Addressing The "Quiet Kid" Stereotypes

Being the quiet girl in class always meant that people didn't really get to know you. Even though they didn't have the intent to try, they were always just dandy with making assumptions. Most of these assumptions were not only the worst but 99% of the time, they couldn't have been farther from the truth. So in this article, I am addressing what people say about quiet people, versus what is actually true.

The biggest assumption is that we are mean. I cannot tell you the amount of times I heard, "you know before I really knew you, I thought you were a total jerk." This stems from the fact that we do not go out of our way to talk to people. We tend to be perfectly fine with silence and see no need to fill the void with conversation. The actual truth is that we are often the most caring people, and on top of that, the best listeners when you need a shoulder to cry on.

Another is that we are "judging everyone." Well, this one is actually partially true. Since we aren't running our mouth as much, it leaves a lot of room for us to take in what is happening around us. That's why we often already know a lot about the people who decide to approach us, and already have a pretty clear decision in our head about whether or not we are going to be friends with them. However, this does not mean that we think we are better than everyone else. We're actually pretty down-to-earth when you get to know us. We just like to be informed, as it helps us to make the safest choices, both in friends and in general.

Some people assume that because you are quiet, you do not have an opinion. This is laughable at best. Every quiet person I have ever met has been opinionated and strong willed. As said in the previous paragraph, we tend to be informed people. This doesn't just end with people, as we can take both opinions and facts from all sides to form our own decisions. Just because we don't blurt out every thought that comes to our mind doesn't mean that there aren't thoughts in there.

The final assumption is that if you are quiet, you have to be shy. While that can be true for some of us, others are actually quite the social butterfly. They just do not see the reason for them to start a conversation, especially if they feel iffy about the topic at hand. They are often the people you see as the leaders of their friend group, constantly planning and pulling everyone along.

It is time to stop making assumptions about people you know nothing about. Stereotypes are never helpful, so you should think before you speak. Take it from the quiet girl; we don't hate you quite as much as you think we do. In fact, if you come up and try, we just might become the best of friends.