Norm Violations

Dianna Reyes

Norm Violation Assignment

Norms are considered the expectations of “right” behavior. During this assignment, I violated the norm of dress code. On February 19th the weather was absolutely beautiful! Around 74°F to be exact, I decided to take this opportunity to dress as if it was -40°F. I was covered from head to toe with extra layers and accessories: mittens, hat, and ear muffs. I chose this norm violation because it wasn’t to extreme or to dull. I wanted to hear reaction but I did not want to go down in history. To me breaking the dress code was a happy medium.

The setting I chose to conduct my norm violation was the Towne East Mall. At the mall you get a variety of people which I also figured would mean a variety of responses. Deciding on how to respond is a very personal, and based on several factors such has age, culture, person relevance, etc. I physically chose the

Although it may seem easy to be a zebra in a heard of giraffes when it comes down to it everyone wants to feel included and part of society. When a person does not conform to societies rules most people stare, laugh and talk until you do. But there are rare exceptions where people want to talk, listen and understand why you are not conforming to society. I also realized how much I actually cared of what people thought of me. For me to break societal norms I had to give myself a pep talk and listen to a confident boosting song. Although, breaking the norms doesn’t always have negative consequences. For example, I made a fantastic new friend! Without me dressing as if a blizzard was about to happen any minute, I probably would not have had the opportunity to talk to him. I am proud of myself for committing a social norm violation. If I were to do this again I believe the second time would be easier to break out of societal norms. I learned it is ok to be different and who knows you might gain a great friend for being that