Fading the Stereotype

Every once in awhile, I realize how often I rely on stereotypes as a sort of shorthand to get through life. Stereotypes of course have a terribly bad rap because they are so often misused and abused. In fact, stereotypes exist because they are based around a relative truth. The problem of course is when we wittle existence down to the sum of the stereotype rather than being open to the fact that just because someone or something falls within the parameters of a stereotype does not mean that that is the sum of their existence. The other problem is that stereotypes generally do not mix well. Or rather we have segregated them so thoroughly that we have a hard time seeing two or more stereotypes in the same person.

Case in point: I teach art at a community college. Most of the students and teachers I associate with are what I would call fringe people. Meaning they do not fit some of the more popular and limiting stereotypes of teens and early twenty-somethings out there. They learned early on to go with their own flow and seem now to have found their stride and are revelling in it. What has caused me to ponder all this is one particular student that keeps hitting my radar. She is petite, pretty, has lovely shoulder length hair, and dresses with a rather practically feminine flair. She is however covered in tattoos. Not cute butterflies or hearts, discreetly placed here and there for easy disguise or for provocative peeking - I mean she is covered - two full sleeves, a large tat across her upper back, wrists, stomach, and so on. The dichotomy of her rather girlie appearance set against the rougher, edgier world of hardcore tattooing is a jarring reality for me every time. This is of course my own reliance on stereotypes working against me. She seems quite content with herself.

What I see in her is the evolution of identity. She isn't just going against stereotype, she's merging stereotypes. Rather than picking one that she is most comfortable with at the forfeiture of some other part of herself, she is blithely indulging it all. This is truly fascinating to me. So few people are able to actually carry this off. And frankly there is very little evidence of people even willing to try. I wonder if it is because people are generally uncourageous when it comes to personal expression. Or if it is because we as a society are so hell-bent on categorizing that even when someone truly new and innovative pops up, they eventually spawn a host of copy-cats and a new category is born - thus, effectively squelching the individuality that created it in the first place. Whatever the case, it's nice to have my own complacency skewed a bit...looking forward to more of it ~ I hope.