Products Studio III: Personal Safety
What does personal safety mean to me?
I think my first impression to the concept of personal safety is protective equipment, such as helmets, goggles, and masks as we frequently see today. The personal aspect is their protection of the individual’s self, like their eyes, head, and mouth, and provide a physical sense of safety through covering, concealing, and filtering what comes in contact with the individual. These products are specialized enough to provide adequate protection but general enough to be applied to a wide range of people, and I think the sense of safety comes from the confidence that the give me when using them.
Going beyond the literal interpretation of physical safety and protection, I think personal safety can also apply to an individual’s sense of safety in the world. The lock extends beyond the personal self and instead protects personal belongings, something that I think still counts as personal safety. The bike lights I use not only make me more visible when riding home at night but make me feel more seen by others when traveling alone, similar to how some people use pepper spray when walking alone at night. If I am biking back home from campus late at night, I will tend to call a loved one to talk to on the way back as a way of making me feel less alone and vulnerable but also serving as a way of letting someone else know that I made it home safely. I think this aspect of personal safety is similar to the previous objects in the sense that it provides confidence to the user against possible harm, but that these are on a more mental level than physical.
Lastly, I looked to how I decorated my room as a way of creating a personal space for myself that allows me to feel comfortable and safe at home and what factors helped to contribute to that. I think things like cozy blankets, stuffed animals, and warm colors and lighting help to create a welcoming environment when I come home, and elements like my plants and photos add a bit of life to the space that give me comfort and help me feel safe. I think because of spending so much more time in my room this year has made me prioritize the space that I made for myself a lot more, and I think an interesting thing that I’ve noticed is that certain elements remind me of my home back in New Hampshire which I think also contributes to my comfort and sense of belonging in the space. While the past objects focused on protection from an immediate threat, I think that my room is a sense of personal safety in that it bring me comfort in general through things that I enjoy and the creation of a space that feels safe for me to be in.
