Illusive Identity

"I'll pack my bags and brush it off"
     -Mayday Parade, "Call Me Hopeless, Not Romantic"

How do we claim our identity? With our close friends, we express ourselves through our personality and behavioral reactions. But from a bystander's point of view, we are labeled by our physical appearance.

Judgments based on outward appearance are inevitable in human nature. Even when reading a passage describing a character or person, it is difficult to not base the character's identity on their looks. In the passage read this week in class, Tannen describes the appearances of three women in a business meeting. She plainly depicts each woman nonjudgmentally, deceiving readers into judging each one. "The third wore a sexy jumpsuit; tight sleeveless jersey and tight yellow slacks; a dress with gaping armholes and an indulged tendency to fall off one shoulder" (Tannen 6). Readers can infer that this woman is promiscuous and daring, just by the way she dresses. This conveys how physical image affects a person's identity. We concluded the woman's personality unfairly based on her looks, never allowing her a chance to express her traits.

Louis Vuitton Bag

Outward appearances are categorized by the typical personalities of the wearers. For example, if a woman owns many designer brand handbags, such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, or Michael Kors, she is labeled by society as "luxurious" and "wealthy". If a man has his ears pierced, sags his trousers, and wears clunky boots, he is a "bad boy" or a "gangster". Since it is assumed that most "gangsters" or "lavish" women dress in these ways, anyone who dresses in a similar way to them is associated with their characteristics. This instigates societal judgments of appearance, because everyone dresses in a certain way and ultimately is classified. Although we can hypothesize someone's identity based on their physical aspects, true identity is only shown through someone's actions and personality.