In my reading of Turkle’s collection of evocative objects, I came across the very interesting chapter called “Ballet Slippers”. In which the author, Eden Medina, presented a story of passion and dedication of her own, from childhood to maturity, and for me, it is also one that rang rather close to home. As a child at the age of 4, she had started training in her first pair of ballet slippers, with its presence soon became symbolic in her mind. As her skills develop, so does the complexity of her ballet slippers, and soon, the object becomes a mediator for her ideal image of the professional ballerina.
For me, my evocative object is somewhat similar to the author of my chapter, having been training in badminton competitively for most of my middle and high school life, I relate strongly to this theme of “desire and discipline”. Therefore, for me, the “badminton racquet” is an object that evokes memories of my whole youth and, of course, the metallic smell of graphite that came with each racquet still lingers in the back of my mind. As a beginner, I started with a cheap racquet, but as soon as my skills improved and I was able to convince my parents to get me the branded ones I’ve been seeing on TV. Throughout my career, I went through 8 different racquets, each representing a different era in my development as a player and also personally as my relationship with the sport changes.
I still remember when I first got a branded Yonex racquet, thinking back, it was quite an overkill considering my skill levels at the time anyway. But just like how the author’s experience of the ballet shoes mediated her idea of an ideal physicality, that racquet – the Yonex Nanoray Z Speed made me feel one step closer to the professional players I see on TV. Thinking back, perhaps the mental confidence that it affords was worth more than any technological advancements that came with it. In my games, I had no excuses but to only blame myself, for in my mind, my equipment is no longer the limiting factor for my performance, having this great a racquet in my hand. I realise that the mediation that the racket provides has allowed me to be immersed in a reality that I’ve yet to actually reach, and as such, acts as a device for my fantasies of perfection in my sport of badminton.
As such, in relation to Turkle’s theory, what makes this object evocative for me is exactly this connection that it currently mediates for me, between myself and the ideal image of badminton perfection. As Eden Medina has experienced, her ballet slippers have “helped [her] identify with the image of the professional ballerina that [she] upheld as [her] physical ideal.” Even more than that, for me, the badminton racquet is, in essence, also affording me my sense of identity, rather than being just an extension of my physical self. It has become part of who I am in my mind, “reaching out to me to form active partnerships,” as Turkle would say. The badminton racquet derives its meaning from its belonging to me, and I derive my identity as a player from having that specific racquet in my hand.
Yet, my dependency on this object to mediate my reality has its limitations; the more I am immersed in this somewhat fantastical identity of a professional player, the more I am disconnected from my real self. I soon find myself in a state of apathy toward the sport I once loved with all my heart, as I am caught in an infatuation with this fantasy that the racquet made possible. This would get worse as I grew to blame my bad performances on my racquets, thinking that they didn’t cater to my evolving play style. For a few years, I drifted away from the essence of the sport into the gimmicky world of its marketing.
Now looking back, I realise that it is altogether wrong to depend so strongly on an external object to mediate something as important as my sense of self, let alone what I hold as my ideal. Perhaps, it would be healthier for me as an individual and beneficial for me as a player to be fixated on my game, with my racquet simply a bodily extension, than to obsess over an object of mere aesthetic value. As now somewhat reached maturity, my relationship to badminton has greatly improved, as I’ve rediscovered the joy in playing badminton for the game itself, and not for some fantastical ideal from childhood. As for any objects one may find to be evocative, perhaps, the fact that it appears to be so in the first place may be due to an imbalance in one’s relationship with oneself. Thus, an object appears as evocative due to its ability to fill in such gaps and inadvertently creates a dependency that appears obsessive, especially in this area of the passions of desire and discipline.
Bibliography
Medina, Eden. “BALLET SLIPPERS.” Evocative Objects: Things We Think With, edited by Sherry Turkle, The MIT Press, 2007, pp. 54–61. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hhg8p.10. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Turkle, Sherry. “WHAT MAKES AN OBJECT EVOCATIVE?” Evocative Objects: Things We Think With, edited by Sherry Turkle, The MIT Press, 2007, pp. 307–27. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hhg8p.39. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Image used:
Nam, you did a good job drawing connections between your own experience and Medina’s chapter! I’m glad to hear your experience and attitude to badminton has improved, too.
