Hannah asked Melissa Marr:

Who do you think decides on whats normal in society? Aka: what is acceptable and what is not….Do you believe in the Illuminati?

Melissa Marr I'm not so sure "normal" is a thing that matters. There are social norms defined and re-defined over time by the dominant groups of a time and place. For ex, there recent legal shift of gay marriage in the States reflects the shift in the dominant social stance on it. That stance is reflected in media. Only a couple decades ago, we wouldn't have seen a gay kiss on TV. That changed little by little. Eventually as the media changes, & the younger generation gains voice & voting power, so to do the laws. It's a frustratingly slow process, & we often have a skewed sense of it based on where we live--not just our nation, but our state or our city.

Of course, there's also the idea of "normal" within a group within society. What's normal to those who were pierced and tattooed in the 90s was not what "normal" to another book. Tattoos started becoming more "normal" though, and tattoo shops that cater to the non-edge part of society opened.

So . . . I guess I take the stance that normal isn't a concern of mine. I prefer to focus on what I like & want & do. Some of that will be redefined as normal over time. I suspect some of it will not, especially if you take an even LONGER view. Various things that were normal in Victorian era, for ex, are not now. Even further back, the shift is more obvious (a fact I'm super aware of bc my daughter is a Mayan archaeologist).

Normal? It's relative, will shift, has shifted, & ultimately is a word that (personally) I'm fine fitting or not-fitting or both. :)

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