One should never judge a book by its cover, so why do we continue to judge each other by our outer cover? Why can't people show their sexuality freely, without worrying about being judged? Why can't an African American move into a mostly "white" community and not feel comfortable? Why can't an overweight person walk into fitness center without feeling as if they don't belong? In today's society one can be humiliated or abused because of their race or if they are not skinny, beautiful, or straight. In this paper I will be discussing three different stereotypes I have encountered in my own personal life and how it has affected me and others.
A stereotype is a preconceived belief or decision that one holds on someone because of their appearance or by their actions. In the Bill of Rights, it says we have Freedom of Speech, so why are we so afraid to speak up for ourselves? We say that we are all equal but, there is still racism, sexism, and people judging others based on their religion, color, weight, how they dress, and what they eat.
While attending High School I was stereotyped in a few different ways, a prep" because I was on the cheerleading squad, and a "teacher's pet" because my father was my high school principal. I would not have categorized myself as being a "prep" I had a variety of friends and never focused on one single "click." I would definitely not categorize myself as a teacher's pet, although all the teachers knew me quite well, I felt like I had to walk on egg shells around many of them.
When I was a teenager, I babysat for a little boy that acted very feminine. He would dance around the room and act like Mary Poppins with his umbrella twirling above his head. If I painted my nails he would be glued to my side because this interested him so much. Now this little boy did not grow up being a cross-dresser, however he did grow up to be gay and he decided to "come out of the closet" while still in high school. When this child was four years old, I had already stereotyped him as being gay because of his feminine actions. I cared for this child until he began sixth grade and although I knew he could possibly grow up to be gay, this never became a problem with how I looked at him and loved him. This was just how he was from the time he could walk, talk, and play. I know there are people that are unsure about their sexuality and experiment, but in this instance, this boy was born this way. That is who he is so with all of the stereotyping that goes on with homosexuals, it is not fair to judge those who feel this is just right for them.