My Extended Self

      For my first post I had better mention a little bit about myself, especially since we are conveniently studying, "The Self" as it relates to marketing. I am an avid recreationalist with an affinity for classic rock and really fluffy dogs. I grew up in Red Lodge, MT which is nestled at the feet of the Beartooth Mountains. It is like a small Bozeman with no stoplights.

     When composing my love letter for class I had an extremely difficult time deciding upon one item that I would run into a fire to save. And after reading Belk's "Possessions and the Extended Self" I have new insight as to what extensions of the self include. Belk defines the extended self as such, "The extended self is seen not to be limited to external objects and personal possessions, but also includes persons, places, and group possessions as well as such possessions as body parts and vital organs." In my opinion the reason the love letter assignment was so hard was because it seems asinine to be so attached to mere objects. However, through writing my own paper and listening to the love letters of my classmates I think we can all agree that it is not simply the object that we are so strongly attached to, but rather the feeling we have about the object; when it was given to us, by whom it was given, how it was presented, how we've used these objects over the years, these are the things that we become attached to.

     With all of this prefaced, my most loved objects include, my skis, bike, kayak and my running shoes. Without these mere objects I would not have had some of the greatest experiences of my life. Some of them have been the scariest things I've ever been through, but they certainly left an impression on me. While getting to do all of these things I get to be my ideal self.
      When I think about my skis, I think about my sister. She and I grew up sliding around Red Lodge Mountain together since we were little kids. We've had some really hard falls, debilitating knee surgeries and epic powder days. We also got the opportunity to do a half marathon together last summer. Growing up ski racing neither of us had what one would call "runner's legs" but we trained together and had an awesome time. We have another one planned for the month of March in San Francisco!

 



 

     When I recall the countless mountain bike rides and river runs I've been on I have no one else to thank for those memories than my dad. He has put up with a lot of whining over the years but I would bet that he thinks it was all worth it to do some really fun trips.

 

 

Belk, Russell W. "Possessions and the Extended Self." Journal of Consumer Research Inc. 15.2 (2011): 139-68. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.