Identity Mask Project
For the identity mask project we researched sociology, explored our identity, and found a creative way to present it on a mask. We plastered our faces and smoothed the mask out before adding any color. We already had to know what we were doing so that we could shape the mask according to what we brainstormed and designed. All of the mask ideas evolved during the project, but most of us stuck with mostly the original idea as a base for the refinements. We studied sociology, how we were socialized, before jumping right into who we thought we were. Some people connected their past to their present, or described society, but I chose to take a different look into this project. I did my public side vs. my private side; emotions vs. how I am still affected by society. Instead of making two masks, I decided to paint the inside and the outside. I chose to paint it this way to represent public vs. private. This project showed me who I really am inside, and gave me the chance to express it in a creative way. Below are a few images and my essay to show you the result of this project.
A New Perspective for a New Me
Katie Austin
Women are ruled by others. We live for reactions, compliments and insults. We shape ourselves into something so unrecognizable that we don’t even know who we are in the end. Though it is not only women who are affected by the looking glass self, I am focusing on this because it is one of our greatest weaknesses. Your looking glass self is created in your head, but your lack of confidence from this causes other girls to target you and boost your insecurity.
I personally have never experienced the mean side of cliques, but I have had my fair share of insecurity. The media showed me what beauty is to society, and rubbed in my face the fact that I do not look like your average model (tall, skinny, curly flowing hair). I have changed myself in various minor ways and have even played with the thought of anorexia. The only reason I am who I am right now is because of my past decisions about personality and appearance.
My personal body image now is perfect. I know I am beautiful. I have broken my mirror of lies, and am now moving on with my life. Last year I was coming into terms with my body and appearance, but I have changed so much over the summer, you would barely recognize me as the girl I used to be. Last year I was a girl: insecure, self conscious, and secretive. Now I am a woman: confident, powerful, strong, and honest.
I have been socialized into my identity, the good and the bad. Without socialization I would not have ever made the choices that have made me who I am now. On the outside of my mask I show a rising sun and ocean. This shows how positive I am all of the time because I am now confident. On the inside I painted it baby pink and I have different words representing society; for example, I wrote: The Disease of our Society and single words such as, Money and Power. I have been socialized to think that I should be skinny, but I just don’t care anymore. I have been socialized to want to have long hair, but I broke that norm and cut it anyway. As a woman I have been socialized to be polite and weak, but I threw away that norm. I do mostly what I want (within guidelines), and I am a strong addition to the Durango Climbing Team. I now have come into terms with who I am, but I have no idea who all those other girls are, I only see who they want to be. Whatever you are trying to be, it is never real if it is not yourself. As said in Slip of the Tongue by Adriel Luis:
“ First of all, makeup’s just and anglicized, colonized, commodified utility
That my sisters have been programmed to consume,
Forcing them to cover up their natural state
In order to imitate what another sister looks like in her natural state
Because people keep telling her
That the other sister’s natural state is more beautiful
Than the first sister’s natural state.
At the same time,
The other sister isn’t even in her natural state,
Because she’s trying to imitate yet another sister,
So in actuality, the natural state that the first sister’s trying to imitate wasn’t even natural in the first place.”
This part of the poem really captures my perspective. Women copy each other until they are unrecognizable. Others see this as normal, as how a woman should act, and I did this also. I copied others who were copying off of someone else, and I wasn’t aware of how this impacts our society. If we all copy off of each other, there is no originality left. My journey to confidence started with a wish to be like any other “perfect” girl. I bought a two-piece bathing suit for the summer and grew steadily more confident. This proves how easily you can change for the better. Last year in school I was learning about confidence and looking glass images, so I was aware of my change in thinking. Now I am not afraid of who I am.
My dream for the future is that there are no insecure girls left. Just recently, a plus sized model became famous because she is confident with her body. This is the life I want my daughters and their daughters to have. Honest, open people who don’t judge. Insecurity would be gone and girls would become confident with themselves. I know this is a huge dream, and it may not even be possible, but I believe that you aren’t really living until you have something to live for. I live for this dream. But this dream is only possible if we work together.
The reason we are insecure is because girls are always judging each other. As soon as we walk in the room we are constantly comparing ourselves to the other girls there. We put ourselves down and then expect others to like us when we destroy our bodies to become just another fake in the room. Girls need confidence. To attain confidence we need to feel powerful, like we actually belong in this society. We need to feel like people want us even if we don’t look like models; we are wanted for our personalities.
I dream these seemingly impossible dreams because without this, we will just go back to being put down by men, and they will regain their dominance over us. We will go back to being entertainment and housewives. We will lose important jobs and will go back to only dreaming. The cycle will begin again. We will eventually wake up again to rebel against the people oppressing us, but we will never really make ourselves equals if we don’t work now.
Girls are insecure now. They are being oppressed now. They need hope now. We cannot wait to fight, and we need all of the support we can get. We are insecure because we create this false image of beauty and put ourselves down until we can no longer see correctly. Stereotypical beauty clouds our eyes in a fog so dense we are lost. We wander in circles until we break. To find our way out we have to feel empowered by others, therefore, empowered by ourselves. With confidence we can go anywhere.
