Why Do Marks Matter

In class this past week one of the passages that we read was "There is No Unmarked Woman" by Deborah Tannen.  In this piece Tannen talks about how there is a standardized appearance for men so that they do not stand out from the crowd, but women do not have the ability to do the same.  Tannen believes that no matter what a women does, says, or wears she will always stand out.  In some ways this can be bad as Tannen explains "some days you just want to get dressed and go about your business."  At the same time however, being marked can have its benefits.  For example, in a job interview it is your objective to try and stand out to the employer so they think of you first when looking through the potential candidates for the job.  By marking yourself it is easier to stand out in a situation like that and it gives you a higher likelihood of success.  Some people may wonder why these marks exist in the first place.  Marks are very similar to stereotypes in that they allow the observer to get a quick overview of the person after just a brief encounter.  They may not always be true but in many cases learning something insignificant about a person after meeting them is better than knowing nothing.  These marks can tell you how to deal with a situation like if you see a guy with a lot of tattoos, they might be a criminal and you may want to stay away from them.  This may not be completely true, but due to your prior knowledge you know that this man is potentially dangerous.  For all you know that man could just be a guy who likes tattoos as well as taking care of his 3 kittens at home,  This is just one example of why marks are useful but should not be what you base your entire opinion of someone on.