Pop images and name brands follow us everywhere we go.
UCLA students use clothing and corporate logos instead of more
substantial qualities to create their identities. Others use
material possessions to gain attention, reassurance and the feeling
of being in the “in crowd.” And this makes our campus a
place where style overshadows substance and consequentially shifts
focus away from academia.
At UCLA, common and deep-seated beliefs, widespread norms, pop
culture, and innovative education are thrown together into a sort
of “melting honey pot.” The sticky product is our self
representation: the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the movies
we watch, and the radio stations we listen to. Our image-obsessed
environment often combines the complexity of student identities
into nothing more than how they dress.
For example, one can easily guess what students are studying by
the shoes they wear. Theater majors ““ especially the ones
enrolled in costume, lighting, or prop labs ““ wear
comfortable sneakers because they’re exposed to paint, dust,
and nails. Medical students don clean, white sneakers while making
their rounds. Aquatic fiends and sport fanatics most likely
“flip-flop” around in open-toed, beach sandals. UCLA
law students, on the other hand, stalk by in sophisticated,
polished leather shoes. It seems that students are more focused on
looking like everyone else in their major than actually being a
productive member of their education.
Students also play the trendy name game. Prada, Billa-Bong, and
Calvin Klein underpants often collide, documenting Western-derived,
tribal identities (i.e. ““ surfer, skater, biker, punk or
raver). Designer labels are key for some students.
Whether in class, at work, or at a party, we are too concerned
with our image. We are also aware of others’ images around
us, and we tend to identify and feel comfortable around people who
are either similarly dressed.
We are sorted into different drawers according to certain
stereotypes we attribute to an image. What’s more, sometimes
our “created images” evoke mixed feelings among other
students, who have been brought up differently. Because we are so
image-conscious, we inadvertently push others who dress unlike
ourselves away.
One of my friends who left UCLA last year to volunteer in Africa
and Taiwan had something very profound to say on this subject.
“The first time you have to get up early in the morning and
wade through the muddy, soft soil to fetch water from a fountain
three miles away, you come to realize that perhaps not all women
are concerned about weight, hair, nails or looks.”
Not all images are entirely superficial though. Next to the
Wooden Center, punctuating like an exclamation mark cast in iron,
the Bruin bear greets students, faculty and visitors with a glowing
smile. Many UCLA alumni cherish the bear as they proudly display it
on their license plates.
And while our mascot is an embodiment of certain desirable
qualities, the Bruin is ultimately another image that groups
certain people together, adding one more possible identification to
a student body focused more on looks than education.
There is more to life than mere images.