DON’T
JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS
COVER
STEREOTYPICAL VIEWS LE Self-stereotyping changes perception of yourself Tierra Combs Staff Writer
Dress up day stereotypes Isabela Diaz Staff Writer
What’s the first picture that comes to mind when thinking of a ‘nerd’: go. Glasses, maybe tape around the middle of them, overalls, books in hand. Even schools go to the extent of stereotyping when it comes to dress-up days. In the past, Scottsburg hosted a “Cowboy and Indian” day. This day included dressing up with feathers in hair, faces painted, cowboy hats and boots, and much more. Many were offended by these typical stereotypes, and Scottsburg decided to take it away. “There’s a limit of how far they can go. Things like race, for example, are too far and can hurt people’s feelings and carry stereotypes farther than they should go,” Lily Walsh (10) said. While dress up days can be fun, many students suggested that schools need to be mindful of stereotyping. Schools, including Scottsburg, have kept these accidental stereotypes in mind and have even gotten rid of some dress up days. Not only “Cowboy and Indian” day, but “nerd day” is no longer included. “Some people might take offense to these stereotyped days because they might dress like that on a daily basis, and when we categorize them into a distinctive group, they might feel as though they are targeted,” Mella Neace (10) said. While there were a lot of precautions to these planned days, many believe it is still a great way to show off school spirit. 12
December 2019
Features
Stereotypes have always affected society. Throughout the decades, people have labeled others and stuck them into an affiliation. Athletic people are “jocks” and smart people are just “nerds” and “geeks.” These are just a few of the stereotypical labels that society forces people to fit into. However, in recent years, many people have realized that they put themselves into these boxes and stereotypes. The process of stereotyping oneself is called self-stereotyping. When self-stereotyping happens, someone also has the ability to force characteristics of a stereotyped group on themselves. If they feel they should fit into the popular group, they might start acting like them and try to as-
similate into their crowd. This is just one example of the numerous stereotypes that live in today’s society. Evolutionary psychology does produce an explanation for self-stereotyping. As prehistoric humans formed tribes and bonds with other humans, they needed their tribes to gain strength in numbers. As humans progressed, they affiliated themselves with their tribes. This created the foundations for stereotypes found within groups. “It [evolutionary psychology] is the idea that principles of evolution have influenced psychological development. With stereotypes, people have said that being a member of the tribe is a matter of survival. Having friends and people that are willing to protect you and feed you is a basic need,” said Jason Bagwell, psychology teacher.
DANGERS OF
As society has progressed, people are beginning to realize how stereotypes affect everyone in their everyday lives. In many situations, self-stereotyping can cause someone to think differently about themselves. Beth Walton, health teacher, has experienced this change in thinking. “I labeled myself and felt labeled by others as a certain type of person/student from a young age. I didn’t realize how much this impacted my thinking until I got to college and realized no one had any expectations of my ‘stereotype’ because they didn’t know me,” Walton said. Overall, self-stereotyping is still a very prominent, emotional subject in current society. However, many people are discovering that overlooking self-stereotypes uncover a world of opportunity to explore themselves that they have never known. By Harmony Richey
STEREOTYPING Increase of stress
3
Emotional health Students facing peer victimization are
10
Hispanic and black individuals that report discrimination on a weekly basis say they feel the need to be careful about their appearance to get good service or avoid harassment. Source: American Psychological Association
Bullying
2.2 TIMES more likely to have suicide ideation and
More than 1 out of every 3 of adolescents reporting bullying report bias-based school bullying. Source: U.S National Library of Medicine
2.6 TIMES
more likely to attempt suicide than students not facing victimization. Source: Medical Journal by the American Medical Association
N
• S a • S • D • W a h
