ANH-THROPOLOGY

Throughout my four years at UW, ANTH 208 will always be one of my all-time favorite classes. Initially, I enrolled in the course only because the professor had a great Rate My Professor rating and the class did not have a final on finals week; with these two simple criteria, I did not think much when I started the class. Little did I know, ANTH 208 would completely open up my thinking in regards to the binaries within our society and culture. Initially, my goal heading into the class was just to get a 4.0, which I did; but as I got more interested in the topic, I made it a goal to truly expand my thinking, acknowledge the binaries in our society and do my best to create a third space. By the end of the course, I completed a project in regards to men wearing makeup and I was able to not only achieve my goal of expending my own mindset but also educating the other people in my class regarding the subject.

The completion of my project was such a pivotal moment in my experience in the class. The assignment asked us to create a Critical Culture Project that required me to address a cultural expression and how it illustrates the dangers/limitations of the dichotomies in our society; it was important for me to also address the stereotypes we have as a society and how it is connected to larger structural forces. My take on the Critical Culture Project was to talk about the beauty industry and how it is expanding beyond the females. My project was called “Beauty without Genders” which addressed the emerging trend of men wearing makeup and how it is pushing against the stereotypes and societal norms. This project was so important to me because I became so interested in males doing makeup, yet I know it is still very eye-opening for others. My goal was to open up the minds of the people in my class and acknowledge the men who are pioneering the way for others to be themselves and wear makeup if they want to.

Resiliency

I decided to complete the project on my own so I was able to have complete control for my project. While this was great, it was hard for me to complete all the requirements for the assignment, I found it hard to complete interviews, conduct research, connect to the lecture, and put everything in video format. It was a lot of stress on my end, but I had a vision and I knew that this was a project I was passionate about, therefore, I put 100% of my effort into the project. In the end, it paid off! I received 225/220 on the assignment!

Advocating for a Point of View

This was one of my primary goals for the project. I really wanted to educate others about a more accepting point of view. I wanted others to understand that historically, women did wear makeup, but now we are now an evolved society and men feel more accepted to be themselves and wear makeup. I wanted to educate others that makeup truly is genderless, it is an art form. As a leader, advocating is always important when you know that others should be included in the conversation. It is important to keep an open mind, but also be confident in what you believe in right.

Writing

A significant part of my experience in ATH 208 was to complete essays for my midterm and final. During this time, I was not completely confident in my own writing and really struggled with confidence. I had to really reflect on myself as a writer and discover what style I am comfortable with. With this journey, I was able to utilize the Odegaard Writing Center for extra support. As a leader, I hope to continue to improve my writing skills and not be afraid to reach out for help when I feel like I am struggling.

Inclusion

With this assignment, I was responsible for interviewing male individuals that wore makeup. While listening to their stories, I was truly driven to create a more inclusive environment for these individuals. They recalled very dark times where people were not as acceptable for their past and it put them in a very bad place. I knew that I wanted to be responsible for curating that inclusive environment for others to be more accepting in this day and age. As a leader, I want to always include others in the conversation and advocate for other opinions.

Reflection & Application

Throughout the course, I was able to gain so much knowledge about binaries and dichotomies in our culture. By reflecting on what I was learning, I was able to apply it to my project and show my way of thinking through the topic. I was able to dig deeper and address a topic that was not talked about in class but still was very relevant to what we were learning. Reflection and application is important when being a leader because I want to always take in what I have learned, understand how i could improve, and apply it in order to become a better leader.

Listening

This was very important in my project because during the interviews I conducted, I learned a lot about the subject I was interviewing. I knew going into the interview that I wanted to be the most attentive listener and practice active listening. The participants in my project disclosed a lot of personal information with me, so I constantly reminded myself to be respectful and listen closely to what they were saying. I realized the importance of listening for this project because I knew that they trusted me to tell their story as accurately as can be. As a leader, I want to always practice active listening when I talking with others in order to be a better leader and gain others' trust.

Diversity

The project taught me a lot about the diversity all around us. In the past, men wearing makeup could be seen as absurd, but as we continue to grow as a society, more people are able to share their passions without embarrassment or fear. I was glad that I was able to expose a whole culture of makeup that not a lot of people are familiar with. As a leader, I know that diversity is important and I want to always encourage a more diverse society and community.

As a leader, I think this course has taught me how to be more aware of the binaries and dichotomies there are in our current society. It definitely has taught me to empathize with others and be more sensitive to the way I interact with others. I learned that our society really wants everything to be black and white, but that is not how the world really is. ANTH 208 has encouraged me to keep an open mind about how I see others and how I see the world.