Masquerade

7,853 words

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Identity is often seen as a fixed set of attributes defining a person, but it is more accurately a dynamic process influenced by inner qualities, external representations, and layered experiences. Modern communication channels like media, advertising, and technology shape these ideals, promoting unattainable standards of beauty, health, and success. While the impact of these images on identity formation is complex and varied, their pervasive presence is undeniable. This has led to a rise in individuals adopting inauthentic identities, driven by societal pressures and media influences.

This thesis explores the postmodernist view of identity as a performance, while also considering the potential benefits of flexible, pre-made identities that individuals can adopt and discard. The terms identity, self, and inner ego will be used interchangeably to refer to an individual's inner qualities.

Ch.1: Is there anyone there?

There are innumerable factors that define identity, and while it could be argued that identity is unfaltering and constant, like nationality, this fails to recognise how much of our identity is shaped through the lens of others. ʻTo look like nobody else is a sufficiently mortifying reflection; to be in danger of being mistaken for one of the rabble is worseʼ (Quentin Bell, On Human Finery cited in Robinson, 1961). Bellʼs observation highlights the fine line between dressing like nobody else and being lost in sameness, can be used to also comment on the contradictory human need to be socially acceptable while preserving a unique sense of self (Layder, 2004). This introduces the important notion that people are inherently accustomed to change in response to snap judgments. In order to control that process, one must present their desired persona to the world, not just through outer representation but also through social interaction and performance.

Dramaturgical sociology, a notion coined by Goffman (1959), uses this notion of social interaction through the metaphor of theatre. From this perspective, people are the actors and social interaction the stage; actors present their repertoire of characters in order to create, maintain and deliver a particular self to different audiences. The notion of different situations requiring different behaviour is common knowledge (Rowan, 1990), however the argument lies not in the recognition of the different selves but between authenticity and performance.

Shakespeare fully comprehended this notion that people develop throughout their life through the medium of performance. ʻAll the worldʼs a stage, and all the men and women are merely players; they have their exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many partsʼ (Shakespeare, 2006). By comparing life to a play, Shakespeare alludes to the notion that our lives are a product of social interaction, performance and crucial observation of the role provides greater understanding of the individuals responsibilities in society (McCraken, 2008). Also, the medium of theatre made performance seem enjoyable and enriching, a way of controlling how others perceive you (Finkelstein, 2007) but due to societal customs it placed restraints on individual freedom, especially in Shakespeareʼs era. Therefore, it is never clear whether the essential dialogue and exchange of information between performer and observer is a true reflection of the inner self.

A crucial part of dramaturgical theory is the role or mask one adopts, and while the role is generally an image the actor wants to portray, it becomes a marker of a self that the individual projects. ʻThe self is dissolved into the various masks that one adoptsʼ (Negrin, 2008, p.24). This theory is unlike many traditional concepts of inner self as an internal entity (Butt, 2004), but it is a self that arises once a performance takes place and therefore in order to fully express oneself one needs many masks and characters (Schwartz, 2004). While this can be seen to fuel commodity culture, this fails to address the influence of contemporary society on identity formation. Individuals are consistently told to recreate themselves, integrate and discard identities and lifestyles as per societyʼs customs (Gergen 1991). For many, pre-occupying one with consuming identities and reenacting them can be simultaneously entertaining, fulfilling and tedious, nevertheless it is part of their psyche, an authentic identity in exchange for social acceptability.

The social reality is dependent on many aspects of theatre, not just the role but also script (conversation), stage (setting) and costume (appearance), all of which provide individuals with the tools to manipulate their audiences' perceptions of reality. ʻWhen we think of those who present a false front or ʻonlyʼ a front, of those who dissemble, deceive, and defraud, we think of a discrepancy between fostered appearances and realityʼ (Goffman, 1959). While it is naïve to assume that the disguise is in some way devious, it does lead to a certain level of insincerity and insecurity (Heine, 1971). The fragile dependency between actor, audience and performance has become crucial to the understanding of identity where creating and successfully executing a particular image or mask, false or real, has begun to be the sole marker of a credible identity. A notion capitalised and alluded to in advertising.

