Gouffman - Presentation Of Self

What is your identity?

My identity is very unique and I don't believe it's influenced by any specific thing/person, although I do look up to certain people, I do try and create my own interpretation or meaning so I can "put my own stamp" on things. To most people I am identified by my loud and quite forward outlook on things as I never keep things to myself. But other than that small point I don't believe I have a specific element that makes me stand out from anyone else looks wise for example making fashion statements by setting my own trend which people would follow or anything like that, but I do believe the elements like fashion,music,food do link back to me and could be seen by people as "one of michaela's favorite bands" e.t.c

How is this created?

As you can see the mood board above includes images of people/things that are associated with me and my perception as seen by a range of other people, whether it be my friends or just strangers. I do believe anyone that knows me well would believe that the piece of work I have created reflects on my specific identity well as there is such a variety of things to see but they do all have a specific meaning to me personally. The musicians included in the image are Azealia Banks and Arctic Monkeys, my reasons for these 2 completely different artists was to show how my music interests can vary from indie rock to hip hop and r&b, I am not a person who listens to songs that are "in" at a certain time, I tend to follow my own trends and listen to whatever types of music I find most enjoyable to listen to. The lyrics in particular songs are also what I find most interesting about these 2 artists, Arctic Monkeys tend to tell stories in many of there songs and some are about love which I believe a wider audience can link too, whereas Azealia speaks the truth and doesn't mind what the consequences are as long as she is getting her point across because she is such a confident character, the main reason why I believe she is so interesting to listen too. Celebrities really intrigue me because some are really fake whereas what you see is what you get with some, hence the reason of the images of Fearne Cotton and James Corden as they are my two favorite celebrities around because they have so much likability factor mainly due to there outgoing and lively personalities and I think because they are so calm and collected about most things I believe they have inspired me to act the same way, because I believe if they are in the spotlight and they can brush off any harsh or rude comments e.t.c then so can I as the problem isn't seen on half as big a scale. Another reason why they have been used is because I think James is an attractive male, purely down to he's personality, this is a main element of how people can identify me as I do know a lot about him. I chose Fearne purely down to her fashion sense as she is very creative and wacky and doesn't care if people don't approve of what she is wearing which is exactly what I aspire to be like in the future. The vogue magazine and the pictures of the two models; Alexa Chung and Ash Stymest show how much I enjoy photography but also the portrait of models used in these glossy magazines and how there natural attractiveness can be seen clearly through the various shoots, but again it's down to the fashion why I have chose these two models. Although they do have very different styles I look at Ash because he is very attractive and the type of boy I would go for, but I look up to Alexa because she is so unique and she is seen as a "fashion icon". The magazine is something I have been collecting for years and because I study photography the images inside the magazines could in useful for research purposes in my work. The various travel related images are included because I study travel and tourism in college, but it's also what I hope will be my future career path as there are so many opportunities and travelling the world and trying out different cultures and ways of life is something that I am really passionate about. So that is one point that makes me stand out from most other people. Clintons logo is included because it's my place of work so I have the up most respect for everyone working there but because many people know it's my place of work it adds to my identity because they know where to find me if they need me. TV is very important in my life, I like anything to do with music, so the BRIT awards is one of the best nights of the year for me because I can see a range of singers who I enjoy collecting awards to appraise the achievement they have reached over the past year, this certain program gives me inspiration to work at the highest level possible for my future job role as nothing comes easily. Skins is a television show linking to a teenage group who enjoy living the lives of smoking, drinking, taking drugs and sex which is what type of things are linked to the society of young people today, so it was interesting to watch exactly how we are shown in producers eyes, I just think it brings out peoples personalities more as each of us want to show we are all different. Finally the black forest gateaux is one of my favorite deserts because of the large amount of sugar intake which I am commonly known for looking at in foods but also the sweet but zingy flavor of the cherries really give a kick which adds a slight bit of excitement when eating. This identifies me because I enjoy eating very sweet deserts e.t.c as I do think I am addicted to having salt/sugar e.t.c on most food items to give them a slight bit of taste and make them more appropriate to eat.

Is individuality just an illusion?

When I instantly think about this question I do believe that this question is wrong because everyone can be different in their own way if they really want to be, however with all the media impact on society in this present day, many of us do get influenced by big celebrity names and are intrigued about new trends and fashion that are advertised to us in many ways; via magazines, radio, internet and TV. So although some people may assume the clothes they are wearing and the music they listen to is something that no one else has worn/heard before then they will be sadly mistaken as every single one of us has a starting point from something we have seen on a celebrity or friend or even stranger, which has give us the overall look that we go for today. I personally wear a variety of clothing items, I usually go for dresses and tights but some days I go for jeans and a plain t shirt it always just depends on the mood I am in on that particular day. Whereas some people tend to wear the exact same type of clothing every day even in different colours and are afraid to try something new, which is all in aid of trying to be "individual" but really they are "following the crowd" of hundreds of other people on the planet with the same intention.
I don't think individuality will ever be true to anyone because without all of the advertising and marketing strategies around today, people would not be able to notice someone else's style and interest and decide that a particular blouse or band are something/someone they are really interested in. So overall I really do think the media are to blame and every single person is similar in their own way, they just put a unique stamp on it so they can be seen as individual.