White Girl Stereotypes

The second you take a step into starbucks with your matching Victoria Secret sweater and sweatpants, people turn your direction, assuming that you are such a “white” girl. Of course, you have to order the best drink for fall, a PSL (pumpkin spice latte), just like every other “white girl”. Soon after, you take a picture of your drink and post it on instagram. Even on instagram, people will comment on your pictures, #whitegirl. When people started commenting these things, the white girl thought that maybe she really was a “white girl.”

Stereotypes are relatively fixed, overgeneralized attitudes and behaviors that are considered normal and appropriate for a person in a culture based on race, gender, and religion.They are assumptions that people make about the characteristics of all members of a group, based on an image about what people in

that group are like. For example, if you look like a white girl, people assume you love starbucks.

However, starbucks isn’t the only stereotype for white girls. There are many stereotypes associated to white girls. They love shopping at Brandy Melville, PINK, Victoria Secret, and the North Face. They only like wearing UGGS and leggings. They are more obsessed with their phones and nutella than anything else in the world. Yes, some of these stereotypes may be true for some cases, but not all white girls love starbucks or shopping. People give us these labels and assume that all of us love these places which isn’t true because everyone has a different identity, which means that we all like different things.

Stereotypes can also affect the way we view ourselves.

There are 2 different types of stereotypes, positive and negative. When people are in negative situations for which a negative stereotype about their identity is brought up, that person knows they are probably going to be judged about their identity. Some constrain our behavior down on the ground like having restricted access to a public mall. Others, influence us more subtly by putting threats in the air. There are also positive stereotypes. One example of a positive stereotype for a white girl is snotty rich kid. When you are a white girl, people tend to call you snotty rich and they think that is a compliment or a joke when it really isn’t to you. When people call you those names, it makes you feel like a stuck up, rude, obnoxious person. Positive stereotypes are assumptions made about an entire group or identity that are considered to be good. Positive stereotypes seem to be just as damaging as the negative ones. They can be depressing to individuals who are supposed to possess them, but don’t. You often feel alone, looked down upon, or not good

enough.

Labels, titles, names; these are all things people make up to make you look worthless and unimportant. They just separate you from your friends and family, as you keep on eating those insults. You just have to remember to look past all the insults and not let them put you down.