Face Fronting Normality

Sade' Brown

Word Count: 294

“Wear your hair like this!”

“Dress like me!”

“Talk like this!”

“Look over here! No look over here!” 

“You could gain few pounds! You look so thin!”

“Why do you wear those clothes?”

“Who told you that was cute?”

“What's that thing in your nose?”

“Natural?! Girl you need a perm!”

“You're so weird!”

     I've never been much for the in crowd but I always find my way in. I sought to find my own identity, find my inner me, and stick it to the man...well my father that is. No matter what I fought my way to be myself but I admit it has been a struggle. Everyone goes through a period in life when you actually want to be like someone you consider cool and popular. Even I was swayed at one point, I just wanted to be known for having nice clothes, a cute face, and good hair. I wanted people to respect me for what I had and not for whom I was but it never fit the person I was destined to be. 

     So I begin to find read about issues that really matter to me, talk to people that intrigued me, wear the clothes that made me feel comfortable, and go natural. I've actually gained more by being myself than I did by trying to be someone else. Although there's something that we all share in common, celebrating the difference is what makes life more interesting. So to all my afro-punk, rebels without a cause, freedom fighters, skaters, b-boys (or girls), plus size wears, I really don't know what you're talking about, techno loving, hippies, non-conformist....this is for you.

“Conformity is the new individuality”....step outside the box.

(This story demonstrates how I've dealt with issues of conformity and self-identity.)

Tribal to Trend: The Revitalization of Body Modification {Draft}

     Body modification has traditional been recognized as tribal, primitive, and counter to the main culture. It has not been until the more recent years that outwardly displays of tattoos and piercings have penetrated dominant society. The symbolism and artistry has even changed and is depended upon an individual perception rather than a societal perception.

   

     Tattooing and piercing were culturally acceptable in native cultures of the Americas and in Africa. In these cultures, the process of body modification comes in many different forms and as the same for the purpose of which one under goes this ritual. There are several ways in which to modify ones body; scarification, tattoo, and piercing (typically more for body art and not for enhancement such as breast implants).  Body modification was often a part of a spiritual ritual or rite of passage, with the help of someone else, to permanently scar one's own body.

   

 This could be considered body art and could also determine one's status, age, or wealth. Many of the modifications that are seen today are replicated by those outside the ethnic group but have some appreciation for the art work itself..... 



Paper will include the following:

    Introduction, including thesis
    Historical summarization
    Modern day summarization of main arguments
    {Including citations and other authors work}
    Conclusion of my own thoughts and interpretations

Tribal to Trend...

      From tribal to trend, exactly how has body modification transitioned its way into popular culture? That's the question I would like to answer. At one point in society, piercings and tattoos were seen as primitive but has somehow managed to resurface into the dominant culture.
     Not only are the subcultures thriving in body mutilation but so even the soccer mom has found a way to secretly disguise a small rose on the area above her unknowns. Body modifications has becomes a way to express and communicate someone's individuality

Word Count: 88

The World Around Me

Growing up as a revolutionary thinker many of my influences are a result of the watching film and reading books about some of the most infamous revolutionary leaders. But as society changes and the revolution seems to die down, those same leaders and the attempts that were made to create a better culture becomes commodified. My first semester of college, I would see the faces of Angela Davis, Marcus Garvey, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Bob Marley, and Che Guevara on t-shirts almost everyday. For someone who desires social change, it almost seems to be a insult to the efforts that were made by these leaders but then I also realized that someone of the African leaders that were printed on some of these t-shirts were unfamiliar to me. So thereby exposing me to names and events that I otherwise would not have known nothing of previous to seeing their faces. So the pop culture way of taking someone who has made an impact on social change and turning it into a fashion accessory can be seen a both a negative and positive; for myself it exposed me to a history that has reshaped and contributed to my way of thinking today.