to the divine. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience”, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In “Self-Reliance”, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government.
For example, when we vote, we are voting because we need someone in charge to lead us to a brighter future, some people are not going to stand for what you believe in, and some individuals might not even vote at all. Overall, I don’t believe that we, as society, should worry about what anybody else thinks of one another. Granted, it might sound selfish and conceited. Then again, so is being so desperate that some individuals would dress and apply themselves with gory tattoos or piercings for the shock value in our society than the comfort value. In the article, ¨Individuality vs. Conformity: The Healthy Middle?¨ the author resolves that there is a fragile balance between Conformity and Individuality, and that we are all there whether we like it or not. The author additionally remarks, ¨The real kicker is that this horrible teetering balance is everywhere. It exists in every form imaginable.¨ The author then claims that no matter how hard we try to be unique or a sheep in a herd, we can be different and similar at the same time from one
The main character in the story is Hulga and her wooden leg. She stays at home with her mother. Because of a weak heart and did not have a long life ahead of her. Mrs. Freeman, who had been working for Hulga’s mother, Mrs. Hopewell. Had a prying nature and wanted to know everything that was going around and every morning their conversations usually, took place in the kitchen. Mrs. Freeman’s did not like that her daughter had changed her name from Joy to Hulga, which she had chosen for its ugliness. Hulga had earned a Ph.D. in philosophy and had considered it a waste, as it had not done any good for her. Hulga’s way of dressing, besides changing
When the girls start wearing the shoes, the guys started to observed them more and women admonish the girls. The men aggravate the girls with sexual asserts.Esperanza wants to eat in the canteen since it’s not appealing for her to go back home to
"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." John F. Kennedy. When we allow ourselves to conform to what our friends, family or society asks of us, we lose the ability to grow into our own persons. Conformity, however, is more than just the 13 year old middle school girl wearing UGG Boots and an Abercrombie hoodie in order to fit in. It is more then only listening to the top 40 radio stations and watching American Idol so you have something to add to the conversation that your co- workers are having over stale, company supplied coffee. Conformity is a killer. It attacks the week and strangles them until their true self dies and a new person is created. This new person disregards all values they once held in high regard and will do anything to not be perceived as different. The funny thing about this killer is people are more than willing to give into his pressure in order to seem "normal". Sometimes it is easier to be obedient and do and feel as people say you should in order to avoid trouble. Sometimes it is easier to blend in to the crowd then to be crucified for being different. Why would anyone really want to be different? Society tells us different is bad. Different is weird. We are taught from the beginning that different is not what you want to be, it's not a safe bet. So people are willing to give in to the pressures of society in order to be "safe". People's willingness to give into conformity is shown in the literary pieces entitled "What is a homosexual?" by Andrew Sullivan and "Salvation" by Langston Hughes. Both show what great lengths people will go to in order to slide under the radar of public opinion and criticism.
Conformity has its’ place, and there are many advantages to utilizing it at specific times and in specific places. For example, Logan Feys, the author of the essay, The Sociology of Leopard Man, offers, “nevertheless, being around people and their creations can be worthwhile… Most of the time you should be an active and contributing member of society,” (9 - 10). This quote expresses that conformity is necessary, for the sake of being around people, and even
Emerson himself has spoken strongly regarding these attributes. In Emerson’s essay Self Reliance, the essayist writes about his hopes for nonconformity and higher thinking. Emerson’s examples revolve around philosophical individuals such as Jesus Christ and Socrates. To Emerson, free thought was the absolute key to genius and society is holding back on this gift stating, “Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water of which it is composed does not” (Emerson ). Emerson is saying that although society is constantly moving forward, there is no actual change. We desire amelioration, however not the change that comes with it. We desire an understanding of metaphysical questions, however if we hear an individual speak on it, we either ignore or criticize them. Society is a hypocrite, and society relies on a system. Emerson expresses his disgust for this stating, “I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names, to large societies and dead institutions” (Emerson ). By capitulate, Emerson means we as a whole are willing to surrender to all stereotypes and the government in which we are dominated by. Dominated is a strong word to use, however it is not far-fetched from the truth. We live and die for the words and worth of another rather than for ourselves. Society lacks its own values, and it is disgusting. Society is a joke. The downfall of society is likely based on the lack of our own psychological thinking and the neglect of our human
Human beings all around the world are different in many ways. They all have their unique and physical characteristics, as well as different personalities. They each also have different ideas and thoughts on different topics. America is made up of a great amount of diverse people with diverse, even conflicting opinions and ideas. Diversity is a major component of the foundation of our country. The cliché of American as a salad bowl is extremely true. Every person is different and every person in his or her own way makes up a small part of America. Without the diversity of ideas and beliefs of Americans, the nation would not be nearly as successful as we are. A major similarity between Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance and J.D Salinger's Catcher in the Rye is a non-conformist ideology that both exhibit, and the idea that one should choose their own individuality above confomity.