Like I said above, I have mostly lost my insecurity. Since I don’t worry about my appearance anymore, I am confident in sports and music, my two choice activities. I am able to improve myself based on my personality, and not care about my appearance. I want all girls to feel this confidence. All the time I feel like I really matter, like I really have an important place in this world. I have broken my social looking glass, and I am free.
Katie Austin
Women are ruled by others. We live for reactions, compliments and insults. We shape ourselves into something so unrecognizable that we don’t even know who we are in the end. Though it is not only women who are affected by the looking glass self, I am focusing on this because it is one of our greatest weaknesses. Your looking glass self is created in your head, but your lack of confidence from this causes other girls to target you and boost your insecurity.
I personally have never experienced the mean side of cliques, but I have had my fair share of insecurity. The media showed me what beauty is to society, and rubbed in my face the fact that I do not look like your average model (tall, skinny, curly flowing hair). I have changed myself in various minor ways and have even played with the thought of anorexia. The only reason I am who I am right now is because of my past decisions about personality and appearance.
My personal body image now is perfect. I know I am beautiful. I have broken my mirror of lies, and am now moving on with my life. Last year I was coming into terms with my body and appearance, but I have changed so much over the summer, you would barely recognize me as the girl I used to be. Last year I was a girl: insecure, self conscious, and secretive. Now I am a woman: confident, powerful, strong, and honest.
I have been socialized into my identity, the good and the bad. Without socialization I would not have ever made the choices that have made me who I am now. On the outside of my mask I show a rising sun and ocean. This shows how positive I am all of the time because I am now confident. On the inside I painted it baby pink and I have different words representing society; for example, I wrote: The Disease of our Society and single words such as, Money and Power. I have been socialized to think that I should be skinny, but I just don’t care anymore. I have been socialized to want to have long hair, but I broke that norm and cut it anyway. As a woman I have been socialized to be polite and weak, but I threw away that norm. I do mostly what I want (within guidelines), and I am a strong addition to the Durango Climbing Team. I now have come into terms with who I am, but I have no idea who all those other girls are, I only see who they want to be. Whatever you are trying to be, it is never real if it is not yourself. As said in Slip of the Tongue by Adriel Luis:
“ First of all, makeup’s just and anglicized, colonized, commodified utility
That my sisters have been programmed to consume,
Forcing them to cover up their natural state
In order to imitate what another sister looks like in her natural state
Because people keep telling her
That the other sister’s natural state is more beautiful
Than the first sister’s natural state.
At the same time,
The other sister isn’t even in her natural state,
Because she’s trying to imitate yet another sister,
So in actuality, the natural state that the first sister’s trying to imitate wasn’t even natural in the first place.”
This part of the poem really captures my perspective. Women copy each other until they are unrecognizable. Others see this as normal, as how a woman should act, and I did this also. I copied others who were copying off of someone else, and I wasn’t aware of how this impacts our society. If we all copy off of each other, there is no originality left. My journey to confidence started with a wish to be like any other “perfect” girl. I bought a two-piece bathing suit for the summer and grew steadily more confident. This proves how easily you can change for the better. Last year in school I was learning about confidence and looking glass images, so I was aware of my change in thinking. Now I am not afraid of who I am.
My dream for the future is that there are no insecure girls left. Just recently, a plus sized model became famous because she is confident with her body. This is the life I want my daughters and their daughters to have. Honest, open people who don’t judge. Insecurity would be gone and girls would become confident with themselves. I know this is a huge dream, and it may not even be possible, but I believe that you aren’t really living until you have something to live for. I live for this dream. But this dream is only possible if we work together.
The reason we are insecure is because girls are always judging each other. As soon as we walk in the room we are constantly comparing ourselves to the other girls there. We put ourselves down and then expect others to like us when we destroy our bodies to become just another fake in the room. Girls need confidence. To attain confidence we need to feel powerful, like we actually belong in this society. We need to feel like people want us even if we don’t look like models; we are wanted for our personalities.
I dream these seemingly impossible dreams because without this, we will just go back to being put down by men, and they will regain their dominance over us. We will go back to being entertainment and housewives. We will lose important jobs and will go back to only dreaming. The cycle will begin again. We will eventually wake up again to rebel against the people oppressing us, but we will never really make ourselves equals if we don’t work now.
Girls are insecure now. They are being oppressed now. They need hope now. We cannot wait to fight, and we need all of the support we can get. We are insecure because we create this false image of beauty and put ourselves down until we can no longer see correctly. Stereotypical beauty clouds our eyes in a fog so dense we are lost. We wander in circles until we break. To find our way out we have to feel empowered by others, therefore, empowered by ourselves. With confidence we can go anywhere.
Like I said above, I have mostly lost my insecurity. Since I don’t worry about my appearance anymore, I am confident in sports and music, my two choice activities. I am able to improve myself based on my personality, and not care about my appearance. I want all girls to feel this confidence. All the time I feel like I really matter, like I really have an important place in this world. I have broken my social looking glass, and I am free.