Labeled (Video)

During the past year or two I have become increasingly aware and intrigued by the rituals that make up our daily lives. We walk through most of them without a conscious thought, but others seem painstakingly self-inflicted if you really stop and think about them. Take makeup application, for example. I don't necessarily have anything against makeup, but as time has begun its march across my face, I'm increasingly aware that when I apply it, the goal is to hide some imperfection deemed unacceptable by society. I'm supposed to wear makeup to look pretty because I don't look as pretty without it. They say. I don't know if I will ever rid myself of what has been beaten into my head since childhood. I suppose on some level, the ritual began as fun and games when playing dress up with Mommy's makeup and shoes. We weren't thinking about making ourselves pretty. We just wanted to be grown up. Being a grown up was way better than being a little girl, so we would claim that new identity for the afternoon. That carried over into adulthood, where makeup became a tool for creating an altered identity (at least for 8-10 hours until I washed the "face" off). Makeup isn't necessarily the enemy creating that outer shell. We seem to do the same thing with measurements and dress sizes. How many lost dress sizes did you brag about the last time you went on a diet? I went from ___ to ___! I'm now a size ___! Fill in the blanks and attach that label to yourself because you're using those numbers to define yourself. As we sit in front of the mirror creating an altered identity, we apply more than just colored talcum powder and dyed wax. We also wear our numbers like prisoners. Whether they are worn proudly or not, we accept them as identity as we immerse ourselves in rituals to either embrace them or reject them.