Self-Expression: America's Pastime

This morning, you woke up and got ready for work or school- whichever it was that was going to occupy your life for the next few hours. You might have showered, and spent some time in the mirror fixing up your hair. Your hair may be its natural color, or it may be dyed- black to hide your age, purple to show off your spirit, auburn to complement your complexion. Whether your hair is dyed or not, it is most certainly cut a certain way- short to keep it out of the way, long to show off its natural bounce. It may be permed, layered, styled, or in dreads. Whatever it is, it looks that way because you want it to; your hair is a reflection of your style, and your style is a reflection of yourself. That’s why you checked it at least once in the mirror today.

Besides your hairstyle is, of course, your wardrobe. Fashion is really a fascinating aspect of American society; no two people, it seems, own the same shirt, and if they do they wear it in utterly different ways. The way you dress is also a reflection of yourself; how professional you are, or how playful; how creative, or how traditional; how flashy, or how conservative. For many of us, the actual clothing is just the beginning of our wardrobe; we must then find the right shoes and accessories, which can range from a simple necklace or tie to fourteen piercings and four shades of eyeshadow.

America is in love with self-expression. Admit it; you want a tattoo. You know someone, who knows someone, who got silicone horns implanted in his forehead, or a raised music note added to the back of her hand. You probably know that “getting a cutting done” refers to getting a professional to cut a design into the skin so that the healed marks make a statement for years to come. At the very least- if any or all of these ideas shock you- you’re disappointed when the cashier at the grocery store doesn’t have stickers all over hir nametag.

Self-expression through physical appearance. We all do it. Some of us spend embarrassing amounts of time and money on it.

So why- in a culture obsessed with originality, body modification, standing out, and hair dye- why is it so hard to be a person whose gender expression does not quite match hir birth-assigned physical sex?