Do you identify with what nature gave you?
Pointlessly hypothetical, I guess, but it's been weighing on my mind. Assume your consciousness was transplanted from the body you have now into a clone of you, grown and incubated to adulthood. Your hair is its natural colour, you have no scars or tattoos or piercings. You have no clothing, no glasses, no braces, no surgical implants or steel pins. Your nails aren't bitten or painted, you don't have sculpted muscles or a 'deliberate' beer gut. You are what your genetic makeup defines, no more and no less.
Would you still feel like yourself? Interacting with others, would you feel as though they could see who you really are, or would the abscence of external markings and expressions of the self separate from the body into which you were born prevent you from being wholly present and 'real'?
huh. I think I would, only because I don't identify too much with any "alterations" I have had: one scar which is mostly faded, ears pierced (haven't worn earrings in years), glasses (would like to not have to wear them...), and since we're on it, fillings/crowns which I'd also be glad to part with. I'm not the hair-dyeing, nail-painting type, so I'd be pretty much the same to myself aesthetically. As for clothes, I don't really identify with too much I have. I mean, I have a lot of animal rights T shirts (so I ID with them in some way), but I wouldn't see myself differently without all these things.
I guess the main thing out of all of these would be the glasses. It took me a little effort to get used to wearing something on my face every where, I'd probably have to adjust not doing that and not seeing it as a part of my public self.
The only thing I would miss is my hair cut. I love my hair cut. I feel like it sort of says who I am in a way.
My hair is pretty much its natural color....my body type has been the same since HS-without too much working out or deliberate over eating :).
I HAD a tattoo but got it removed...I do have my nose pierced, but I wouldn't miss it that much. Same with earrings-haven't worn them in years.
SO yeah.....I don't think I would like it if my hair was just growing and growing and never got cut.
I don't wear make up, or even deodorant for that matter....
Would our nails just grow and grow, or could we trim them? I hate when my nails get long, so I would need to use clippers :)
Maybe I am not really answering the question.
No, no, that definitely is the sort of answer I was looking for. I'm kind of on the opposite end of the spectrum; I feel almost no connection to my 'natural' body, and when I look in the mirror it's only the scars (there are quite a few) and stretched earlobes and glasses and notes scrawled on the backs of my hands that register as 'me'. I'm just curious to see how other people feel. My school has a fairly strict-ish dress code, and I rather chafe at being told how to look, since I don't feel like the bits they deem acceptable are the bits that actually belong to me. Whereas I know there are plenty of people in private schools or uniformed jobs or the armed forces or other institutions who don't seem to mind at all.
Oh man. That would be weird. That would mean full on body hair too. Haha.
I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. Like, I'm cool with my body, just theres so many different things so I'm not sure.
I need to answer this again when I'm not getting ready for work.
I feel that we as humans are more than simply our genetic makeup. We each have a distinct personality and the belief that we are unique. We are the sum of our experiences, from scars to wrinkles to adornment. We can also fool ourselves in our thinking that we are something we are not, like body dismorphia.
Would I identify with my exact genetic makeup? Probably not. My scars, wrinkles and adorments are not who I am but a part of me.
So, I'd lose all athletic ability above my "natural" ability? Like, I'd have to go back to square one for running and rock climbing skills? I wouldn't identify with that person at all. It's taken a lot of time and training to get where I am on both of those accounts, and I'd hate to lose it. I don't know what I'd do with my day, other than get back on the road and the rock. I'd also be weirded out by the lack of scars. These scars tell my story, my life from broken bones to childish shenanigans. I'd be sad to lose them. There's a song lyric that says "Scars remind us the past is real." I'd feel disconnected from my life without them. I'm stronger and a better person for having gone through what gave those scars to me.
I guess it's the "nature vs. nurture" question again--and life has nurtured me to be who I am. Cool question!
I feel similarly to FB. Although I do really value my hair...I got an awful haircut a couple months back and it made me realize how much importance I place on my hairstyle...I wouldn't be happy if it was long, I think. My hair is really thick so I'd roast during the summer time. But I don't really have any tattoos or piercings (besides ears, and haven't put anything in them for ages), and I have body hair and whatnot, so I guess I'm already pretty close.
I feel similarly to FB. Although I do really value my hair...I got an awful haircut a couple months back and it made me realize how much importance I place on my hairstyle...I wouldn't be happy if it was long, I think. My hair is really thick so I'd roast during the summer time. But I don't really have any tattoos or piercings (besides ears, and haven't put anything in them for ages), and I have body hair and whatnot, so I guess I'm already pretty close.
haha! me too with the horrible hair cut! about a year ago this chic cut my hair to look like Freddy Mercury's. It was awful. I wore a hat for 3 months...but ended up really identifying with my hat! ;)
I just got an AWESOME hair cut....I don't think I could deal with long hair either.
and yeah, I'm not too into shaving either.
I would be lost without my glasses/contacts though....wouldn't my eyes still be bad in this scenario?
The body I'm in surprises me every time I look in the mirror. I think my current body and its subsequent evolutions, is a product of my nurturing to a greater extent than my 'natural' genetic inheritance. I have been very curious for years as to how I would feel in an 'original' version of my body.
I am a feminist, and so don't wear makeup or shave, but if I don't die my hair I don't feel like 'myself' (to a solid but darker natural shade - I like the drama) and I love tattoos. I would say I identify with a lot of cultural influences and historical symbols in the expression of who I am rather than my physical self.
Nice post.
I think I'm pretty close to my "natural" self, other than my glasses - I'd be nearly blind without them, so, yeah, I wouldn't feel like myself if they were gone.
I have some scars here and there, but none that are so big or remind me of an important event that I wouldn't feel like myself if they were gone.
I've never paid any attention to my weight or muscle size, so I think they are pretty close to "natural" for me. I'm fairly physically active, but I don't know that "natural" can be defined as not being physically active.
I don't wear makeup, but I do shave sometimes. If I didn't shave, I still think I would be comfortable in my skin.
My hair gets cut like once a year. If I just let it keep growing and growing, I guess that would bother me.
I pierced my ears when I was 8 years old, but they've since closed up. I might feel a little awkward without my wedding ring (a plain gold band).
I guess, for me, I am mostly my natural physical self already.
OK, get rid of my IUD and I'd feel a little...um....repressed.