LOOK AT me. No, really -- take a serious look at my face in the picture next to this column. What exactly is your impression? Apparently, not the greatest I've ever given. Though I'm not a fan of the effervescent personal column, this issue needs to be addressed. In the last week alone, I have been approached ever-so-timidly by my peers who wanted to discuss not my words, but rather my face. The problems with my snapshot have raised questions from quite a few people, and the implications surpass just another opinion columnist at The Cavalier Daily having a personal gripe. In fact, something as small as a picture has turned into a personal example of how easy it is to stereotype a person without evidence.
The first issue is that, clearly, my own picture looks far different from others that you see in The Cavalier Daily. The beaming faces looking up at the camera from amid healthy foliage simply do not compare with my smile-less facial expression posed against the brick background of Newcomb Hall. For most people who know me personally, they chuckle upon seeing this image. In everyday life, I can never wipe the smile from my face, nor refrain from hugging everyone I see. However, what most people have expressed to me is discontent with The Cavalier Daily about the black stereotype this picture implies. Why is it that the black female writer does not have the same picture layout, and what exactly is this supposed to mean? It is as simple as me taking my picture on a different day, but it also means that people have been judging me more on what I look like than what I actually have to say.
As far as I am concerned, the circumstances under which I took my snapshot didn't allow for the beautiful glamour shots that some of my colleagues ended up with. However, as skepticism increased and questions were raised, I too became taken with my own picture. The portrayal of my personality through this image does not necessarily capture who I am as a person, but that is not to be expected of a picture. Some of my friends loved the focused, determined representation, while others loathed the depiction of being "hardcore," "militant" or even "ghetto." What truly struck was when a white acquaintance of mine approached me, shyly informing me that whenever she read a column of mine, she was truly afraid of me. This statement is a prime example of the stereotypes and generalizations that each of us are continually encountering here at the University.
Though the year has just begun, already dialogue has been sparked about race relations on Grounds. By now, most first years have figured out the differences between a party on Rugby Road and one thrown by the BFC. Students once more are confronted by the bus stop in front of the Commerce School and the back section of Newcomb Hall. It comes up topically every fall, and this year has been no different, except for this time, I feel a bit personally in the mix.
"Amey, when will you change your picture?" "Are you going to stand for that to be representative of you?" "What are you going to do?" Well, to be quite honest, I was a bit self-conscious of the picture. Though a number of different factors went into the actual picture itself, I admit that I really did want to have a bright, smiling face in The Cavalier Daily each week. More than anything, I just didn't want people to see me in the "wrong light." However, in talking to many people -- those I knew and those I randomly questioned -- I realized that the true problem did not lie in my lack of glamour. Rather, what it all boils down to is our personal comfort zones.
When I saw my picture, it made me feel bad, strange and even out of place. But this picture is of no one else but me. Like it or not, that is my face, and I am proud of it. The true problem with the picture is that people so easily make assumptions based on appearances alone without ever knowing a person. Stereotyping is harmful to all because it causes people to overlook the person and judge based on an external factor. This is exactly what occurs everyday on Grounds between people of different races, religions and genders. If a blond-haired, white girl walks through Newcomb hall, then it is safe to assume she is in a sorority. If a tall black man is hanging out at the bus stop, then he probably plays a sport. These types of generalizations run through people's minds without prompting, and I realized that my fear of being stereotyped by my picture scared me enough to retake it at my earliest convenience.
Though this personal journey may not seem relevant, it does have larger implications. It has taken me a long time to get over my picture, but now I realize the deeper issues behind my own, as well as any reader's probable discomfort at my picture. Sure, I am not necessarily pleased with all aspects of what I look like. But what is more important to me is for people to look past my face into my mind, the best opportunity being provided through my columns. For this semester -- at a minimum -- I am proudly making a statement of my own. Indeed, I want people to readily approach me and speak to me, without fear that I will supposedly rip their heads off. Yes, it would be much easier for me to just retake the darn thing, but that would be too easy for both myself and the people who were disturbed by my picture. Thus, it is simple. My columns will continue, and as far as I am concerned, so will this picture. So much for saying "cheese."
(Amey Adkins' column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at aadkins@cavalierdaily.com.)
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