“All gymnasts are tall and skinny, they only care about winning, and they are all perfectionists”, is what I hear when people talk about gymnastics. When I tell people I’m a gymnast they always say “You’re too short to be a gymnast” or “How can you get yourself to flip when you are so close to the ground?” Also they always just assume I am very competitive or all I care about is winning. They also assume that I am a perfectionist. These are common stereotypes I hear the most about gymnastics.
The first stereotype that I hear is that all gymnasts are tall and skinny. A lot of the Olympic gymnasts are short. Shawn Johnson was an Olympic gymnasts and won gold in the 2008 Olympics. She is only four feet and nine inches. Also Gabby Douglas was
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an Olympic gold medalist in the 2012 summer Olympics and she is only four feet eleven inches. I am five feet tall, so when people say I’m too short to be a gymnasts I just laugh because I am taller than most Olympic gymnasts. People also say all gymnasts are super skinny. This is by far a false statement, being a gymnast causes you to use every muscle in your body. When you are a gymnasts for a long time you become muscular, especially in your arms and legs. Another stereotype is that gymnasts only care about winning and they are perfectionists.
When you are performing and competing as a gymnasts winning isn’t everything. For instance, when I would perform or compete on uneven bars if I was just happy with finishing my routine and not falling off the bars. Bars was my worst area in gymnastics. Almost every gymnasts has this area they dread but have to do. In this area if you didn’t win it didn’t matter as long as you did your best. Also just advancing in your skills is what matters to a gymnasts not winning. Another thing people say is all gymnasts are perfectionists. This is also a false statement. When being a gymnast you can’t be a perfectionist because if you are then every skill that you do won’t ever be good enough. Even the best of the best don’t do every skill perfectly. Gymnasts do spend a lot of time on one skill but that doesn’t mean that they are perfectionists. Many different components go into just one skill. For instance, doing a backflip in gymnastics you have to jump at the right time you have to tuck your legs in at the right time and point your toes. In many of the skills it is timing and it is very rare you go out there and do a performance completely perfect. To be a gymnast you can’t be a perfectionist because doing your best has to be good enough, otherwise you will constantly be down on yourself. For me when learning a new skill just landing on my feet makes me feel good. Then after I land it I worry
about all the dynamics of it. Before people stereotype a gymnast they need to think about all of the aspects of being a gymnast. To be a gymnast you don’t have to be a certain height and weight. Also you don’t need to only care about winning or be a perfectionist.
With 600,000 people across Australia who have participated in aerobics at one point in time, it can be manifested that aerobics is one of the most marginalized sports within the country (Ausport, 2000). With such a marginalized sport, there are many stereotypes that are associated with just the word aerobics. This is explored through the survey that was conducted and was answered by the students at StAC. Many of the stereotypes that are believed in society are that aerobics is a sport dominated by females and that it more of a dance class. This report will evaluate the possible influences that have shaped students’ perceptions using Figueroa’s Framework and Maslow’s hierarchy. Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness (flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness) (Balbach, 2013). It is usually performed to music and may be practiced in a group setting led by an instructor. It can clearly be seen that with music and a fitness instructor leading the class that many people may have these common stereotypes fulfilled. Figueroa’s framework explains the concepts of equity, access and equality through the 5 levels constructed by Professor Figueroa (Crossley, 2013). Another significant piece of evidence held in this report is Maslow’s hierarchy and is the theory involving the psychology of human development (Macleod, 2007).
“They’re snobs.” “They’re ditzy.” “They are just brats.” Cheerleaders. There are many problems with stereotyping, and cheerleaders are no strangers to it. Every cheerleader could probably tell you a time when someone stereotyped them, whether that be them as a person or an athlete. While on some occasions cheerleaders really do fit the stereotypical vision of a cheerleader off of a movie, most are not your typical “cheerleader”; intelligent, polite, and athletic are all characteristics of these individuals. Making judgements about a person based on what sport they played is not deserved. Most people in high school would say they knew, or thought they knew how cheerleaders were, but if taking the time to get to know the kind of people they are, then people’s opinion would change.
