The Sociology Of Leopard Man

Do you feel free to express yourself or are you afraid of what society might think? Many people in this day and age have learned to express themselves in new, and some may say in “peculiar” ways. For example, people tattoo and pierce their bodies and manipulate the way they look. In the essay “The Sociology of Leopard Man” the author, Logan Feys, shares his ideas about The Leopard Man and the opinions on individuals in society. The Leopard Man is tattooed from head to toe and lives a happy life in solitude. He is an individual in his own way and by overlooking the thoughts of society he has achieved a form of paradise. Many are too afraid to express their true selves and are under constant pressure to surrender their individuality to the will

of the majority. I agree with Feys that people are influenced to change to fit into society and that it can be unimpressive to radically change your appearance for attention. However, the author doesn’t consider the fact that some people are just “average” and they would rather not stand out because that’s who they are, a conformist.
“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” by Judy Garland, shares the idea that each person is an individual and if you try to be someone else you will fail and become a lesser version of the original when you could be the original version of yourself.

Many people waste their lives striving to be someone they aren’t or to fit into a certain group of people. Everyone is unique and special in their own way and as Feys says “To be human is to be an individual human, with individual tastes, talents, values and dreams that are different from others.”(paragraph 6) Especially in High School students try more to blend into a certain group, I myself have suffered from the desire to fit in. I believe that there is always going to be someone better than me, (more athletic, or smart, pretty, creative… the list goes on) but I, as well as society, should learn to accept

this.
The Leopard Man was happy because of the fact that he rejected society as well as the opinions that comes with it. According to Feys “Society fears what they don’t understand” (paragraph 4). Although people should learn to overall become less judgemental, many people are searching for attention by doing unexpected and uncommon things. As they lose approval from society, these people are only doing this for the reactions and shock value. On the other hand, the Leopard Man only manipulated his body for the positive reactions of himself. He lives in solitude, at a house in the Scottish wilderness. Furthermore, he doesn’t search for the blow of his appearance as he only appeared in society, fully clothed, when he needed food and supplies. According to Leopard Man he reached “paradise on Earth” (paragraph 7) because he was free from social pressures. He shares that everyone can achieve this by basically living by what you have, not by what you want.
Although everyone is an individual, according to Feys each person should express themselves by being an active member of society.

However, I partly disagree with this. I think that the author is bias because he left out the idea that it’s okay to be a conformist or not really stand out. You can be yourself without having to stand out. Despite the fact that everyone in an individual in some way, everyone is also similar to others. Not all people feel comfortable fully revealing their true selves, possibly because of society’s response. Everyone expresses themselves in big and small ways. I know people who are very private, and this is perfectly fine to keep your individuality to

yourself.
Another version of desire to fit in can also take a darker turn. Feys vocalizes that people in society are worried more about freaks and loners than people with self-inflicted problems. Similar, to “people who suffer from alcoholism, eating disorders, panic attacks, depression, and other debilitating conditions” (paragraph 5). These misfortunes might actually be caused by the want to fit in. In my opinion, an eating disorder might have been originated by the thought of “not being thin enough” or “being to big”. In recent studies 80-90% of women wish to be thinner (almost 90 percent in a Cornell study of 310 college students -- yearn to be thinner). This shows that they are judging themselves because they are afraid of what society might think of them. This is in a similar category to other “self-inflicted problems”.
As expressed, the author displays his opinion on individuality and society. Each person is an individual, but this is shown in different ways among people. Some express themselves in big ways, like getting tattoos, piercings, and manipulating their bodies (like Leopard Man). Others may express themselves in small ways, but both are versions of individuality. In my mind, the level of fear of disappointment from society makes people decide how much they want to express themselves. The author and I both agree that if you are yourself you will achieve happiness. If you aren’t stressing about the opinions of others you are simply just trying to please yourself.