The Boxes of LifeEssay Preview: The Boxes of LifeReport this essayBoxes of LifeThere are many factors that contribute to what society thinks of us. The way we dress, the music we listen to, and the activities that we participate in are a few that really “allow” society to put us into these boxes of conformity. And while these things we do are representations of ourselves, they dont always mean the same to us as they do to society.
The ways I dress and act have always been hard for me to “box-up.” I think that I fall into a couple of different categories, and do things in all of the different categories with all types of people. For example, when talking about ones attire, there are a couple of major groups that you can stereotype together. There are, of course, the “preppy” styles, the “I dont care” looks, and the “gothic” looks. Now I think there are different bits and pieces of all of these groups that I can put myself in. But this doesnt just apply to the clothes that you choose to wear. It also groups you into what activities you normally partake in, and the different things you like. And, no matter what “group” you fall into, you are going to be perceived, in a way that you might not always like, by society.
First, there is the “preppy” group. This is the group, for guys, that usually consists of faded or ripped-up jeans, a button-up shirt, usually tucked-in in the front, and spiked and frosted hair. And for girls, its all about the tight-fitting clothes. Usually a short skirt or tight jeans, accompanied by a smaller than normal shirt, and hair thats been died or highlighted so many times that you cant even tell what color it originally was supposed to be; but over everything, there is usually some bright, blonde highlights over the color of the month. As for the activities that “these people” partake inÐthey are usually more of the athletic types, you knowÐthe stars of the football or track team. If this whole stereotype is at all “correct”, then there is a lot of that that I fall into. In high school (which, actually, is what Im relating most of this to), I played a couple of different sports, and wasnt too bad either. I wasnt ever the “star”, but I started on the baseball team, and got plenty of minutes on the basketball team. But I dont think I ever felt 100% comfortable with all of those kids. I think that most of them are, overall, pretty dumb! They also had an awful sense of humorÐand not to think to highly of myself, but I might have only thought that because my sense of humor is way above most! But I think that style is nice sometimes, and I do wear some of those clothes every now and then.
Another “box” that we tend to put people in is the “I dont care” box. These are the people that, for the most part, are either against the whole “preppy movement” or honestly could care less about what they wearÐ…just whatever they have that theyve gotten as gifts and what not. In my experiences, these are for the most part, the band kids. These people usually wear like, for those that like sports (me), shirts with logos of their favorite teams, favorite bands, or those shirts that have a funny, usually dark humor, sayings on them. I would day that most of all, I fall into this category. I did participate in band for four years, and I really enjoyed it. I think that, while people actually do care, they convey this attitude that they dont, and that they dont want to go along with the so-called
⁄s or what they call “The S.E.D.”•. This attitude stems from the fact that (even as musicians) a lot of what you wear has a huge impact on your lifestyle. If you take a look at a piece of clothing for example, what have your clothes been showing on you and what do you think your style looks like on purpose? Who knows, I might get asked this a few times in the future, but I thought you should be able to choose that hat, if it has to do with what you wear, and what hat do you want to be wearing? That’s the same as I got as a kid, to some extent.
I think that it’s important to say something about your personal situation as a person and as a band member. To say: this is what you want to say, and that you may need to respond, or you may be in a position to say something, is completely inappropriate. I mean, you may be wrong to what you said, but I agree with the statement: no matter what you say, no matter what the band has to say, do not make a statement for the sake of making a statement. That quote, in the beginning of our recording of “Don’t Take This Out The Door”, is actually an apology to the band, though. We are still trying to get that message across, or maybe not yet. If we are willing to take something to the road, we’re gonna do it. I’m sure we’ll come back eventually to that. Also, my own family members have said something similar to that. It is not like we all just go and look at these stupid little videos of myself in school, but I am not going to pretend I don’t like them as much. I did make a statement before I started, and I think others will agree, but I will say that I think that this sort of attitude that I see that other musicians do, that is totally different than something that I say. For me, this comes from what I’ve thought about the band for an over a year now, and for many years, I have been a fan myself. I remember this and the way I approached it in “Don’t Take This Out The Door”, but I think that is part of why I am at this point that it didn’t feel right for me to say something like that, it felt wrong for the band because it was very personal, because nobody had ever been asked to dress up for such a long time, and as a group, we all knew we were going to be going out somewhere in time, but the way they were dressed at the time, and how you always wore your socks after, and all that kind of stuff, even when the album stuff came out, would get the band the attention of even the closest people. However, on the road with the next band on, we got the attention of people that weren’t friends, right? They didn’t get the attention at all. We felt