You have a very strong foundation which I think you could use to build a more thorough argument. I wish you talked a little more about other possible theoretical connections: “Critical terms” has chapters like “Biomedia” and “Body” that could greatly support your story, in my opinion.
You mentioned having several different racquets, as well as “evolving play style” – I would love to hear more about different racquets’ affordances that support different styles – that is also a great example of mediation.
Once again, though, good job describing your own experience with your evocative object and describing its significance and role.
Thank you Bara! That’s some great suggestions I could use in future blogs! I’d say that my idea of the evolving play style is such that whenever I get a new racquet, my play style changes to fit the marketed niche that the racquet caters to, such as a style favouring speed, control or defence, etc.
Hi Nam,
Great post! I find it intriguing that your evocative object is something that typically gets replaced rather than used or kept for years to come. But it also shows your evolution in skill and passion for badminton, because the more you grew up, the better of a racquet you’d probably need. The racquet still serves its purpose for you to play the sport but every one is different in form. I found myself resonating with your object because mine (my wired earbuds) regularly gets replaced as well when there’s ample wear and tear, but they still serve the same purpose each time. Bravo!
Thank you Victoria! I actually still keep all of them although most are broken and unplayable with now!
Hi Nam！
I really enjoyed reading your post — I thought the way you paralleled your experience with Medina’s “Ballet Slippers”was really strong. I like how you approached the badminton racquet not just as a sports tool, but as something that mediated your aspirations and identity. The moment you realized that your attachment to the racquet had shifted from motivation to dependency was especially compelling — it expressed that relationship between desire, discipline, and self-perception really well.
I also appreciated your honesty in reflecting on how the racquet once distanced you from the joy of the game. It made me think about how easily objects tied to performance can blur the line between self-expression and self-critique. Like Victoria mentioned, it would be interesting to hear more about how each racquet symbolized a different “era” of your growth — maybe even how material design and affordance played into that mediation. Overall, this was a very introspective and engaging reflection!
Thank you for your comment! So while growing up I had gone through quite a lot of racquets, and that was how I switched my playstyle in relation to the affordances of that exact racquet. For example, when I was angsty I adopted an aggressive and explosive playstyle as a means to self expression and accordingly the racquet i chose was marketed as such!
Hi Nam!
I would be lying if I said I did not get excited seeing the racket on the front cover, and reading about your object was really interesting and something I could totally relate to! I learned how to play from elementary school and continue to play now, and the sentiment I have for my first Yonex Arcsaber racket was something I related to upon reading this article. The feeling of finally upgrading to a shiny branded racket really hit close to home. I also liked how you mentioned what the racket could not afford you, and how your idea of the sport altered through time because of the racket. I definitely can relate to blaming my performance on the racket or the strings being too loose, or my grip being old in the past, so it was comforting to also hear how this negative view evolved and matured over time, alongside how your mediation of the object grew as well. I would love to read more about how you perceive the racket as a bodily extension during games, and how the mental image of the self relates to the physical body through your racket.
Thank you Ela! So for me through training, the racket eventually feels like an extension of my arm, which is to say that I feel very natural using it to interact with the shuttle in the sport.
Hi Nam!
I really enjoyed reading your post! I found myself relating to this piece as I played volleyball for over six years! I think it’s interesting how we often place blame on the objects that accompany us in the game rather than looking inwards. I would often blame my knee pads, saying, “that’s why I slipped,” or “that’s why I didn’t go for the ball”. It’s interesting how an object that once brought you so much joy can end up being a reminder of your own identity and desire.
I really found it interesting when you discussed how your racket became so important to your sense of self, making you think about your goals and passion for the game. I resonated with the idea that this object is more of an extension of your body rather than something to obsess over.
I really appreciate how truthful you were with your journey with the racket and how lead you to have this idea of perfection, this fanasty that was tied to this object. How the racket served as a reminder of your discipline and desires. I really admire how introspective this piece was! It makes me think about how quickly an object that used to bring us so much fun and joy can turn sour if it’s consumed by ideas of expectation and competition.
Thank you Ami! Glad you enjoyed it!