Essay on Breaking the Norm
Norms are
regarded as important rules and expectations set by the society as their way of
not only organizing a group but more importantly as their way of maintaining
order. More often than not, these rules and expectations are implicitly
dictated by the society and are valued as a standard how an individual should
behave. At times, expected behaviors are explicitly set by the group. Some
sociologists believe norms are created by humans in order to promote order in a
group. On the other hand, some scholars argue that social norms are created
primarily to promote roles, thus reinforcing the stability of a social class.
Although the reason behind the emergence and existence of norms are unclear,
what is certain is that these norms are seen as important. Thus, breaking it or
deviating from the social standards are often frowned upon and even condemned
by the society (Bobel, et al 2011, p.5).
In order to
fully understand a social norm, one has to break it. Doing so, will allow an
individual to fully grasp how the society values it and the consequences of
deviating from the expected behavior. The norm I have chosen to break is the
church dress code. Typically, church goers attend a service wearing
conservative and formal attire. Women are expected to wear conservative clothes
such as a knee-length skirt or dress, paired with a decent top or a cardigan.
Men, on the hand, are expected to wear trousers and a polo shirt. I decided to
break this norm by going to church wearing very skimpy clothes. I wore a short,
skimpy skirt and matched it with a loud pink, body fitting tank top. As for my
shoes, I wore a towering five-inch high heel shoes. In addition, I also put on
a loud make up and tied my hair in a messy bun.
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I decided attend
the 9am Sunday service. Walking towards the church, I’ve noticed a couple of
old ladies sitting in a bench. As I passed them, I made it a point to look at
their direction. One of the ladies gave me a disapproving look, while the other
one waited for me to pass by before whispering to the other lady’s ear. Next, I
passed by a couple who were probably around their mid-30s. The guy was wearing
a pale blue collared shirt, while the wife was wearing an emerald green dress.
I carefully walked passed them and noticed how the wife gave a heavy sigh as
she slowly shook her head in what I perceive as a sign of disapproval. Similarly,
I received the same disapproving look from the three people I met on my way to
the church. One of them was jogging who discreetly glanced at me and quickly
looked away as soon as our eyes met. He is followed by an old lady who was
probably around her 60s who stopped watering her plants just to stare at me.
Finally, a woman walking her dog gave me a slightly disgusted look.
Inside the
church was no difference. As soon as I’ve entered the church, I noticed how
almost everyone glanced my way and gave a disapproving look. Although there was
no who reprimanded by attire, I heard murmurs, noticed some heads shaking, and
looks of contempt and even disgust.
The experience
was uncomfortable and at the same time it served as an eye opener. Although I
was not directly confronted nor reprimanded, the looks, whispers, and
non-verbal communication were enough to make me uncomfortable. I knew in my
mind that almost everyone was thinking the same thing – that I my attire and
physical appearance was disrespectful and I was causing unnecessary
attention. What was more interesting to
point out, is that church must be a place where people are taught to focus on a
person’s faith rather than his or her appearance. However, my experience showed
me otherwise. This only shows that
although, the church does not explicitly dictate a particular service attire,
the group sets a standard and deem what is acceptable and unacceptable. Challenging
a norm, therefore, would mean being silently “outcast”, “judge” and “labelled”
by the group.
Cited
Works
Bobel, C., &
Kwan, S. (2011) Embodied resistance:
challenging the norms, breaking the rules.
Tennessee:
Vanderbilt University Press
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