Ok, so I am not sure I phrased that right. I know there is a phrase like that, but I don't think "Copycatting" is the correct word.
Oh well, its my word.
But is the saying true?
On one hand, I'd like to think it is. That hand being the people that copycat me. Obviously they admire me enough that they have to like, say, and do everything I like, say, and do. And yes, I find it INCREDIBLY annoying, even though its supposed to be flattering.
Why?
Well, for one thing, sometimes you want something to be just yours. Something that you are good at, something you succeed in. When someone copycats you, they potentially take that away from you.
Take, for example, a hobby turned side business money maker. You start making something, using what little money you have to get it going. You haven't even started selling yet, still making, and your best friend says "Hey, I can do that!" and proceeds to use a lot more money than you have to buy the exact same stuff and start selling. The result? You have wasted money, and your bff is making more that she didn't need to begin with.
Another thing is when you like something. You like it so much it becomes your "trademark". Then your cousin/best friend/enemy starts liking it (because you do?) and it takes away the excitement for you for the subject. Which brings me to what I did last night.
I spent TWO HOURS at least, if not more, looking over decals for my new vehicle (is a small SUV considered a car or a truck, when used in a sentence?). I would see something that I used to like and think, " No, so-in-so has those all over her car, which happened not long after I had the first one on mine." Then I'd see a phrase from a movie and say, "No, I can't do that one, because even though I liked it first, (insert name) had never even seen the movie till I got her into it, and now she is obsessed with it."
Not to mention other reasons I rejected some of them; what if my little family doesn't stay at 3, how dumb would my stick family look if I had to scrape one off?
Well, this all led me to the other hand of copycatting: the identity.
After a certain amount of copycatting, you begin to lose your own identity and become someone else.
How is that, you say? Let me explain.
Not all copycatting turns out this way. For example, I dated a guy long ago (Lord rest his soul...cancer sucks!) that was a huge NASCAR fan. I, to make him happy, "became" a fan, saying I liked the driver that he liked. Insert here a bit of identity fade.
When he and I broke up, I decided I needed another driver. This is when I got my identity back. I actually learned about racing, the drivers, and picked a driver all my own, who was fairly new in the big boys league (had already won the "not as big" boys league) and his background in racing was phenomenal. He went on that next year to win his first Cup title. NASCAR was my thing, and he was my driver. MY identity.
But, as I stated, it doesn't always work that way, either.
Think about the things you like. Where did you learn about them? Who introduced you to them? And the key question: Why do you like them?
There are so many things that I picked up over the years that I liked (or didn't like) just because someone else liked (or didn't like) them.
If I hadn't taken it upon myself to learn more about NASCAR after Jeremy, would I have ever liked it?
I had a crush on a guy that listened to Jackyl in high school. I started listening, because he listened. Would I have ever listened to them and liked them if it hadn't been for Brian? Probably not. And when I listen to them now, all these 21 years later, I think of him.
I loved sweet tea and would sit in my dad's lap and drink it all the time.....until my grandma said she hated sweet tea, and suddenly so did I, and I quit drinking it totally. Of course I drink it now, but imagine if we based our lives on what others said? What good stuff are you missing out on because someone else said they didn't like it, so you think its bad too?
I spent a weekend with my cousin and his wife one year, and they were huge fans of "The Office", so much so that I have a picture of my cousin as he was fishing wearing a Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. shirt. After having to watch it with them, I became obsessed with it and had to watch it myself. I have drifted away from liking it so much now, but I still haven't seen the season ender, so I have to watch it to see what happened.
There are some things I picked up along the way that I did because I really liked it; NASCAR, Harry Potter (thanks to my little cousin who kept on and on and on about it), The Walking Dead (which an ex got me hooked on). And there are things I picked up on my own, because I myself liked them, with no influence; NCIS, The Middle, authors galore of many great books that no one told me I had to read.
But it really gets you thinking; Do you like something because YOU like it, or because someone else did, so you just wanted to copycat them, whether you are aware you do or not, and now you are committed to it, whether you like it or not, because you invested in it?
Why do you like it? Is it because you genuinely like it, want to do/see/read/be it? If someone were to take it away, say you can't watch/read it, or even buy it anymore (yes, clothing is a copycat too), would you be devastated?
Why do you wear those cowboy boots? Is it because everyone else is wearing them, so you have to too? Or is it because they are comfortable, they help you get your job done, they are what you wear around your farm, not for a fashion show?
I will admit, I got on the camo (especially pink camo) bandwagon. No, I don't hunt, although if I had been taken when I was younger I probably still would to this day, as I love guns. But yes, I like pink camo. Why? Well....yeah, everyone else likes it, yeah its popular, but it is also pretty. But if it hadn't been so popular, would I have ever liked it?
I think about my daughter, who is only one year old. At that age they are so impressionable. I have given my child every opportunity to choose things she likes. That may sound dumb, but she is very strong willed and picky. If you hold up two of something, she will look at both and go for one versus the other. This goes for clothes and toys mostly (food doesn't count because its looks are deceiving).
The first toy she ever showed interest in was a stuffed monkey. I didn't tell her to like that monkey, she didn't see other kids with monkeys. That was her decision, and her decision alone, to like monkeys. I influenced her later on, when I knew she liked monkeys, by showing her Curious George, which she also likes. But, I have also shown her other cartoons that she could care less about. I didn't tell her not to like them, she just has no interest in them. She herself picked out Thomas the Train as she was watching cartoons at her great Grammy's one day. It was the only one she stopped and sat completely still for and watched the TV the whole time (and smiled real big when Percy was featured).
She has her own identity right now. How long before that will change? How long before my child becomes a copycat and succumbs to the peer pressures around her?
She already copycats some of our facial expressions and hand gestures, which is just too cute right now.
Will she still like Thomas, or will a kid make fun of her for liking it, beings she's a girl, and stop liking him? Will she like those horrid not so great for kids of ANY age Disney Channel shows because all her friends do?
This all boils down to who you are. What is your identity?
Mine took two hours to decide, trying to pick out a decal for the back window of a car. I narrowed it down to three or four.
One: A rack (deer antlers) that says Redneck Mama underneath. Am I really a redneck, or am I just going with the "redneck" fad?
Two: One that has a handgun on it that says "iPac". I can't legally pack without my carry permit, but I do own a Walther P22.
Three: A pink ribbon with antlers and the words " Save a Rack". Copycat that redneck bandwagon again? Maybe, but the ribbon is in memory of my mom.
Four: A monogram with deer antlers and ears. I hate monograms, but those ears and antlers are too cute! Another copycat bandwagon redneck choice?
I honestly don't know who I am anymore. Maybe I should look at MY copycatters!
(Layna copycatting our yawns.)
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