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The Stute through an artistic lens
A few weeks ago, I, along with my most artistically talented friend, paid a visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art (which by the way, has Pay-
What-You-Wish admission on Friday nights!). The Whitney, which seemed to be a small building from the outside, is actually a multi-story establishment
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MIND OF A FRESHMAN Individuality
BY TANISHKA KAPOOR ‘26
My high school friend came to visit this weekend with her two college friends. As we battled through the stinging Hoboken winds and settled in the heavenly warmth of a Thai restaurant, we somehow entered a conversation about “NPCs.” This word that seems to be popularized by TikTok trends has become a way to describe people. Who seemed to have a personality? Who didn’t? As judgemental as that conversation was, it made me think about what it really means to have an individual personality. Who are we really? There are so many factors that infuence us in life. So many people who really shape how we act and think. But what makes one person different from the next? What determines who is the infuencer and who is the infuenced?
I think the need for va- lidity and acceptance in the frst year of college really accentuates this ability to be infuenced. Oftentimes we choose attractive aspects of a certain person and place them on ourselves. Maybe it’s just part of how we assimilate, but this could include the way someone acts or talks. Even social media has decided to pick and choose what is a socially acceptable personality by analyzing if it is “cringeworthy” or not (pick me girls and guys have offcially been deemed as cringeworthy). We act how we think is supposed to be the “right way” while maybe changing our real selves in the process. After all, a person that everyone likes must be doing something right to attract so many people. With this way of thinking, we may start to analyze personalities to see what is attractive and proceed to behave that way. So, through the layers of other personalities, it’s hard to determine what makes an individual person unique.
What makes you you?
As much as I would like to say “just be yourself” or “embrace your uniqueness,” I won’t pretend that it is easy. Just look at how many memes there are about Debby Ryan. It can be hard to really realize who you are when there
