Context of Practise 2: Seminar Notes and Study Task 3- Identity

Following from the Lecture we had on the topic of 'Identity', we went onto looking at Identity and 'The Other' in Visual Representation:

-Pseudo-Science- Identity is based on physical traits- Essentialism (A form of innate characteristic- e.g.. born virtuous

-Digital Identity- Escapism- can become anybody- this fluidity allows for opportunity for reinvention

-Identity- Who we are and how others perceive us

Identity Creation:

We went onto making a list of: Factors that make you you?

• Lifestyle
• Life Experience
• Personality Traits
• How You've Been Brought Up/ Where You Come From
• Parents/ Socialisation
• Money
• Environment/ Era
• Marital Status
• Diet
• Physical/ Social Determinants and the Diabetic Relationship between them
• Education

This followed with a list of: How do you express your Identity?

• Physical Features
• Manner
• Hobbies and Interests
• Possessions
• Fashion- Expression and Defence against People
• Brands
• Social Interactions- Values, Mannerisms, How you Treat People (Not what you Say but what you Do)
• Accent
• Social Circles

These are all Subjectivities- complex and multi-determined by society to make our own sense of self (our own creation)

"Circle of Culture Diagram by Stuart Hall:

"Circle of Culture Diagram by Stuart Hall
Woodward, K. (1999) "Identity and Difference", Sage: London

Culture is the framework within which our identities are formed, expressed and regulated

There are 5 Sub-Cultures which effect our identity:

1. Laws and Regulations in how we exist- Limitations of Society
2. Consumption and buying which effects how we are Represented
3. Representation is effected by what we buy and how we present ourselves to the rest of Society
4. Production towards having a job or a role in society- How you Contribute
5. Identity- what you are expected to buy or have- The Stereotype and what is expected from you

Identity Formation:

Jacques Lacan

• Identity is solidified through Childhood
• "Otherness" Concept
• Process of Psychoanalysis
• When you are born, you have no comprehension as to being a separate being from your Mother. This symbiotic link was called "The Hommelette" in regards to the scrambled mix of body parts not understanding each other
• "The Mirror Stage"- At 6-18 Months, you realise that by giving signals, you can get a response back, such as by Smiling, you get a Smile back. The outside worlds reaction to us and what we do. Eg, Baby crawling past a mirror and seeing a sense of itself as a cohesive being (Metaphor)
• Our Identity is formed from the reaction of others and not how we want to be seen

"Mirror Stage"- Sense of Self (Subjectivity) built on:

• An Illusion of Wholeness
• Receiving Views from Others

RESULT= OWN SUBJECTIVITY IS FRAGILE AS WE ARE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO STRIVE FOR A STABLE IDENTITY

Constructing The Other:

To make our Identity seem more solid, we remove ourselves against what we are not

Problems: Relies on the assumption of opposites and radical otherness. In the same way that we create our own identities- in opposition to what we are not, so does a Society 

E.g. Speaking in Recieved Pronunciation to say you are from a higher class rather than with an accent with dropped vowels of working class to make you seem better off- making our sense of self more better and defined.

Identification:

Shores up unstable identities through the illusion of unity- 'showed fashions, belief systems and values'- Subterranean Values (Matza, 1961)

IN A STATE OF CONSTANT CRISIS, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO RE-INVENT OURSELVES

Study Task:

Analyse 1 image from the Western Media (Newspaper or Music Subculture Music Press Story or Advertisement) which attempts to secure to give an identity to the reader by "Othering". What does the image promise you by stereotyping and creating the 'Other'. Needs to be Approx. 300 Words.

"Loose Your Love Handles For Life" (2013) by Drew Price

Mens Health Magazine (2013) "Fuel Your Goals Nutritional Manual" Mens Health Magazine Pull-Out Booklet, September 2013 ed,. page 5 

These pages are from an article within a copy of 'Men’s Health' Magazine which discusses the need to loose weight, entitled 'Loose Your Love Handles For Life' showing an image of a thin cut, skinned carrot. On the opposite page is an advertisement for Weight Loss Powder showing a rather toned male figure.

The readership for the magazine is quite a focused target audience towards health-conscious males between the ages of 20-40 so the article automatically targets the audiences want to re-invent themselves by using the visual of the thinned carrot to show the audience what they can achieve and the identity that they can become. The fact that the advertisement opposite is propositioning the audience with a weight loss supplement instantly reminds the audience of how our identity is formed from the reception of others which is affected by the way that we are seen and how we look, encouraging them to partake in the pursuit for a healthier body and, in conjunction, a stable, better and more defined identity.

The imagery promises the reader that by following the rules in the article, you can create an identity of power and strength, which no other will match, particularly as the article promises the loss of weight ‘for life’. It attempts to provide a secure identity for the reader by suggesting how they can better themselves by loosing weight and therefore gaining a stronger sense of self. This sense of inclusivity gives the illusion of there being ‘otherness’ towards those who do not re-invent themselves in this way, such as over-weight people or those who do not exercise, with the language choices of ‘maximum strength’ and ‘ultimate body’, emphasizing how the followers of this magazine are bettering themselves and stereotyping those who don’t as lazy or comfortable with being a lesser version of themselves. This makes the readership see themselves as a higher class of human as they want to achieve perfection, shown to them through the image of the toned masculine body on the advertisement opposite.

Word Count: 337