Many people wake up in the morning and go about their day doing many social things. These things become so habitual to us that sometimes, we don't even realize that they are social.
On a typical day, I wake up and wash my face with a face scrub that is supposed to take away blemishes and other imperfections on my face. Why do I use that instead of regular soap and water? Why do I even worry about washing my face? Our society tells us that a dirty face with pimples on it is frowned upon. The company that sells Clearsil products wants consumers to think that unless they use their product, they will not achieve beautiful, radiant skin that everyone wants. So, twice a day, every day, I do my best to clean my face and hope that acne breakouts are prevented.
Another thing that I do on most days is watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy. This show is very popular in our country and has won numerous awards. When I first started watching this show, I didn't like it. I thought it was way too dramatic and predictable. After a few episode's, however, I fell in love with the characters and the thrill/suspense of it all. I was hooked. I think many Americans depend on TV shows to get their minds off their own lives and pretend for a little while that they have the lives of those people they see on television. Why? Because it seems exciting, glamorous, and perhaps "better" than how they perceive their own lives. Heck, when I watch this show I always think I want to be a surgeon in a hospital out in Seattle because if Katherine Heigl can do it, so can I.
Being on the MTU women's soccer team is basically like having a part time job. Part of that job is preparing yourself during the spring and summer for the upcoming season in the fall. Every day during the week except for Thursdays, my teammates and I head up to the SDC for lifting, running, and soccer practice. It seems like a normal thing to us, but to some people, I'm sure they'd think working out four times a week is insane and a waste of time. Even though it's hard to motivate myself sometimes to work out, I feel so much better and accomplished than if I had stayed home and not done any physical activity. In order to be the best soccer team we can be, we need to put the time and effort into it. Personally, I have a pretty good time doing it too. I'd like to expand a little more on this everyday activity because it probably would not be an everyday activity if it weren't for the progress that women have made in sports throughout history. There are probably some people who take for granted how fortunate we are to be able to participate sports and have the same opportunities as men do. This was not the case 100 years ago, and it probably still isn't the case today in other countries.
Something that has changed socially for me over the past few years is how I dress for school. In high school, I would maybe wear sweat pants once a week. You would never catch me going a day without make up on. And it would take me at least an hour to get ready in the morning. Since being in college, that has completely changed. It is now a special occasion for me to wear jeans, a real bra (not a sports bra), mascara, and my hair down. I think this is because of the increase in maturity level from high school to college... at least for some people. In college, people aren't going to be your friend based on the brand name on your clothes, or how much make up you wear and if you fake tan or not. In college, people have better things to do with their time than waste it on someone who doesn't like them for who they are versus how cool they are and what kind of car they drive.
I check Twitter every night before I go to sleep. Our society has become obsessed with social media. People "need" to know what's going on with friends and family members. I think sometimes people turn their social media into a popularity contest. How many followers do you have? How many friends? Do you get a lot of "likes" on your profile pictures? Are people constantly retweeting and favoriting your tweets? When these things are going on, people are probably going to get a boost of self-esteem because their followers and friends are paying attention and liking whatever it is they post. There are definitely some drawbacks and dangers of social media, but it is also a great tool to help us keep in touch with friends and family.
These are just five things that I do on a normal day. It's funny to think how some of them actually have a lot to do with society...
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