Stereotypes

Stereotypes aggravate me. I won’t even begin to cover all the different types or categories of stereotypes in this blog post. But I can understand how it feels. Believe me I understand, I know how it feels, I empathize. But here I will only talk about the types that relate to me the most, the ones I know most about, and the ones that aggravate me the most, while maybe briefly covering some other types (that might not relate to me, but I still understand, get it, how that feels). For it is through your own experiences, that you can begin to understand other people’s.

I guess the stereotypes that pertain to me the most, the ones that cling unto me and haunt me, are sexist/misogynistic ones.

People must be cave-like in their brains, not very smart at all, as a whole generally speaking, if this one reasoning brought about so much prejudice. Men are physcially stronger, therefore, they must be smarter too? The worst part is that I can see why someone would say that or think that, especially travelling centuries back, but who is that would laugh the most at that logic? Who developed rationale, reasoning, and logic? The englightment thinkers? Who would laugh most at that logic? Rousseau? Locke? Or maybe a man of science: Newton. Or maybe none of them would laugh, because they are all men. And because they’re stronger, somehow this led to so much oppression. I mean really, what other possible reason could you come up with for why things developed the way they did? Because women were actually less smart, dumber? But no, how is that possible, how could that possibly be the reason, when they were “locked up” from education, not even given a chance?

And because of this whole strength ordeal…can’t like sports? Allow me to explain that one. The other day there was an event that involved sports. Sure, I might be an exceception: I don’t enjoy sports that much, yet, plenty of girls do! But that is not even my fault or on me, it is simply a preference.

So, I didn’t even want to play that much. And usually wouldn’t want to that much. However, I went, and I was actually going to and wanted to play, I would’ve played, but unfortunately for me, as fate later proved in the story, a friend and I had glued on some fake nails which I currently still glued on right now (one has been falling off each day to be re-glued, lol, and I swear I am a good glue-er).

One thing led to the next, and the game of volleyball that was supposed to happen actually ended up being turned into football. Which, for whatever reason, I actually wanted to play even more. But again, the nails.

What aggravated me so much in this situation was not that I didn’t like sports, or can’t like sports, or am worried too much of what people think or how it stereotypically comes across. That’s not even something I can control. It’s a preference, just the way I am. The most frustrating thing was the actual stereotyping that happened later, when I felt like I couldn’t like or was expected to hate sports from a lady who later made a comment “Yeah and I asked were the girls playing…when volleyball turned into football…yeah, I didn’t think so.”

That’s the most frustrating part. It makes want to rip off my nails, never put them on again, and join the game. No matter how much I would suck at it, (and I most definitely would). Just to prove her wrong. Just to stop letting stereotypes dictate and plague my life. Just to finally feel like I am a person who can make my own decisions and no one is deciding how I should live my life, what I like, and what I do for me.

It feels so frustrating for people to make up your mind for you, to treat you inferior, for something you can’t even control or were never asked to be, a situation you never asked to be put in. For just something that you are, who you are. But yet you suffer for it. You are plagued by it. You are haunted, tormented, and forced to endure its prejudices that inevitably are glued to it. Like the glue of fake nails.

I can understand that stereotypes are based on trends. Most people didn’t… and that’s how that story continues. But I hate being made to feel this way. It’s not right. To assume like that makes me feel weak, inferior, unimportant, invisible, helpless, like I have no control and am drowning, like everything has already been done for me. Like, why am I even here then? If I am not meant to figure things out or do anything on my own?

Incapable.

-Is a good word of capturing the essence. Incompetent.

I don’t care what the lady meant, or how she wanted intentions to come across. It don’t matter. That is not what I’m examining. She is probably just a victim brought up in the society made to think this way. I don’t like playing victim any more than I like to feel this way. Just want to be treated a person, no less, no differences, to stop focusing on them so much, so that everyone is treated with the same respect, dignity, and capability.