Akanksha Sharma

Stereotypes

Stereotypes usually start with the perception of one person and gets applied to a group of
people. The oxford dictionary defines stereotype as A widely held but fixed and
oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing".(Oxford Dictionary, 2014) It
is a natural way of classifying people. Some may argue that the all stereotypes hold a certain
level of truth, and while that statement may be accurate at times, the problem is that it does not
apply to everyone. People are often stereotyped into different groups they may not actually
belong to, due to existing prejudice. Stereotyping based on ethnicity, gender, or appearance,
leads to the formation of misguided opinions, that affect individuals negatively.
Stereotyping based on ethnicity is evident throughout Canada, and leads to exaggeration
of differences among groups. People often do not even recognize the fact that they are being
judgemental, and have stereotyped someone based on their ethnicity without even knowing them.
An example of such a situation is when an aboriginal woman walked into emergency to make
sure her abdominal pains didn't signal problems with her pregnancy, she rubbed at a speck of dirt
irritating her eye. The nurses took a look at Jane and leapt to their own conclusion: a pregnant
aboriginal teen with reddened eye. She must be on drugs or abused. They interrogated her and,
ignoring her explanations, called for a social worker. It was hours before anyone even looked
into her abdominal pains. (The Huffington Post,2014: Pg1) Not only did the nurses make a
quick judgment about another woman, but she went ahead and took action without the patients
permission. Moreover, In 2013 Buzzed released an article titled 26 Google Searches That
Reveal The Ridiculous Stereotypes We Hold. Some of those searches included , Why are
Swedes so tall? Do French people shower? Why are Italians so loud? (Jha, 2013:Pg 1)
These searches prove that individuals often have common misconceptions, about people from
different ethnicities. The primary cause of the existence of such stereotypes is lack of personal
experience. People base their opinions about others based on what they hear from their friends
and family. Instead of forming opinions about different ethnic groups based on what they hear
from others, people should realize that one person's perception of another ethnicity, is not an
accurate representation of the whole group.
Gender stereotyping causes individual to feel confined into specific roles, which they
may feel they do not belong to. Societal views have led us to associate certain attributes with
specific genders. Some common gender stereotypes for women include women are not as strong
as men, The best women are stay at home moms, Women dont play sports. (Brewer, 2014:
Pg 1) Some common stereotypes for men include All men enjoy working on cars, Men
enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, and hiking, Men are good at math. (Brewer,
2014: Pg 1) Such gender stereotypes did not randomly originate out of thin air, they have been
implemented continuously by society for years. English literature has played a large hand at
developing gender stereotypes, for both men and women. Most fairytale stories include a women
in distress who needs to be saved by her night and shining armour. Cinderella is a classic
examples of such a story. Cinderella personifies the gender stereotypes about women, where
they are perceived as docile, vulnerable, and completely helpless, depending on others for their
survival.Women are always portrayed as delicate beings that need a man to protect them and to
be happy. (Lalwani, 2011:Pg 1)They have no sense of existence of their own, and always need a
prince to take them away from their unhappy lives. Such stereotypes affect young girls
negatively as it makes them believe that the answer to all their problems is a man. (Lalwani,
2011:Pg 1)At the same times, it may set unrealistic standards of what a man should be like. Men
may begin to feel that they have to act the way the character in literature are often portrayed;
masculine, strong, unemotional, and courageous. Gender stereotypes affect both men and women
in a negative manner and can lead to feelings of self doubt and inadequacy in one's own skin.
Stereotypes can be and often are formed within first glance, based on someones
appearance. Blondes are often associated as being unintelligent, men who were pink are often
thought to be homosexual, people who have glasses are considered nerdy or geeky, and people
who enjoy wearing black are mistaken for being gothic. (Brewer, 2014:Pg 1) Appearance based
stereotyping occurs everywhere around us, and can negatively affect people, especially in a
workplace. There are widely held negative stereotypes about overweight applicants. Some
stereotypes may be that overweight applicants are less conscientious, less agreeable, less
emotionally stable, and less extraverted than other normal weight applicants.
(Elinoff,2011:Pg 1)Researchers Mark V. Roehling, Patricia V. Roehling, and L Maureen Odland
conducted a research which proved that there is no correlation between weight and personality
traits, yet people have the misconception that there is a relation in between the two.
(Elinoff,2011:Pg 1) Television plays an extremely important in the developed of such
stereotypes. The similar portrayals of characters leads to the formation of stereotypical opinions.
The movie "The Breakfast Club," is a perfect example of the over stereotyping of various groups
of people in high school. Other examples include; the depiction of homosexual men as being
extremely feminine, and over sexualisation of women. Due to the similar characterization of
individuals on television, people may often feel misrepresented and be unable to relate. It also
leads to the formation of judgemental opinions. It is unfair to confided every single person who
may look or dress similarly in the same group.
Stereotyping is a easy, yet misguided way to perceive people, and can affect the
individuals being stereotyped negatively. People are often quick to judge someone based on their
ethnicity, gender, or appearance and place them into different categories. Yet, they fail to realize
that by doing so they may be being hurtful towards others. Stereotyping is a way of segregating
different individuals into one generic group.

Bibliography

Aboriginal Stereotypes Can Be Deadly. (2013, August 21). The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 12,
2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/craig-and-marc-kielburger/aboriginal-stereotypes-
medical_b_3789056.html

Brewer, H. (n.d.). List of Gender Stereotypes. List of Gender Stereotypes. Retrieved June 12, 2014,
from http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15910/1/List-of-Gender-Stereotypes.html

Definition of stereotype in English:. (n.d.). stereotype: definition of stereotype in Oxford dictionary
(British & World English). Retrieved June 12, 2014, from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/stereotype

Elinoff, N. (2011, December 11). Attractiveness, Stereotyping and The Effects on Personality |. Pick Your
Nos. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://www.pickyournos.com/2011/12/11/attractiveness-
stereotyping-and-the-effects-on-personality/

Jha, R. (2013, September 2). 26 Google Searches That Reveal The Ridiculous Stereotypes We
Hold. BuzzFeed. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/google-searches-
that-reveal-ridiculous-stereotypes

Lalwani, P. (2011, September 26). Stereotype Examples. Buzzle. Retrieved June 12, 2014, from
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/stereotype-examples.html