Lecture 2: Identity

I was so grateful Kip didn't call on me and ask me who I was. I wouldn't know what to say in a concise, one word response. I am human, I am female, I am 19, I am middle class, I am white, etc. None of these seem right out of context. I want to add something to each to make a more complete thought or combine them all in a long list of bullet points, but I'm uncomfortable leaving them alone. Classifications are too finite. They're too harsh. I don't have a strong, in your face personality and yet I feel inclined to argue that I am more than just a mere category.

When I chose UCSB over other colleges, one of my friends asked me, "Are you sure you'll be happy there? It doesn't seem like your type of school." I knew what she was getting at, however insulted I may have felt at the time. I'm not tall, leggy and blonde. I am not outgoing or willing to party every weekend. But coming here has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I do not define my experience based on stereotypes, and I refuse to let others do so for me. When I walk down State Street I look into the windows of stores I will never be able to afford. I see women half my size trying on trendy clothing. But I also see tons of dogs, which I love. I get to be outdoors and go shopping at the same time, two of my favorite hobbies. I'm surrounded by beautiful places to photograph and friends who think highly of me and vice versa. My identity is not defined by my appearance or status but by my actions and day to day life.

In class Kip also introduced a few artists who I've seen before in other art history classes. I love Anne Noggle and Cindy Sherman's work (maybe I have an inner feminist or something?) and what their photography exposes about women and society's perception of them. Noggle defies what is normally considered beautiful and chooses to take self portraits and other images that are far from flattering. She embraces old age and the female body in all shapes and sizes to shirk the belief that youth is beauty. Sherman's work is also inspiring to me because I love the way she creates each shot in a totally new scene. It's hard to believe that all of those photographs are of the same woman because she is so convincing at taking on alternate personas. She does a great job of perpetuating while also destroying female stereotypes.