Writing on The Body Around Raymond Hall
Although people think about tattoos and pen markings when they hear about writing on the body, writing on the body actually consists of much more than permanent and non-permanent markings on skin. For example, writing on the body includes notes, phone numbers, and reminders written on hands, designs painted on the skin, and sayings and pictures imprinted on shirts. All of this writing is due to many different reasons; some of these reasons include to look nice, and to represent someone’s personality. Writing on the body is prevalent around campus, but the most common is writing on shirts and articles of clothing.
Anywhere around campus, people have writing on their clothing. But why do people walk around with slogans and designs on their chest or back? To help answer this question, I asked some people around my dorm why they were wearing shirts with writing on them. I asked Aaron, a neighbor of mine, who was wearing a “Case Western Reserve University” shirt, why he was wearing that shirt. He responded that “…this shirt fits all categories.” Here, Aaron brought up an interesting point, one about the shirt fitting all “categories;” these categories, as Aaron and I discussed later, refer to shirts with different purposes, such as a workout shirt, a lounging shirt, or a shirt that can be worn almost anywhere. Therefore, this observation shows something about Aaron’s character; because he likes to wear simple, flexible shirts, he likes to be comfortable around campus. Moreover, he is not like a female who will sacrifice comfort by wearing high heels to look attractive.
Aaron with his CWRU shirt
Another dorm mate, Kayo, had a different response than Aaron. When I asked Kayo why he was wearing a brown New York Yankees shirt, he responded: “because it matches my hat.” This response shows another reason why people wear writing on their bodies, for fashion. I asked Kayo if he likes the NY Yankees, but he responded that he does not. This furthers the point, Kayo does not like the NY Yankees, but he likes the colors and design of the shirt and how it matches his hat. While Aaron liked his CWRU shirt for its versatility and ease, Kayo liked his NY shirt because of the colors and design. This shows part of Kayo’s personality; even though he may not like or agree with the message on the piece of clothing, Kayo still might wear that piece of clothing because it fits his own sense of style.
Kayo with his NY Yankees shirt
While Kayo was wearing his brown shirt, Vlad, another one of my neighbors, was wearing a shirt with the message: “I put the fresh in freshman.” When I asked Vlad about why he was wearing that shirt, he stated: “can it be as simple as because I do?” This entertaining response is a perfect example of how someone’s clothing represents his or her personality. Vlad is a funny guy; he makes humorous jokes, and wears goofy shirts. Therefore, Vlad’s shirt represents his personality; the shirt has a humorous message, and Vlad is a humorous person. Thus, the shirt with the message on the outside gave a hint to what he is like on the inside, an amusing person.
Vlad with his funny shirt
From my research, I have learned that people’s clothing represents their personality. This may not always be true, but, from my experience, clothing usually gives insight to what someone’s character is like. I know there is a saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but, people are not books.
Stephan being Stephan
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