The Princeton Perspective Project was recently launched in effort to combat the perception of “effortless perfection” on campus. This is an important step that the Undergraduate Student Government has taken to resolve an issue that was never heavily addressed before. However, there has been a lot of backlash and criticism directed toward it. Perhaps it is imperfect in execution, but it deserves to be seen as a positive addition to our culture rather than a mistaken endeavor.
As a freshman, Iwrote about the disparity I saw between the image people project and the reality they are living. People were, and are still, saying that they wrote papers at the last minute when they were actually working on them for a week. People are still talking about how much they go out and party without worrying about their schoolwork, and how they really didn’t try all that hard for that test they aced. When people waved their seemingly effortless achievements like flags, it was easy for me to think, “What am I doing wrong?” And even worse, what was wrong with me?
It’s true that a lot of people here have a natural proclivity for certain subjects, or writing papers, or taking tests. But to think that the majority of people could do what I poured my efforts into without a second thought is wrong. There is a certain normality on this campus to concealing how much effort we put in or how much work we do so that we aren’t seen as try-hards, but as effortlessly perfect. That kind of attitude may give the appearance that we are flawless and that everything is under control, but it is only counterproductive because it does not motivate or inspire — it demoralizes. Instead of showing us that struggle is common and that it can be dealt with and overcome, it encourages us to bury it.
As a junior, I’m more used to distinguishing what is real and what is fake, but it was not so easy for me as a freshman. And, going through freshman year — my first year experiencing college classes, my first year living away from home, my first year being thrust into a dorm of strangers and trying to make some friends — thinking that I was undeserving of being here because I couldn’t be as perfect as everyone else, was difficult.
The Princeton Perspective Project is a real, concrete step that our campus has never taken before. There mobile casino have been retreats during school breaks that focus on facilitating open dialogue between students, but never a school-wide effort, and never an initiative to bring this seemingly intangible, wishy-washy, feelings-laden issue, to the forefront of things we should actually be addressing. Just because the “normality of perfection” is immeasurable, doesn’t mean it isn’t important.
There are still ways that the Princeton Perspective Project could improve upon its method of spreading its message. Currently, one method it is employing is having volunteers put up Facebook profile pictures in support of the project. The pictures are all attractive, well-lit pictures of people smiling — just tilted a few degrees. Sure, the pictures do show a new, rotated perspective, but the picture itself still looks pretty perfect. It doesn’t symbolize a new perspective to me, just the old perspective, sort of shifted. It’s just part of the social media campaign to bring awareness to the project itself, but it also sends a different message to people than it intends to, which may be a reason that people are hesitant to welcome the project immediately from the start.
Another way the project tries to change campus culture is by having people share their stories on videos on the website, which is good because it features real people sharing their real experiences. On the other hand, the videos are self-selective. Upperclassmen who are brave or outgoing enough to propagate their stories to the entire student body are present in the videos, but that’s not relatable to introverts or underclassmen who don’t even know where to begin. I think a major step the Princeton Perspective Project could take is allowing anonymous essays. They would be edited to ensure that they are respectful, but they would also be more truthful because people would be more willing to share their honest experiences.
The Princeton Perspective Project is new, and perhaps students are not accustomed to it yet, or the members of the project are still figuring out ways to convey a concrete message, but it’s still an important — and very welcome — step in the right direction.
Barbara Zhan is an Operations Research and Financial Engineering major from Plainsboro, N.J. She can be reached at barbaraz@princeton.edu.
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