Mask Reflection
The project was to create a mask that represented my identity and the socialization process that influenced me. As part of the process I evaluated how societal norms impacted me and shaped how I saw my world and myself. Our readings supported learning about the cycle of socialization, tolerance, and discrimination. The purpose of this project was to assess to project our identities and socialization onto a solid piece of artwork. In this unit I gained a broad understanding of how socialization is critical to our development. Many of the lessons that I learned throughout this unit were important and shocking. The most important lesson that I learned is that where we fit in the cycle of socialization impacts what we believe in, for example whether we are very religious, an atheist, etc. One of the most shocking lessons was how many people are socialized to be intolerant or to conform to society in a particular way and often aren’t even aware of it. I also found it shocking how important socialization is and that people who are not socialized by society and are kept isolated act more like animals than humans. Through this project I came to realize the extent to which I have become socialized by my parents and by society. Recently, I recognized that I have become more influenced by the bands that I listen to and the people that I watch on You Tube than by my earlier influences. This has opened me up to understanding that I can look “alternative” and that there is a large group of people who accept the “alternative” style and believe that this is ok. I have also come to realize that I am prejudiced against people who aren’t very tolerant. Every time I have an art project I always have a great idea for it but I rush completing it. For this project, I actually took time to portray my ideas and make my mask look as good as I could. I loved how it turned out and I was actually extremely proud to stand next to it and explain my work at the exhibition. It was the first piece of artwork that I was truly proud to call mine. I was also proud of my essay because it was a challenge to write and when I finally finished it, it felt wonderful to have articulated my identity and socialization. I can improve on future projects by focusing on the work part more than the artsy part during work time at school. I was prepared for the art portion of this project, as I knew exactly what I wanted my mask to look like weeks before the project. I had a couple of false starts with the essay, however. I rushed through the first draft and didn’t prepare by outlining and thinking through what I wanted to communicate about my identity and socialization. I would have liked to spend more time making the paragraphs richer in description and imagery. I could have planned my time and prepared better for this project. The habits of mind that I need to most work on are planning and preparing more for assignments. I really was excited every day to work on this project. I took a lot of joy in my work. |
Mask Essay
Socialization sneaks up on you. It never looks you in the face, but clings to you like a shadow that you sometimes glimpse. We aren’t even aware when it is occurring. Sometimes we recognize its effects, but sadly we are often unaware of its impact. Everyone is socialized, but not everyone recognizes how socialization has shaped him or her. One of our greatest personal challenges is to understand how we have been socialized and to recognize the good and bad outcomes in order to determine who we want to be. We acquire our beliefs and behaviors from those around us – our parents, extended family social networks and society. From the time we are born, all of these people shape how we see the world and ourselves. Our entire worldview comes from our early interactions. We are taught to “fit in”, “get along”, not to “rock the boat”. Our social standing comes from our ability to be like everyone else in our mannerisms, our speech and our dress. The message is to conform. We are placed into social identity categories at a very young age and if we break these norms, we are either considered an inspiration or a freak. It all depends on how tolerant the people surrounding you are. When the people around you aren’t very tolerant and norms are broken, it can lead to problems. On the other hand, if people are more expansive and forgiving, your differences might be celebrated. Imagine if you decide you’re an Atheist in a conservative part of the South, all hell might break lose. But if you decide you’re an Atheist in New York City, it may not be a big deal and some people might even rally in support of your spiritual choices. As teenagers we begin the process of asking why we are conforming and we also begin the process of rebelling. I feel we are trying so hard to live up to society’s expectation of the “norm” and at the same time wondering what we gain from living up to those expectations. Billy Talent’s song, Line and Sinker, sums it up, “I don't feel pretty and I'm tired of trying to fit right in. Don’t think they're just so great 'cause being great must suck. Don't make me feel like that ‘cause that's just plain not nice.” Sometimes you just have to throw off the “norms” and be yourself. But it isn’t easy because there can be consequences. Unfortunately, any time you go against “the norm” you’re threatening other people and you are likely to experience some form of rejection and possibly hate. Some people fear difference and express that by bullying. To move beyond your socialization you have to accept that you can be different and ignore the judgment of others. What you see is what you get is something teenagers including myself need to realize. From kindergarten through 6th grade, I thought that my peers would accept me if I fit into “the norm”. In reality, trying to fit in only got me labeled as a “wanna be” by my peers. My hopes of being “popular” kept getting shot down. After trying for many years to be “popular”, I decided to just be me and to have an alternative style. I wanted to look how I wanted to look. Throughout 7th and 8th grade, I made alternative and weird styles “my norm” and saw them as the “new beautiful”. My mask communicates my journey towards being myself and becoming comfortable with throwing off my socialization and embracing being different. It also communicates the future I want to create. My mask is divided into two parts. The left side expresses both the pain that I have suffered in the past to be myself and the uncertainty that most of my hopes for the future will not come through, which deeply depresses me to the core. The right side of my mask is the hope that I sometimes feel when I think about the future and my expectations that it will go well. However, I highly doubt that my hopes and dreams will come true. If you look closely at my mask you will see there are a lot of details that symbolize some of the highs and lows that I have experienced in my journey. The stitches on my mask represent how in middle and elementary school I was bullied for having speech impediments. I remember sitting in my math class in 7th grade thinking to myself that I will try not talk to anyone but my friends so the teasing wouldn’t be as harsh. A smaller detail on my mask is the blood covered vampire fangs in the mouth. Those represent my early love of morbid things and how much I idolized Goth and alterative characters in films and books. At a young age I remember absolutely adoring and idolizing a character named Ivy in My Sister the Vampire. She was a Goth vampire girl that not only spurred my love of morbid things, but also symbolized someone who dared to be different. The music notes in my right eye represent my love of music and my dream to be a musician. The MCR stands for my favorite band ever, My Chemical Romance. I placed their initials in my eye to represent how they made me realize what I want to do with my life. We are all socialized in our own ways, which is a beautiful and ugly thing. My mask represents these beautiful and ugly aspects of socialization. Remember you have to be who you need to be and be willing to be different and break society’s norms to be who you truly are. “Life is what you make it, I believe in this.” – Motionless in White , Cobwebs |