In Twain's essay, he writes that he noticed that many people had a very strong opinion about an issue, yet did not really understand why they felt that way, or even what they were arguing about. In truth, they had based their opinion off others opinions, who based their opinions off others in turn, with very few people actually having an educated opinion on the issue. I think this is seen in the subtle social opinions that dominate society, and is the reason for fashions and social trends. For example, a new clothing fashion comes out and you notice people wearing it. At first, maybe you don't really think about it- only make note of it. Meaning, you don't really have an opinion on it. But then, as more and more people start to wear it, you may start to like it. Why? Not because you suddenly gained a new appreciation for that style of clothing. You like it because it's in style. You may tell yourself, I think it's flattering, or I really like how it looks, or any other reason. But when it comes down to it, you have subconsciously formed your own opinion based on the opinions of those around you. Everyone else likes it, and you like when everyone else likes you. So you want to like it too, to gain the approval of
The Victorians' obsession with physical appearance has been well documented by scholars. This was a society in which one's clothing was an immediate indication of what one did for a living (and by extension, one's station in life). It was a world, as John Reed puts it, "where things were as they seemed" (312).
...les, and we shouldn't be afraid to show them off to the people around us. How cares if we dress a little different. We are expressing our own individualities through the clothes we wear, and if other people don't like it, tuff noogies. Whoever, I think the only time we should be concerned about what others are wearing is when their style is a threat to our lives, or the life of the person wearing the garment. This concept could also be used in the other topics I wrote about in this essay. Unless there is harm to the individual, or individuals around them, we as a society shouldn't be to concerned about the styles of others. Usually these wild styles are a fads, and people will grow out of them. I know that I was able to grow out of many wild styles that my parents weren't sure if I would come out of or not. So if I was able to overcome these styles, others will to.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” A simpler explanation of this quote is that while it is good to follow with current trends in terms of style, one should never abandon his/her principles. People in current times find themselves in a world where sticking to the social norms is held to high regards by most people, and anyone out of the social norms is usually looked down upon or seen as strange. While I personally disagree with the quote’s first statement, I agree completely with Jefferson’s opinion on matters of principle. To “stand like a rock” means that someone should stick to their own principles even if it means going against the socially accepted norm. It is most important to stay true to oneself instead of
Conformity is vital to people’s life. Humans, being compound animals, live in a culture that works as a whole. Therefore, if there is a fault, the whole system might disintegrate. So, people are obligated to respect the affairs of others so that they can stay together as a whole. On the other hand Individuality, just like conformity, is necessary to life even despite the fact that modern person may not understand its worth. At one point people may want to be special from all the rest in one way or the other. As a result individuals might dress a bit in a different way as well as choose to do things we actually like. And, for on one occasion, we might create the opinions based on what we actually feel. However, earlier or later we are required to curb our impulsive desires so that society or culture does not tag us as eccentric or else weird, simply for the reason that people fear being alone.