The goal of my blog is to provide the average person with some knowledge about how scars and wounds from self injury impact a persons self image. Does it make that person feel ugly? Do they feel at peace with their marks? Are they ashamed? Are they proud? I will also be asking about how they feel when others approach them about their marks? Does that affect self image as well? To do this I am observing a Facebook page dedicated to self injury awareness and support. Using one on one discussions as well as observing wall posts and pictures uploaded we can see how SI impacts the human body and ones self image.
Self injury is probably one of the most misunderstood things in our society and it's easy to judge someone who does it but that's not the right thing to do, ever. I have a great understanding about this activity but I want this to be from the side of the page members, not me, not a doctor or professional. So here it is.
Emily, this is a riveting ethnography, one of the best I've read ever. You really communicate well with the people you encounter and you draw a lot from them. You've gathered an array of perspectives and modalities in these few you have written about and because of this you've created a multidimensional ethnography with lots of complexity. One question you might explore is how online forums help (or not) people with SI. Some feel comfortable about exposing themselves, perhaps, but maybe others are tempted by the possibility of exhibition -- just a speculation.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And your suggestion is a great one, I'll definitely introduce this into my ethnography. It's a great point to bring up because SI is a very private matter for a lot of people and exposing ones self to the internet like that can do both good and bad. Thanks again!
Delete