The Complexities Behind Stereotypes.

Essays | Jasmine Jiang | February 6th, 2023.

Stereotyping. We all know that it’s bad. But what about the qualities of the stereotypes themselves? Where do we draw the line between stereotype and reality? Many of us have forgotten where the real issue lies, and instead, we have begun to demonize all of the qualities that pertain to stereotypes. 

We tend to apply our Western notions to every situation. Author and researcher Peter Salins explain that even historically we have assigned implicit contracts. For example, immigrants would only be welcome as full members of American society if they agreed to abide by three simple standards: learn English, live by the Protestant work ethic, and take pride in this “American” identity. In America, when we think of full-time moms, we tend to only think of middle-class stay-at-home women. We don’t value motherhood the same as other cultures because it doesn’t match the American criteria for a successful self-made individual. Their labor doesn’t hold the same worth because we fail to see it. Beyond just gender stereotypes, even when trying to defend members of different ethnic groups, we often only resort to phrases like “That’s just a stereotype” and completely ignore the commonalities that are shared within culture, making their cultural traits seem negative just because they are different from ours. A Princeton University article explains that solely rejecting stereotypes only leads to conformity to the idealistic American lifestyle, stating that there is only one normal way to act and live; the western way. 

This disconnect between stereotypes and reality has split marginalized groups in two. People are either seen as “conforming” to their stereotypes or are placed on a pedestal for being the opposite of their stereotypes as Princeton journalist Martina Fouquet explains that for marginalized groups, “Society has taught us that it is impossible to have binary qualities, we are either our stereotype or their version of “right.” 

Jeanie Suk Gersen, writer for the New Yorker would receive praise from admission officers and interviewees for being different from other Asians because she had “moving qualities of heart, and originality that Asian applicants lacked”. She says “I wasn’t much different from other Asians I knew. But I got the message: to be allowed through a narrow door, I should cultivate not just a sense of individuality but also ways to project that I’m ‘Not like other Asians!’”. She is not the only one who is forced to prove she is the opposite of society’s stereotype, researchers at Princeton University found that Asian applicants need to score 140 points higher on the SAT in order to have an equal chance in college admissions.

Selma director Ava DuVernay says, “marginalized people have been given a seat at the dinner table, but have yet to be served a meal”. We often think diversity and inclusivity exist and it is enough just because we can see it. Diversity has become defined by the ability of the marginalized to conform rather than influence. We misconstrue the problem and the solution and others have to suffer the consequences. Actress Sophia Vergara received heavy criticism for supposedly propelling stereotypes because of the heavy Latina accent she uses to portray her characters. However, she says it was just the way she talks, stating that ​​eight years ago nobody dared to have an accent like this on television. The qualities that we equate to conforming to stereotypes are so much more complex than we make them out to be. To many like Vergara, the qualities that we pertain to stereotypes can be something to take pride in, something to be admired for, something that represents their hard work through their struggles. One can be capable of fulfilling a stereotype and accomplishing things that contradict the box that society places them in. 

We need to learn how to turn to a mindset that prioritizes equality without the need for conformity. We must acknowledge the differences between different communities but also learn how to accept them. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie puts it best. She argues, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but simply yet significantly they are incomplete. When we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.”