Hw 31

Part A:
Dress Up
A strategy used commonly by many people is the way they dress to be known as cool. One person that seems to do this on a regular basis is Charles. So I asked him some questions based on the discussion we had on Friday.
Do you feel like u adorn or customize yourself?
I do customize myself but I don’t do it to be cool. I do it because I like the clothing, which is the reason why I buy the clothing in the first place.
So why do u do it?
Because I want to look good, and I do it just because I like it
Ok, so why do u always wear that sticker on your hat all the time as Andy points out all the time?
Because I’m too lazy to take it off and it’s going to leave a mark if I take it off
Would you ever get a tattoo or a piercing? Why or why not?
Yeah I would...I like diamonds in my ears and I’m going to get a basketball tattoo
Why do you think many basketball players have tattoos and piercings?
It’s just the way it is, since everybody else has them then you are supposed to have it too. If you don’t then you wouldn’t really fit in.
Wouldn’t you want to be different by standing out and not getting tattoos and piercings?
That’s true, but I want to get it because that’s my decision.

Part B:
Piercings
Piercings are very common in every culture, but it all depends where the piercing is. Girls getting their ears pierced is nothing out of the ordinary, but in some ways this is considered “cool” as well. It all depends on where this piercing is.
How many piercings do you have?
Six, don’t worry, they are all on my ears.
When did you get your first piercing?
I was seven, in Pakistan; my mom and I were doing some shopping and she took me to this place to get my ears pierced. I don’t really remember asking for it, but I didn’t mind either.
What about those other piercings?
The other four, I also got done in Pakistan, but this was when I was thirteen. I was going to get the ones above my first piercings because that’s common in our culture. But the 3rd pair I got done because I wanted it after I saw that it was the new thing going on. I got both of my cartilages pierced because I wanted to get something different.
How did people react to seeing your piercings?
Well it sort of builds up, my first pair was on my earlobes so that wasn’t anything different. The ones that I got on top of my earlobes is also something pretty common. The 3rd piercings on my cartilages took my friends by surprise, because I only started 8th grade and everybody was like “ohhhh, your parents let you do that?” There weren’t many young girls out there that had their cartilages pierced so it was referred as being “cool” if you got it pierced, especially at a young age.
Your Parents were okay with this?
My mom was much more chill about it compared to my dad. He said “No”, but it wasn’t the kind of “No” that meant that I would be in serious trouble. Knowing that my mom was okay with it I got my cartilages pierced. The other 2 pairs of piercings I was going to get sooner or later so that wasn’t much of a problem. When I came home with my cartilages pierced, my dad had a “Whatever” kind of reaction.
Will you be getting any more piercings in the future?
I know I will be getting my nose pierced for sure; other piercings I am not too sure about at the moment.
How do all these piercings connect to being “cool”?
My first two pairs of piercings wouldn’t really be considered “cool” because that is something that is common in many cultures. My third set of piercings I would say is considered “cool”, especially at a young age because everybody doesn’t have it. It’s something that makes you stand out and be different. I guess a part of me getting all these piercings does have to be with being “cool”, but I got it done because I wanted to get it done, not because I was forced to.