Stereotypes | Teen Ink

Stereotypes

December 20, 2013
By kayannalee BRONZE, Wilmington, Delaware
kayannalee BRONZE, Wilmington, Delaware
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Since the early 1900's stereotypes have been used in everyday conversation and many other social acts. A stereotype is a generalization about a certain group of people, (or even just one person), and how they act and what their role is in society. We've all heard the Blonde jokes, the view people have on men and woman with tattoos, and of course the stereotype of woman always being submissive to men. These are all examples of the Stereotypes that not only bring down peoples self-esteem, but brings down society as a whole. I believe stereotypes should be cut out from everyday conversation and education.

Blonde stereotypes were one of the first to ever come about in history. Things such as Blondes being dumb, all blondes being hot, etc., are some of the things many people think and say nowadays. Statistics show that over 40% of people believe these things are true, and feed into the Blonde stereotype. This stereotype is both offensive and not true. Having the yellow pigment in your hair does not affect your intelligence or personality. In fact in my opinion blondes are smarter and funnier then some brunettes or any other hair color.

Since tattoos were invented and first discovered they have been a controversial subject for many over time. Even in movies men and woman with tattoos were portrayed as bad and mean people who road motorcycles and sometimes were involved in something violent or illegal. This however is not the case. People have the right to make the decision to get a tattoo, and for most people the tattoo is of some sentimental value, and something very meaningful to them. Some get a symbol which is important to them or even a name or portrait of a loved one who has passed away. As you can see most tattoos are not a symbol of toughness, but actually one of gratitude and hope.

The next and final major stereotype used in today’s world is how woman are supposed to be submissive to men, and have a strict set of rules to go by. This is one of the most offensive and false stereotypes of them all. Back in the early year’s woman had one job and one job only; To take care of the house and the kids. Thus, the word housewife was invented. The role of the woman was to make sure the house was in order, and to tend to the children. Sadly some people still have this type of mindset, and this needs to change. In fact more than 80% of adult women in the United States have jobs to provide a second income or whole income to support their families.

Men and woman across the world need to lose this type of mindset. Although not all people think this way, the majority of people still feel that these stereotypes are true. Whether it be the typical blonde jokes, the men and women with a lot of tattoos being frowned upon, or the idea of a woman’s role in society, the outlooks on these need to change. Everyone needs to realize that times have changed and what was typical back then, is now different in our time. Stereotypes are not a good thing to believe and use, and hopefully my generation will change some men and women outlook on others.



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mario said...
on Feb. 22 2015 at 9:41 pm
People often use stereotypes and don't truly pay attention to what the persons personality is really like in today's modern society we see a lot of stereotypes like all "blondes" are dumb and many more this affects most people and everyone usually uses stereotypes depending on what they look like. Some people may be annoyed and ashamed that others refer to them by using sterotypes