This is Kaki King. I did not know who she was prior to living in a co-op. Apparently, she is a hit amongst the cooperative types, because I keep getting told I look like her. (Of course, one should consider the amount of pot (by house-member) involved with such a comparison)
I've also been told by O.C. watching types that I look like Rachel Bilson.
Why am I making this post? (you may be asking at this point) I am a narcissist? Do I love posting pictures of myself on the internet? Not really, but I thought I would answer some of the questions brought up in the visual image argument post.
Between Kaki King, Rachel Bilson (?), Dora the Explorer, Enid from Ghostworld, Frida Kahlo, Kelly Osbourne, Ugly Betty, and Marie Osmond I look like a hell of a lot of people. The question then becomes, does this say anything about my identity?
Is looking like a particular celebrity a good thing? Do we like these comparisons? Do these comparisons do anything to our social identity?
I want to say these comparisons don't have anything to do with my identity. This though, is not true. In high school I used to hate the Kelly Osbourne comparison. It didn't happen often, but when it did happen I would get really upset. Who wants to look like Kelly Osbourne? Especially because I was enough of a culture snob to not want to be related to anything about the pop-punk sub culture. I wanted my haircut to be mod and I wanted to relate to the MC5/Velvet Underground scene. (Or at least the 2004 reconstruction of it).
I also think that comparison went a long way in convincing me to not have short hair, and to start working out.
As far as looking like the others, well, I really don't mind it. Maybe I would if there was someone that I predominantly looked like. For the most part, I think more about what that means that the other person made that comparison rather than what it means for me as an individual. For example, the Rachel Bilson comparison makes me think that person is a megafan of the OC, but if I'm told that I look like Enid from Ghostworld, I think that person must be cool because that's a fantastic graphic novel/movie.
Pretty superficial judgement on my part, right? Maybe I do this because no one who knows me really well makes these comparisons.
Anyway, what do you all think? Are any of you compared with celebrities? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Does it damage your social identity?
Our identity is so constructed that adding the connotations of celebrity to it can really change things, even if only abstractly. It's confusing to try and define yourself one way every single day, and then have the perceptions and constructions of a random celebrity placed on top of you. It can change someone's perception of you and limits the possibilities for first impressions. If I'm Kelly Osbourne then I have a bad attitude and really like punk music. If I'm Ugly Betty then I'm really really really sweet and generally a good girl. It changes the outsider's perspective of yourself drastically, when really I just want to be me, no connotations attached. For me, the challenge is the multiplicity of personalities placed upon myself. These things usually fade when someone gets to know me a lot better, but it can really set the tone of a relationship.
To think that all of that comes with having a doppleganger, and the only thing I want out of it is a good Halloween costume—SSS
images:
Kaki King:
http://image.listen.com/img/356x237/9/2/1/6/916129_356x237.jpg
Rachel Bilson:
http://images.teamsugar.com/files/upl0/2/20652/09_2008/RBilBangs.jpg
