Words: Elena Gower (she/her)
I collect scrap fabric from others and stitch it together to create my own unique costume.
Though we exist on the soil of an ever-changing earth, no two people have the same set of teeth or fingerprints. We cannot change the unparalleled features of our DNA, and for that, we will never not be unique creatures. We all have our own secrets, fears, likes, and dislikes. But, most importantly, we each see the world through a different set of eyes and speak with our own distinctive voices. Every single one of us is, and always has been, individual, due to our own distinguished and unalterable circumstances.
In fact, the importance of maintaining individuality is promoted all around us. Today’s society places an emphasis on staying true to yourself, regardless of external factors. Yet, as humans, we interweave with one another through shared experiences. Sensations, such as the acts of thinking and feeling, are unanimously felt by all of us. More than that, I believe we actively attempt to emulate one another through imitation. As writer Suzan Blackmore argues, ‘To be human is to imitate’. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, what is the further social significance of this? Why do we engage in the act of mirroring others if we’re fed a narrative that we should stand out from the crowd?
We are constantly being influenced in various aspects of our daily life. Take fashion, for example: most of our style preferences are drawn from people who inspire us, like when we wear band t-shirts displaying our favourite musicians. Admittedly, I have recently started experimenting with wearing skirts over jeans because of how many artsy, alternative students I’ve seen doing the same. By dressing like them, I hope to be perceived with the same effortless appeal that they radiate in my own eyes. It’s like finding new pieces to the ever-growing puzzle of my identity. I imitate others’ fashion to spark my own experimental creativity with my sense of style. In doing so, I collect scrap fabric from others and stitch it together to create my own unique costume.
Fashion isn’t the only aspect of selfhood influenced by others. In fact, language takes centre stage in the subtle art of imitation. Every now and then, when someone new comes into my life, I find myself copying their accents, mannerisms, and behaviourisms. It emerges out of a desire to feel closer to them, and to relate to their experiences, culture, and history. Despite my ferocious attempts to maintain my Welsh accent, I’m always surprised at the sudden inflections and intonations that I habitually perform, drawn from interactions with loved ones who each have different voices from my own. Through mirroring others, I begin to feel that sudden bonding spark between my nearest and dearest and I.
Imitation means paying close attention. By interacting with each other daily, we all participate in the act of noticing, whether we realise it or not. You can tell a lot about how a person may be feeling by looking into their eyes for just a little bit longer, or seeing the way they hold themselves. This is how imitation binds us together. By noticing something distinct about someone else’s posture, and then copying it, we can physically relate to the way they are feeling in their own body – the weight on their shoulders to the collapse of their chests. Imitation is also, therefore, empathy. It’s a way of relating to our loved ones, and subtly stepping into their shoes.
Today’s generation sustains many friendships online, where so many beautiful intimacies are lost. There is an affection to seeing someone react to a joke in person rather than reading a typed-out ‘lol’, or seeing their eyes light up when you remember a little detail about them. Whether it’s the sharp, momentary sting of a high five on our palms, or the warmth of a hug when two bodies are pressed together, imitation is inherently a physical bond: a connection with another that can’t be recreated in the online sphere.
Ultimately, we all work together as connecting pieces or cogs in the great machine that is life. Individualism can’t survive within a community because we can’t gain momentum by ourselves. Blackmore asks us to notice how everything around us is working together as part of a larger system, urging us to ‘Look out at the streets around you, the building you are in, or the cars passing by and now see them.’ Everything is inspiring – even art imitates life. We are all interwoven by invisible threads which lace us together in unusual and extraordinary ways. I urge you to go outside and observe the world around you. Don’t just look, but see. I think you’ll find that you’re connected to your loved ones in subtle and beautiful ways.