Image 1 - Become Someone Else by Tomas Ramanauskas, 2011

Image one, a campaign for Mint Vinetu, the advert appears to be a woman reading the classic novel Frankenstein yet what the audience notices is that her face is obscured by another face on the book cover. Coupled with the handwritten style command Become Someone Else, the audience gathers that through reading, the model has become the character. In perfectly super-imposing the face onto the model the creators of this advert remind consumers of being able to identify with characters, encompass their world and ultimately try different personas. ʻWhether advertising reflects the present or the future, it supports an image of society, and that is enough to warrant our attentionʼ (Belk and Pollay, 1985). Image one can certainly be seen as a reflection of society and tests the audiences understanding through the optical illusion. Hence, in alluding to society the advertisers are readdressing audiences to the need for a strong narrative and to show that classic literature, sold at the bookstore, fulfils this.

Furthermore, on a connotative level, the image arguably reflects the academic argument that behind the façade there is no inner self (Marcuse, 2002). When taking this into consideration, the image takes on another meaning. Directly behind the illustrated face are the words of an author, specifically a script of someone elseʼs life. While academics have argued that we are only ourselves in relation to others (Doniger, 2005), the preoccupation with social behaviour has led identity to be defined not as a set of unique traits but as a cast of characters. ʻThe false faces of the urban masquerade not only hide identity, but no one would know who it was even if he peekedʼ (Klapp, 1969). A society full of masked individuals has taught us to always try and unmask the actor, to reveal some authentic personality. This distrustful nature makes it even harder to maintain an unfaltering self as it perpetuates self-consciousness of the identity within (Gergen, 1992) and doubt of the supposed reality presented to them.

Another compelling notion that must be discussed uses this dramaturgical model and argues that the masquerade doesn't need to viewed as fraudulent but as an expression of the inner ego. ʻWe assume masquerades lie, and they often do, at least on the surface. But often masquerades tell a deeper truth, that masquerading as ourselves reaffirms an enduring self inside us, which does not change even in our masquerades, intentional or helpless, make us look different to othersʼ (Doniger, 2005). Doniger challenges this assumption that the façade hides the inner self, or lack thereof, by maintaining that in being you the masquerading process changes from concealing to revealing the truth. ʻThe paradox of the masquerade appears to be that it presents truth in the shape of deception... it reveals in the process of concealingʼ (Tseelon, 2001). In this way individuals use the inner self as a tool to overcome a society that champions falsification and to renegotiate societyʼs views on reality, authenticity and identity.

Yet, in exaggerating the superficiality of the role, it still pervades an air of restless self-expression and acceptance from others. ʻThe view of ourselves that we present to others therefore is not ourselves as we are, but ourselves as we would like to have others see usʼ (Benson, 1974). Regardless of whether the performer knows that they are being true to themselves, the lack of knowable distinctions between authenticity and fakery ultimately leads to individuals beguiled by ideal representations of identities.

In using dramaturgical sociology as a framework it has provided an extensive and multifaceted discussion on the dichotomy of performance. There appears to be two overarching arguments that encompass this topic where some academics believe that we have become a collection of masks with no inner ego or self. On the other hand, others argue that despite the façade, there is still a core personality within. While there were compelling notions put forward particularly by Goffman and Doniger in which the performance is used to accentuate the inner self, this theory fails to recognise that constant editing of the self becomes saturated and inauthentic. ʻThe fully saturated self becomes no self at allʼ (Gergen, 1991). As Gergen identifies, the seemingly permanent inner self is a collection of masks that are self-regulated and discarded at will leaving no authentic identity.

However, it is difficult to discuss this topic as a single entity within contemporary society so diverse in response to expectations concerning identity, whether through performance or not. There is a requirement for more case studies of 21st century ideals that contribute to the necessity of performance to further assess whether an authentic permanent identity is becoming obsolete in a society where choosing idealised selves is more important to the development of the self.

Ch.2: What role does advertising play in the demise of the inner ego?

Ch.3: Are we increasingly becoming the reality television tropes we watch?

Ch.4: How did the celebrity become the marker for a successful identity?

Ch.5: When did etiquette impinge on identity construction?

Bibliography