After our discussion of media(TED) artiFacts, I thought a bit about how I respond to different manipulations in daily life. For example, makeup. I use makeup on a daily basis, but do not feel that I use it to live up to a standard of beauty. When I use it, I am using it for myself. I like how I look better with it. It is even, if I may extend it a little, a form of expression. I do not feel as though I am conforming to society when I use it. In this way, I feel that some manipulations are layered. We are manipulated to use makeup, but we are also manipulated to think that if we use makeup we are doing it to please someone or something else. We are manipulated to think that we are being manipulated by society, when it does not necessarily need to be that way.
But this reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend back in 8th grade. I remember we were talking about clothes and I said something along the lines of "but I don't want to wear high waisted pants because I am trying to be hipster I just like those pants!" But really, the reason I got it into my head that high wasted pants looked more appealing was because of the countless advertisements and styles of other people I saw walking down the street everyday. I was in no way being original, although I was convinced that my decision to wear high waisted pants was an independent, personal choice.
This made me think about how hard it is to be purely original and not manipulated. If you are being original, someone can make the argument that you are being manipulated to not be like everyone else. Even famous stories are derivatives of previous stories. (How many movies are just Cinderella with different names, time periods, and costumes?) It is easy to get lost in what is really original and what you have unconsciously copied from someone else.
I totally agree with this! I was also thinking about make up after our class discussion. I don't really wear make up often, but when I do it is not because I feel the need to wear it but because I like putting it on. I also find it hard to be completely original because everything we do and believe in seems to be a result of some sort of manipulation. My friend also talks about how she tries on different clothes to seem original but whether we are conscious of it or not, oftentimes we are manipulated by ads or celebrities even if we think it was a completely original idea. I really like how you described manipulation as being layered because I don't think we are always directly manipulated.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post Lily. Although I can't personally relate to the makeup part, your point is taken well. I think it is basically impossible to be "original" under the traditional definition of the word. We are all products of our environment and the forces that manipulate us. But this is okay. As long as we own up to it and acknowledge that we are being manipulated. Once we do that, I think we can be original from there. Although originality becomes much more subtle and understated it still exists. None of us are necessarily completely "original," but none of us are unoriginal either.
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