Tuesday, September 18, 2007

turn the other cheek or slap what's facing you?

One of my new favorite blogs, the Annoyed Librarian (AL), posted the other day about stereotypes and about librarian stereotypes in particular. This is not the first article I've read that trashes/makes fun of an article on a group of "hipster" librarians in New York.

I liked that article...it made me feel good/better/best about my profession and my place in it. I have my hair in a bun AND get tattoos and piercings. I'm I caving to the new conformity? Am I out on a bold new limb? I've never thought about it that hard...I just like tattoos. I like researching and picking them out; I like tattoo parlors and the people in them; I like the looks that I get when I stroll in with my bun and sensible shoes. Does that make me a conformer in my nonconformity? I'm confusing myself here. It's just that I don't think about conformity or the lack there of when I've gotten my tattoos/piercings in the past...I just wanted them for me. Doesn't that make me normal??? In the AL's article:
If you have to fight the stereotypes, the stereotypes have already won. News articles about how hip we all are just make us seem desperate. If you're really hip, you don't have to tell people. And if you're a normal person, you don't have to tell people, either. They'll just know.
Do you think this is true? I don't believe I'm desperate for people to see me for who I am...maybe on a personal level, but I've always believed I'm very comfortable in my role as a librarian and how I associate/get along with others in my profession. AL's blog entry, well written and humorous as it may be, still made me feel a little ashamed of myself. Who am I kidding? I am a female, 30 year old, single, overweight, mild mannered (most of the time) librarian. I have a cat, a fairly environmentaly friendly car, get mani's and pedi's regularly, floss diligently. Am I a nerd attempting to put on some wolf's clothing?

Only my therapist and I know for sure :)
htw

2 comments:

Kenny P. said...

Hmmm...well, you just seem cool, smart, and fun to me (I know the word cool is a lazy-brain word. I hate using it, but what the hell. I do it anyway. Maybe I'm a masochist). I don't know what your motivations are, but motivations change constantly. At least mine do. No need to nail anything down.

Holley T said...

you know, I don't believe I could tell someone what my motivations were if they held a gun to my head...I wonder if that's part of the problem? I wonder if I'm overthinking? I wonder if I think I'm overthinking?
ah! paranoia! run for your life!

seriously though, I am a cool (if it weren't such a gr8 word it would not have endured this long!) librarian, tattoos or not, bun, sensible shoes, and ubiquitous floss included :)
Thanks KP!
htw