Conclusion

The concept of self-presentation draws from mostly personal taste. In “Asian Wear Clothes on the Internet,” author Minh-Ha Pham quotes Pierre Bourdieu’s famous statement that “the idea of personal taste is an illusion.” she further explains, “what he meant is that our personal tastes are shaped by and reflect our social position and social context. Bourdieu argues that the expression of taste, materialized through our manners, comportment, speech, styles of dress, and other consumer choices, is a practice of selfclassification.” The choices we make to influence our self-presentation are based on how we are as individuals; it reflects the cultural, social, and geographical experiences. It changes and evolves with the experiences that we have everyday. While it also affects how we see and perceive other people.

Perceiving people based on self-presentation is an involuntary act; either we choose to participate in it or not. Using different tools of visual self-presentation, we can transform our social capital. It opens an opportunity to explore and articulate one’s possible self with how we dress and carry different accessories. As Anna Akhbari in “FASHIONING POWER Visual Self-Presentation in Social Life” concludes, “With consumption as the cornerstone of the modern democratic institution, the individual symbolizes her personal identity, as well as her social relevance, through her consumer habits. Each purchase is a new opportunity for redemption through appearance, but as with all acts of salvation, a socially powerful persona is neither free nor easy.” The lines between self-identity and material possession have been blurred. Instead, they have given the power to inanimate objects to shape our identity. However, on the other hand, it is on us to choose those inmate objects and shape our external appearance, whether we choose to use it as a tool or not, it is an inevitable part of our identity.