Gender dictates various components of American life: political quarrels, typical company employee hierarchies, social norms, the list continues. This year’s presidential election proves this statement to be true; as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump bump heads against notions of foreign policy and tax reform, American voters have divided themselves into a category of either for or against women’s equality. Trump’s recent rape allegations has portrayed him as sexist, allowing Clinton to make arguments against him and advocate for women’s rights. Besides politics, gender guides child development, teaching children what “roles” both men and women must play in order to be deemed acceptable. This is why the term “CEO”
Cheerleaders are usually referred to as dumb, skinny, and un-athletic. The most commonly known cheerleaders are scholastic cheerleaders, or cheerleaders that cheer for school functions. Girls that cheer for their schools are often ridiculed for wearing too much make-up, or being stuck up. A large number stereotypes are given to cheerleaders through movies. Several people say that the typical cheerleader is skinny, and un-intelligent. Not all cheerleaders have a specific image, they’re all unique. Cheerleaders can come in a multitude of different sizes and shapes. To be a cheerleader being skinny is not a requirement. An innumerable amount of schools have cheerleaders who are bigger, these cheerleaders are the base of the pyramid-literally. Not to mention most cheerleaders are actually smarter than everyone thinks. Many cheerleaders are placed in honors classes and in advanced placement classes. Another stereotype introduced to cheerleading is that boys can’t be cheerleaders, and if there is a boy cheerleader, he’s often called gay ("Omni Cheer Blog"). Uniquely, boys are the sole reason that cheerleaders exist. Boys invented cheerleading to raise awareness and support for sports teams. Likewise, not all cheerleaders prance around in a short skirt, like everyone thinks. There are athletes who take the sport seriously. As of right now the odds are against competitive cheerleading to be considered a sport. People and schools refuse to accept competitive cheerleading as a confirmed sport because the “new” sport will require new guidelines and rules ("Competitive Cheerleading
“Success isn’t given. It is earned. On the track, on the field, in the gym. With blood, sweat, and the occasional tear”. Track and Field is one of the oldest sports invented. Track involved athletes competing in numerous events against one another to see who’s the best. With track and field comes misconceptions of the sport, which leads to people making stereotypes for the track athletes. A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A misconception is a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. Many people have misconceptions of track and field, because many don’t see it as a sport, or believe it is just running. Once someone brings up
The human race is comprised of a plethora of shapes, sizes, colors, and figures. Some of these images are regarded as ‘distorted’ in dominant culture, but these distortions are what makes every person unique and should be celebrated. Stereotypes, whether positive or negative, take these ‘distortions’ and assign behavioral attributes to them. This assumes that all persons who meet a certain set of physical requirements behave in a similar way. Due to the diversity of the human race, this outcome is highly improbable. Despite this, stereotypes are often used to describe a group of people, usually amplifying a negative trait that may not b...
misconceptions. Stereotypes are a big image or idea of a particular group, type of person, or
Stereotyping can happen in numerous ways; one very cruel way of stereotyping would be stereotyping a person for being overweight. People often stereotype others because of beliefs they have learned from their parents or on their own.
Certainly, there are some stereotypes that may be true, but do not apply to all persons. In my case, the stereotypes I experienced about my ethnicity and my gender, they do not show the truth about me, and they do not affect me, but I learned that I should not label someone without knowing them or even without proofs. Anyway, stereotypes are endless, and have become commonplace in our
At one point in time, these stereotypes may have been true; however, in today’s modern society, most of these stereotypes are outdated and false, which leads them to turn into misconceptions. Usually, stereotypes are utilized to humiliate and degrade the person or group; they also do not provide any beneficial outcomes. Stereotypes focus on how a particular group acts because of the radical ideas and actions of the few, how a particular group looks, or how that group is physically lacking in some way. These stereotypes often lead to conflicts because the group does not appreciate the way it is perceived. Seldom are the stereotypes placed on a group of people truthful and accurate.
The main stereotype is if you're a guy cheerleader, you're gay, or you can’t cheer if you're a boy. It’s true that the majority of cheer teams are girls, however that does not mean boys cannot join. It’s actually a big help if a boy is cheering because stunts are stronger. Finally, the weirdest of them all. In most movies the head cheerleader is the most popular and is a snob but in real life it's not a fact that if you cheer you are a snob.
In today’s society we as a culture have set the standard of how a person is stereotyped. The cruel truth is that being judgmental of others simply because of that person’s clothes, gender, or language, is damaging to that person’s identity and also damaging to the trust that could have been built between individuals.The decision to choose which social group a person decides to be a part of should not define who the person is as an individual. People just like to do different activities that make them happy. A male cheerleader has the abilities that some girls may not, such as demonstrating strong muscle power in necessary situations. Cheerleading may make some males happy and they can do tricks or other things many females won't dare to do.
Overall, stereotypes are typically false accusations and can be destructive to individual opportunities and the society as a whole. Pre-conceived notions of race, gender, and class should be things of the past because they only lead to unnecessary discrimination.
Society describes stereotyping as a generalization about a main group of people whereby they attribute a defined set of characteristics based on their appearance. We usually stereotype people when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information that we need to make a fair judgment about people. Furthermore, when we judge people and groups based on our prejudices and stereotypes we start to treat them differently because we are discriminating them without even knowing them. Both authors Debra Merskin and Richard Lapchick convey the importance that stereotypes plays in our society, especially for Indians and athletes.
Seth: that guy who was a cheerleader at Palmyra High School. Seth is this amazing, caring guy who is a flawless cheerleader but is intelligent, shows courage, and is a great leader. Seth has accomplished so many things in his life involving cheerleading. It seems like he knows every single detail when it comes to cheer leading, he is never scared to do anything, no matter how risky it may be, not to mention, he really is a fantastic leader. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” -John C. Maxwell