COLUMNS

Campus Talk

Cultures, customs and appearances

By Jill Parikh

Different customs and traditions are what make every culture so unique and valuable. America is considered a melting pot where cultures can mix and match; sharing their individual aspects and creating a comfortable environment in which both cultures can flourish. From food to language, customs from various cultures have been shared and accepted by many different individuals in the US. Still, sometimes, certain customs do not translate across cultures. These customs can be misinterpreted by others and lead to various misunderstandings.

Nose piercing, for example, is one such custom that is interpreted very differently by cultural groups across the US. In India, nose piercings were regarded as a mark of beauty and social standing. The custom started around the 16th century and was also considered an honor to the Goddess Parvathi, the Goddess of Marriage. In America, this custom was adopted by the hippie generation in the 60s and 70s and later passed on to the punk and grunge generation. Nose piercings began to take on a wild, rebellious connotation because of this, that still holds in many people’s minds today.

For the past few years, I have been toying with the idea of piercing my nose, but I worry that doing so will invoke negative reactions from people I interact with that are not of an Indian background. For me, I have always been around this custom. My mother and grandmother both have their noses pierced as well as many other women in my family. It never occurred to me that people could view this in a negative light until I was much older. I worry that piercing my nose will have people look down upon me, especially in professional settings such as at school or with employers. I know that they should judge me based on my actions, but it would be naïve to deny that first impressions are not important, and that they are usually based on physical characteristics.

I believe that it is important to realize that there usually is a purpose behind someone’s habits and actions, besides what is immediately obvious. Just because someone has a nose ring, it does not mean that they are not going to be a dedicated, friend, student, or employee. Sometimes a clash occurs when customs are not equitable across cultures, and it is important to delve deep into the issue to avoid serious consequences.

While teaching summer school in LA, for example, I had a student that would avoid making eye contact with me. First, I was undignified and thought the student was being rude and rebellious. After this problem continued for a week, I approached one of the veteran teachers. The teacher explained to me that in Asian families, it is often considered a sign of respect to avert one’s eyes when speaking to an authority figure or an elder. Realizing my misstep, made me see that one should never jump to conclusions based on someone’s appearance or habits. I quickly changed the way I dealt with that student and had a new outlook on stereotypes and generalizations. It is essential that we internalize this concept to avoid cultural misunderstandings beyond just physical one’s such as nose piercings or even more serious ones.

Jill Parikh is a student of journalism at Loyola University. She writes about issues of teenagers, their achievements and activities in school and their relationship with their parents.