Assignment 6: Impression Management and the Front & Back Stage Divide

I've lived in five different states in the US, and have lived in two different cities in northern Germany. I am well accustomed to the process of uprooting and re-grounding that has resulted from a number of moves both with and without my family. With each move I had the chance to start over, to create a new “me” in an unfamiliar place. I guess you could say I've had plenty of practice managing my impression -though that certainly doesn't mean I'm any master of it.

Newman describes impression management as the “act of presenting a favorable public image of oneself so that others will form positive judgments” (Newman, 195). Each time I entered a new school and was confronted by a sea of unfamiliar faces, this was my intent. I wanted to be accepted, and to eventually become part of the community alien to me.

I remember engaging in impression management most vividly as I transitioned from a small private school in Hamburg, Germany, to sophomore year in a large public high school in rural Minnesota. Walking into the school I experienced flashbacks of the cafeteria clique scene from Mean Girls- possibilities for impression management endless (2004). As an introverted being, I spent a lot of time observing my new cultural surroundings and began to focus on my appearance as my gateway to fitting in, or at least to avoid sticking out.

The popular students wore name brand clothing, easily identified by an embroidered animal seemingly marking its territory on their body. Wearing such brands became a way for me to project an image of sameness to my peers, in a time when all I wanted was to avoid being singled out as “that girl from Germany.” Perhaps the moose on my shirt would make me seem more normal.

Moose as Management
(polyvore.com)

I also used my hair as a method of impression management. I envied the popular girls who had perfectly straight blond hair. My solution was to spend an inordinate amount of time in front of the mirror, ironing my natural curls into straight, lifeless strands, only for the humidity or rain outside to immediately reverse the process.

The girl with the straight hair, wearing name brand clothing was not my true self, but rather, a front stage actress. Front stage, I maintained the high school appropriate appearance as I interacted with peers (Newman, 177). Back stage, however, I let my hair wave naturally, and wore whatever I felt comfortable in, thus violating the impression management performance I put on in school (Newman, 177). As I continued to play the role of the front stage actress, I began to loose touch with my true self, and the divide between front and back stage grew larger.

Soon after high school, I realized the potentially harmful consequences of using my looks to determine self-worth, and thinking that others did the same. However, impression management is an inescapable reality in a societal context. I now find my self managing my impression in different ways, and make a conscious effort to ensure that what I put on the front stage is not too distant from my true self backstage.

openskyyoga.com

As a yoga instructor I was taught to present a grounded, peaceful and nurturing energy to practitioners. In order to do so, I have make use of the back stage by creating a sequence for the class, cleansing the room, and preparing myself energetically. When students arrive, I place my mat at the front of the room, indicating via the use of space that I'm the instructor. I may also have a singing bowl or candles near the front of the room - props which also indicate my role. When the class begins, I use Sanskrit and anatomical terminology, language which I rarely use outside of this front stage context. I can also walk around the room, offering adjustments and modifications to poses, while the students stay on their mats. In this example, the use of props, space and language are emphasized, in contrast with the emphasis on appearance in the high school example.

Practices of impression management are inherent to our societal functioning. In a society where we are required to wear many hats, it is crucial to cultivate awareness of our innermost being which transcends these roles and the void of front stage faces. As we've been told time and time again: It's what's on the inside that counts.

Sources:

Newman, David (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition. SAGE Publications. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ_qXmxdgGM

Mean Girls. Dir. Mark S. Waters. Perf. Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey. Paramount, 2004.

http://www.polyvore.com/abercrombie_logo/thing?id=16989146

http://www.openskyyoga.com/open-sky-classes