“People have a really hard time just looking at you for you; they have to point out what they think you remind them of, which I think is a very strange phenomenon.”
—Dita Von Teese, as told to ITG
. . .
… of food for thought. We’re obsessed with familiarity, with comfort, with drawing comparisons, with looking back into the archives of our past. We say we’re modernists who celebrate individuality in every which way, but are we really?
Some will say that there’s no such thing as original. And there isn’t—originality is simply non-existent. It’s how you choose to interpret and weave these pieces of inspiration to create something authentic. It’s authenticity that’s real, and therefore invaluable. We’re not flat surfaces, but multi-faceted and three-dimensional. As Jean-Luc Godard once said, “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.”
I’m tickled by this human compulsion to give a reason to rhyme while defining the unknown (typically in binaries) in terms of the past. It’s not to say I don’t do it—I do—but it’s something that certainly raises a question for thought. Archetypal definitions create boundaries. Boundaries create limitations—do we limit others’ ability—and our own—to wow and teach us something new by setting up these ? There’s beauty in the unknown and even greater beauty in creating new definitions of our own making, from our own experiences.
I love that DVT raises that phenomenon. It’s coincidental, really—I’ve always wondered why strangers were always so intrigued or trying to put a finger on who I remind them of. Today would be a perfect example; a sales representative at the mall literally flagged me down to try to pinpoint my ethnicity and piece together combinations of what I could be. His reaction wasn’t unlike others before—always surprised (and in denial; why, I don’t know). It’s entertaining and certainly flattering to some extent, but other days I want to end the 20 questions before it even begins.
Look at me, for me, I want to say. What and why does it matter who I could be, when I’m just trying to be me?
Thoughts, please. (And back to the books I go.)
. . .
x
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I kid you not, I read her whole interview yesterday and I immediately thought of A Bit Coquettish.
On the quote, I find it intriguing. Obviously we all do it, whether we’re saying it out loud or doing it subconsciously. I think it’s one of those small world kind of things, where we like it when people connect with other people. And I think it also increases our own comfort levels when we’re able to say, “Oh hey, she reminds me of so and so” in looks, attitude, etc.
Really?! I’m so flattered!
Oh most definitely – totally agree. We’re creatures of comfort no matter how adventurous/carpe-diem-types we say we are. It’s not necessarily a bad thing (that is, until it becomes the basis for prejudices and relying on stereotypes. Quick example: I was watching that TLC show – of all things, I know – featuring gypsy families and their “lifestyles.” One of my best friends, whom I consider to be incredibly intelligent in all aspects, surprised/appalled me when she made a comment saying she “couldn’t believe that’s how gypsies lived,” and how when I pointed out it was just a show not too unlike Jersey Shore, she replied, “Well I don’t know, I’ve never met a gypsy before.” It’s things like that which baffle and stir me – we’re drawing conclusions from television now? And not even a reliable source at that – TLC. A reality show. It’s the equivalent of the rest of the world judging Jersey based upon Jersey Shore alone. Sorry – total tangent here!)
P.S.: You have a tumblr? Checking it nowww! x