This project is inspired by Sîan Lincoln's research on teenage bedroom styling practices in the UK. Lincoln's work sheds light on the pivotal role of personal space in the identity formation of adolescent girls. Similarly, in the context of college, the dorm room serves as the sole space on campus that "belongs" to an individual student. Drawing from Lincoln's insights, we can understand the dorm room not only as a practical space for sleeping and studying, but also as a canvas for the expression and construction of adolescent identity. By examining the ways in which college students personalize their living environments, we can gain valuable insights into the intersecting dynamics of autonomy, social influence, and self-representation in the transition to young adulthood. Furthermore, by exploring dorm room styling practices, we can also uncover how consumer identity and lifestyle preferences are manifested through the selection and arrangement of objects within this personal space.

 

For my research, I interviewed seven sophomores at Wesleyan University and took photos of their dorm rooms. I asked the interviewees questions about how they utilize their space and what it means to them, as well as the significance of the decorative items they have chosen for their room. Unlike Lincoln's research, which focused on teenage girl "bedroom culture," my research included interviewees across the gender spectrum. The dorm is the only "private" space for students on campus, regardless of gender; while individuals may have varying degrees of interest in the stylistic or aesthetic dimensions of their dorm, the need for self-expression and personalization is universal. Moreover, sophomore dorms are typically single-occupancy, as opposed to the double rooms that most freshmen live in, creating new opportunities for autonomous expression. The sophomore dorm is the last time most students live in a communal space before transitioning to independent-based living in apartments or wood-framed houses. Examining sophomore dorms can thus yield insights into how students negotiate personalization and self-expression within a pivotal transition period in their college experience.

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I am a college student on a limited budget, as well as a lifelong antiquer; I got all of my room decor secondhand. My Victorian-reproduction couch, for example, was found on Facebook Marketplace for $20. Through my research, I discovered that other Wesleyan students similarly crafted their space using secondhand goods, accumulated postcards and pictures, and gifted items. As such, I focused on how interviewees accumulated the decor in the interviews, as the story behind the acquisition of the items was pertinent to their symbolism within the space. Students' self-expression in the dorm room is constrained by monetary concerns, as most students do not have a lot of disposable income, as well as rules established by the Residential Life policies. Decorations on the wall, for example, must be hung using command strips and similar semi-adhesive products. The decor in the dorms is thus temporary and may change throughout the year, reflecting both the transitory nature of the students' residence, as well as the fluidity of their evolving identity. 

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References

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               Lincoln, Sian. 2014. "I've Stamped My Personality All Over It: The Meaning of Objects in Teenage Bedroom Space." Space and Culture, vol. 17(3): 266-279. 

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