My first presentation was about bullying and how the Internet and technology can help to prevent bullying and spread awareness. My second presentation was on the discrimination against tattoos. The first topic was a group project so we picked a topic that can have an effect on anyone in the world. My second topic I did individually and I chose the topic because I have tattoos and have grown up in a family where tattoos are beautiful, artistic, and not a bad thing. I’ve seen my mum get discriminated against for the smallest, unoffensive tattoo on her hand by companies who wouldn’t hire her if she didn’t cover it up.
Both of my projects were for a class, both taught by Katie Cruger. My bullying project was done in Media and Society and my tattoo project was done in Gender and Contemporary Issues. I enjoyed getting a chance to explore different, relevant issues within society.
The coolest thing I learned in my bullying project was how big the It Gets Better Project became just through a YouTube video. The coolest thing I learned about tattoos is that they used to represent royalty and even Henry David Thoreau didn’t think they were a disgusting thing like society has made them out to be.
I think the biggest thing I took away from the experience was that I gained a lot of confidence in my research skills and in my presenting skills. I never thought I would have to get up in front of an audience and explain why society is wrong about something or why discrimination is so terrible.
Interested in Owens’ work? She founded the Be Yourself Campaign on Facebook. Find out how to join here.