Break a Norm

Breaking a Dress Code Norm
Name
Institution
Breaking a Dress Code Norm
Both men and women frequently bombard personal stylists with questions regarding which types of outfit to wear to particular occasions and the possibility of the clothes to fit well on those events. Various groups within the society have social norms that define values and behavior. Accordingly, such groups consider anybody who acts contrary to such established acceptable forms of expression as a deviant and may receive different sanctions or bias based on the situation (Sociological Theories of Deviance Student Notes, n.d.). Against this background, the paper provides analysis of a dress code cultural norm, which I violated during December holidays and my experiences following the episode.
I attended a Las Vegas casino themed party in December, where I expected everyone to stick to the theme and put on somewhat a cocktail dress despite the cold weather. However, I did not know I had overdressed for the party until I reached the occasion. My dress exposed so much of my cleavage making me appear odd compared to other attendants. Arguably, even though my dressing fitted the occasion’s theme, it did not meet the societal expectations of a dress someone should wear in cold weather. I picked on this matter because it made me realize that an individual’s dressing determines the way others perceive, evaluate, and communicate with him/her in a social group.
According to Durkheim’s theory of deviance, my behavior qualifies as wrong depending on whoever makes the judgment, because some people may consider it right based on the occasion.

The activities at the Las Vegas casino themed party made me realize that societal descriptions of acceptable and unacceptable behavior create vivid boundaries between right and wrong (Downes, Rock, & McLaughlin, 2016). For instance, I would not have known I had broken a social norm if people could not have reacted to my dressing choice. Sanctions received from violating a social standard make people learn from their mistakes and conform to societal expectations regarding morality next time hence deviance can result in significant social change.
Durkheim’s theory of deviance is essential in explaining deviance because it holds that every society has some aspects of deviance. In addition, Durkheim argues that not each member of the community will make an equal commitment to the shared values and norms. As a result, deviance must occur to elicit negative behavior and reaction from the society thus uniting the members’ beliefs about morality (Downes, Rock, & McLaughlin, 2016).  For instance, feeling excluded at the party taught the effects of feeling like an out-group member in one’s community and social group. Thus, I realized that deviance has an important function to play in strengthening social cohesion in groups particularly through the members’ reactions and disapproval of the offender.
In conclusion, deviance refers to actions that contravene informal and informal rules and regulations in society. Such rules range from legal laws to unwritten social expectations such as violating a dress code for a particular function. The explorations above entail my experiences and reactions at the Las Vegas casino themed party where I failed to adhere to members’ dress code due to weather changes. The paper has used Durkheim’s theory of deviance, which suggest that deviance is an inevitable part of every community and helps in strengthening social cohesion among members. Besides, the argument views deviance as a way of defining right and wrong actions in the community. The community members then use these standards in determining their moral values.
References
Downes, D., Rock, P., & McLaughlin, E. (2016). Understanding deviance: A guide to the sociology of crime and rule-breaking. Oxford University Press.
Sociological theories of deviance; why are people deviant? (Student Notes).