Draft (more will be up)

What do we strive for in life? Though many of us say stuff such as "happiness" and "good fortune" what we really want is ACCEPTANCE. We are constantly in the look out for the acceptance of those around us, and how do we try and gain this? By trying to be "cool" ofcourse!!

WHAT IS COOL?

"Cool" is many things, but most importantly its our way to try to feel, be and act like something we definately are not. What we don't realize is that we NEED this idea of cool in our lives because without it we would just be plain lost.

Think about it? What is cool? Its this mask we put on and try so hard not to take off. When it comes to what people think cool is though, we more often then not get " being original" and "confidence" aswell as "being yourself." Are these things the real definitions of cool? They might be. Cool is what we want it to be, what we grew up seeing as cool, like a story told and told through out years. As said in class cool can be based on our "cultural maps" these maps reflect where we grew up, who we grew up with hence making our ideas of cool different right? Truth is overall no matter where you grew up, what you believe in etc cool is a performance that looks real, but is not. Its the idea that we can look so calm, chill, as though we have no worries in any situation.

This cool lifestyle is much more than seeming cool, its a way of life for each and everyone of us. We are raised with this idea of what to be like and how to act, but is this good for us?

HW 36

Elvis-
If we have realized that cool is our own definition of our own state of mind, than we would be doing more cool things to benefit ourselves than benefit others.
Umm I would add-
Our own definition of cool can allow us to branch out into individuals who can be truly happy. Without realizing that our current idea of "cool" is trapping us into certain "acts" that we play in our heads we are being held back from allowing ourselves to expand. This idea of feeling empty can be filled by finding ourselves. Its easier said than done though, we have been "trained" to have this idea of cool and stick to it and be limited to it that change is hard. It could be possible though, and once we get it done we can feel the relieve of being emotionally, physically and mentally relieved.

Katherine-
These (cool) paths don’t allow us to be authentic in any way and force us to become actors performing a character.

Try something such as-
This feeling of "cool" can only affect us in a way that does not allow us to be our true selves. We are forced to constantly change who we really are because we feel less than someone who seems to be "cooler." Honestly our status of "cool" can't be changed. Its already determined by what we have grown up to believe to be cool. This idea of trying to be cool is only making us waste significant time we can ver get back.

H.W# 33

Paper Outline (possible not 100%)


Thesis- Trying to be "cool" is actually making us loose who we truly are.

"Cool" is "uncool" - showing how this cool idea that has been put on us is wrong (maybe even bad?)

Possible Arguments-

* Having an idea of the different types of cools there are, how we fit into them, what happens if we don't (outcast?)

Ummm I'm not set on the arguments , since I haven't decided on my thesis but I know I will put in these things that we have learned about and talked about during class discussions:
-Merchants of cool -"how something is made 'cool'"
- The empty feeling- how it relates to cool, can it be due to the "stress" of trying to be cool?
- The way of living cool, looking cool..
-Tattoos "cool" image
- Cultural maps- what they see as "cool"
- Cool Pose

Most of these will probably be one category since they all relate, but once I'm set and stone with one thesis I can have a more structed , detailed list.

HW 32 - Tattoos & The Presentation of the Self

My cousin was about 18, making me 13 , when she got her first tattoo. I don't even remember what it originally was since she changed it about 3 times since, each time not liking what she chose. Its on her lower back, a red rose with vines spreading through the sides. When I first saw it I have to admit I was pretty excited , of course I had seen tattoos but not soo close up before then. I thought " woww I'm definitely getting one" and for a couple of yrs (maybe 2) I went on with ideas of what this tattoo would be and look like, then I got over that.

My family honestly sees tattoos as "trampy" (kinda funny since my cousin got what is considered a "tramp stamp" -_-) but with dat aside, if your covered with them they might just look down on you, think your damaging the "sacred temple" that Is your body. When it comes to me, I wouldn't get a tattoo, of course unless it signifies something VERY important, it would b very,very tiny in a place where almost no one can see it (behind my ear maybe?) But for now I have no plans of that, not anytime soon either.

To me, tattoos should signify something, the way I see it ( and the way Fanning put it very well when he talked to us about his) a tattoo is a commitment. Its something that you HAVE to commit to, think about it, this picture ,symbol, or w.e is going to stay on your body permanently , you can never get rid of it (unless you remove it with laser or what not) So why would u put something completely pointless and something you saw and thought "hey that's cute,pretty etc." On your body to stay on for a long period of time. I guess there's also the idea that tattoos are "art" but I don't think there is any reason for us to be living art pieces.

We can relate these "art tattoos" to being "cool." When u get a tattoo that is very out there, very colorful,very big, what's the point behind it? We can get the typical "I liked it" but when we look deeper into it I could say people get tattoos not for themselves but for others, why else would it be so big and flashy? Kinda like a new car, you drive it around with loud music so everyone can look and go "omg is that (add name) in that new (add car type)" tattoos work that way. You flash them to people you know,even worse people you don't know so they can have a certain idea of you, or maybe think differently about you. People might think it takes some guts to get a tattoo or they might respect you more than before, or it can back fire, they can look at you and say "wtf , that was pointless, why did he/she do that to themselves" Overall people get tattoos to seem different , right? But how can It be different if everyone is doing it now?

I believe there's a deep hidden reason for tattoos ( the flashy ones anyway) kinda like dat empty feeling maybe? Maybe people get these kind off tattoos because they are insecure or want to seek approval from their piers? I don't know lol, and I don't want to critize anyone with these kind off tattoos because they all have their reasons, they have their "special story" behind each and everyone.

H.W # 31

I asked my friends (close friend) do you like the way you look? I could tell she wanted to give me and honest answer, she thought about it and replied " I know everyone is different, and we all try to look like the idea of perfect that we have, sure Im not 100% happy with the way i look, and many times i try to change things" she went on to say " i want to accept who i am though, Im trying to anyway."

I asked a couple more questions for example:

how do you try to change the way you look?

- Make-up, sometimes i might go crazy with it. My hair as well , I cut it differently, or dye it in order to look different.

Im not adding the rest of the questions but I will talk about them. I thought her answers were honest, though i could tell she didn't talk about this at all. I didnt get any deeper answers but i thought they pretty much showed what many people think and do when the are insecure about the way they look. I dont think with any individual we can get 100% into what they really think and do in order to have this cool presentation.

When it comes to me i dont go cray with my presentation. I mean there are thing i dont like that i try to change

example: my small looking eyes- i put on about 3 layers of mascara to make my eyes look bigger (i still dont think it works but im learning to like my eye shape lol)

my thick hair- i flat iron it to look like it just falls and so it wont seem as bouncy PLUS i love curly hair so i curl mine with a curling iron and with gel and hairspray.

and there are things i do to feel good such as-

try to dress nice, match seem fashionable

try to looked "clean" (lol) smell good stuff like that

There are something though that i dont like doing such as

i have a piercing, but i dont show it unless im at the beach or pool (kind defeats the purpose?)

i hate taking pictures and having pages such as in facebook and myspace, i dont like the idea of everyone looking at and knowing my every move.

Like i said i dont think we will get 100% out of people, that is including myself.