Sophie's Sentiments

Body Ritual Among the Nacirema mocked the American people for their unnecessary routines and habits for getting ready in the morning, and for placing such a high priority on physical appearance and personal hygiene. Horace Miner even called out Americans for visiting the dentist, or the "holy-mouth men," twice a year, despite the fact that their teeth will inevitably decay and rot. Reading this made me think of my late great-grandmother, Margaret "Tat" Heintz, who I was named after.  Grandma Tat was an activist. At her funeral, pictures were displayed of her protesting and volunteering her time for reform. A newspaper clipping of her fighting against adding fluoride in the public water stuck in my mind. Fluoride is a chemical used in toothpaste and other oral products to create strong and healthy bones. For those without access to proper oral care, it was added to the tap water to reduce tooth decay.  However, too much exposure to fluoride has been li...

There are so many standards placed upon me that I am constantly trying to fulfill. Judy Brady's essay I Want a Wife analyzed the standards that are placed upon wives from their husbands, but it made me think about what others would expect from me. My teachers might say they want a student that always does their homework on time. They want a student that sacrifices their social life for studying. They want a student that balances extracurriculars and sports along with their school work. They want a student that actively participates, understands the material right away, and gets good grades on tests. My coaches might say they want an athlete that trains and conditions every day. They want an athlete that almost never misses a shot and gets every ground ball.  They want an athlete that is never injured. They want an athlete that is always on time, 100% dedicated to the sport, and leads her teammates. My friends might say they want a friend that always responds to their texts...

What if everyone dressed the same? In Deborah Tannen's "There is no Unmarked Woman", the idea that a woman cannot get ready in the morning without marking herself a certain way was written in a negative light. However, the idea that women cannot be unmarked is an artifact of our progressivism. The freedom to wear whatever we want was not always granted. Now we can express ourselves through fashion, and create an identity that makes us proud. How we dress, how we carry ourselves, and how we act are all great ways to first showcase ourselves to others we meet. How boring would the world be if everyone presented themselves as the men in the conference did? Knowing that this essay was written in 1993, we can see how even men have started to mark themselves. It is more common today for men to be individualistic in their choice of dress, proving that being marked is not a terrible thing. Of course one could argue that the negative judgments made about women simply b...