I know a lot of people go for the "I don't conform to labels" front, and it is true that no label will fit a person perfectly. I, however, like labels, to an extent. I feel like in large quantities you can begin to figure out who a person is. Labels can be useful. Imagine trying to do anything without labels.
Can you pass me the...um the...I mean, it's white and fluid (but only if it identifies that way obviously) and come from the udders of a cow - oh no, I don't mean that! It could come from any animal - or plant, I can't discriminate against the plants like almonds! Not just almonds, it was just an example, I mean, can you extend your arm or leg or face or stomach and bequeath unto me the...
Can you pass the milk is so much more concise, right?
Here are some of my labels. I am a cis-female teenager, who identifies as pansexual. (Oh yeah, I find frying pans just so fucking sexy!) I am single, I am short (5"3) and I am Caucasian. My birthday is on the 21st of May so I am on the cusp of Taurus and Gemini. I have a dual nationality - Australian and British, but I've lived in England, in and around London my entire life. My hair is light brown and my eyes are green-grey-blue with a brown rim around the pupil. I am a daughter, a cousin, a niece, a granddaughter, an older sister, a friend and a student. I currently study Textiles, Art, Drama, Music, Geography, French, English, Maths, Double Science and Religious Studies. I am a radical third wave feminist. I took a weird online quiz that told me according to Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs, I am ESFP which stands for extroverted, sensing, feeling and perceiving. I am a dog person. If I had to sum up my personality using a song title (god, I really am a music slut, aren't I?) I would probably choose Punk Ass Bitch. I have been described as an optimistic pessimist and a pessimistic optimist. I am pro-choice, pro-gay marriage and I am a republican with a small "r" (as in I do not believe in absolute monarchies, dictatorships et cetera).
Whilst labels can be super useful, they can also be super harmful, especially not if the person is not labeling themself, but is having a label thrust upon them. We've all seen the Mean Girls cafeteria scene, where everyone is neatly placed into boxes. In real life I have been called a nerd, a geek, a punk, an emo, an asshole and a feminazi. Some examples of the countless other labels we freely use to describe others include fundamentalist, delusional, perfectionist, idealist, realist, extremist, terrorist, Catholic, Jew, Muslim, pessimist, pacifist, narcissistic, optimist, racist, liberal, homophobe, jerk, stupid, pro-life, pro-choice, two-bit punk, and loud-mouth. The problem with labels is they are merely shells that contain assumptions. When we are taken in by a label, we are taken in by opinions and beliefs. That is, we willingly accept statements without evidence of their validity. The assumptions become stereotypes, which soon become put-downs. Before you know it, we are engaged in name-calling or verbal abuse.
Just because a jar of jam is labelled peanut butter, does not make it jam. And the sooner you can open the jar to discover the jam, the sooner it will become that thing to everyone else. It is important to define labels so that you can describe yourself accurately, it is when you let your labels define you that issues arise.
Thoughts? Bella Fern x
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