Do we live up to stereotypes?
The other night I was at a bar and there was a woman who was a little …OK she was drunk and loud. She knew she was and she told everyone, “I can’t help it I am Sicilian.”
I thought, “Of course you can help it. You don’t have to be loud and obnoxious.” But I started thinking that many of us buy into stereotypes because they make good excuses or for other reasons.
I am blonde but I am not daffy usually, but I can put on that mask. I have German heritage and yes I have a temper, but I have learned to keep it under some control. But is that genetic or heritable or just who I am? Would I be more laid back if I were Tibetian?
In this forum, we see the questions always asked about things that have been placed upon the TG community. They have been discussed many many times and you know the standard answers. We state that we cannot be put into boxes and then suddenly we turn and do the same thing. How do women walk? What is age appropriate clothing? Should you do this and that? All things that are actually stereotyped behaviors.
There is not one walk, There is the exaggerated “Catwalk” models do (and the ubiquitous YouTubes of them falling down). There is venue appropriate clothing (and some may disagree on this too but the woman in “Hot For Teacher” would not hold a job in any school) but age? Maybe onesies are not age appropriate for anyone here.
But do we buy the behavior? Do we believe that “if”-then”? Do you feel that you are required to act in a certain manner because of age, heritage, demographics, clothing?