The world would be a better place if the mentality we have been embraced with towards judging others did not exist. What if stereotypes were not there to influence us how we process information about others? Stereotypes have prevented people from reaching their full potential and doing things that could have changed their lives for the better. They have made people hide behind who they really are because society tells them to act a certain way due to their sex, skin color, size and much more. So there are a few I would like to address and ones people seem to be affected by daily.
I hear frequently through incidences, “You cannot do that because you’re a female/male,” or “You’re a woman you should be doing this.” Gender role stereotypes encourage men and women to act a specific way just because that’s what they are told by others. Men should be able to show emotion or be more of a family man than a business man without being called feminine, and women should be able to be in a more male dominated profession or sport, without being questioned whether or not she can handle it. Being qualified for a job position or a title, does not have a certain gender attachment to it. Go on with your bad self.
History shows some of the biggest stereotypes have revolved around race and religion, it has caused war, and has some of the worst effects on society, as we have seen. Some of these misconceptions include all Asians are geniuses, Caucasians are all racist, Hispanics are all illegal aliens, all Muslims are associated to terrorism, and African Americans tend to be more violent and that Christians hate the LGBT community. No, No, No, No and guess what NO. Yes, there are bad people and extremist in this world, but there is no one specific mold that all those people belong to and those peoples actions should not determine the view others have of that identity. Every race,ethnicity and religion contains some of the smartest, talented and driven people on this earth but, every day we are consumed by these degrading thoughts that prevents us from seeing them,if only we could just block these preconceived notions out when maybe introducing ourselves to people and just getting to know them without a stereotype to compare them to. Imagine the bond people, communities and even the world would have.
What is beautiful? Last time I checked, the definition did not have hashtags attached to it giving you a certain size, race or age to check off to make sure you made the cut. Beautiful is stereotyped as thin, healthy, youthful so honestly just to sum it up the typical barbie and ken, it seems we have given the word a limit when in reality there was never one to begin with. Magazines and ads have encouraged the negative behavior when it comes to developing beliefs of what beautiful is. This has turned a lot of people to start dissecting their flaws and making it a focus when we should all be content in our own skin and be happy with what we are so blessed to have. Everyone was created differently for a reason, and if we all looked the same how boring would that be? We waste so much time that we cannot get back on our looks and how people think of us, something I personally struggled with. These misconceptions have built emotional walls for some, and have led to depression and other mental or physical abuse. We as humans are so lucky to be given a life that we can write our own story to. Everyone can go on journeys and experiences that are completely different, and it’s unfortunate that stereotypes like these prevent people from doing just that. If you want to make this world a better place, start to encourage others, and do not discourage those by entertaining such misconceptions. Keep the labels to the jars and lets start to gain cultural knowledge because this world needs to be healed.
