Personal Adornment Reflection

When I wake up in the morning, I follow a simple routine that consists of a shower and dress. The shower invigorates me, and my style of dress gives me an extra confidence booster. The way I dress and my lack of body adornment do hold certain personal values. First, my attire is limited because I do not have the means to add to my clothing collection. The clothing I have is for functional and aesthetic purposes. Since I do not condone firms paying employees low wages, placing employees in bad working conditions, and animal slaughter, I try to make an effort to withhold buying from these companies. I believe in a fair transaction that benefits the producer and consumer.
I do not have any tattoos or piercing because they are unattractive to me. I consider tattoo an art because both parties are very involved in the process and that collaboration is unique in the art world. I prefer to look at tattoo designs at a tattoo parlor, rather than on a human beings body because I believe the human body is the highest form of natural art. My body is art without a tattoo or piercing. The process of altering my body in an unnatural way, probably using needles, does not give me any greater incentive.
I make my choices based on personal preferences and growing up in an environment that supports individuality. Over the years, I have slowed my spending patterns because I feel as though one can still dress cool with the bare necessities. I have made a diligent effort to simplify my wardrobe. However, my shoe collection is another matter. I could write a thesis paper about my passion for sneakers, so to out it simply, I am addicted to sneakers!
My parents taught me to take pride in my appearance: hair, facial hair, and clothing. My father is old fashioned, so he prefers formal dress. He wears a suit and tie to work during the week, and it is easy to notice that he gets a moral boost from his dress appearance. When I was younger, my father would call me out for wearing jeans because they are not as dignified as dress pants or khakis. My mother, however, is a connoisseur of jeans. She believes jeans are one of America’s all-time greatest fads. Personally, I could wear jeans everyday for the rest of my life because I like the way they look and they are comfortable. I will not totally disregard my father’s tastes because there are appropriate times to dress more traditional, but on a daily basis, I like to be comfortable and look cool.
My peer community likes to be unique, and that pertains primarily to their dress and adornment. There are several factors that influence dress and adornment, but the most important are music, sports, and culture (religion and ethnicity). My friends like to have a cool demeanor, and they do this by wearing t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, and sneakers. This type of clothing is typically associated with a younger generation that aspires to be at the forefront of the term “cool” and “different”. A trivial amount of my male friends have an ear piercing, while the majority of my female friends have a piercing on their ear, nose, and/or belly button. My male friends are influenced by hip-hop musicians and athletes, and that is definitely one of major influences for them to get an ear piercing. Towards the end of senior year in high school and throughout summer, some of my male friends got tattoos on their arms, shoulders, or back. The tattoos were all in scripted with their grandfather and father’s initials. My peer community has an influence on my tastes and the way I dress, but I always try to remember to do my own thing.