#stereotype 1

For this project, I asked three different people to stereotype me based on appearance, and then I gave them more information about me and asked if they would like to reevaluate their stereotypes or add to them. I was wearing black skinny jeans and a grey shirt that read "My weekend is all booked" with a stack of books on it. I also had on some black leather boots. 

Appearance:  The first person I asked was an engineering student. His response was that he was torn between "basic white chick and punk rocker" and he continued by saying, "Either you have no brain or you are complaining about how oppressed and depressed you are." 

Further Information: I told him that I am from Arizona and California but lived in Hong Kong, France, and New Jersey and that I love learning languages, drawing, and I major in English. His response to this was that I am more well-rounded than he initially thought, but that he would still go with basic white chick because he doesn't think English is a useful major and that drawing is something girls do when they are bad at everything else. 

Discussion:  I was very surprised by the comments I received. I suppose that the idea of me being a punk rocker comes from my black skinny jeans and leather boots. This wasn't something I had considered, since both items became a staple in my closet after I lived in Paris where everyone wears dark colors and leather shoes/jackets. However, I was even more shocked by his comments after I gave him more information about me. I know that not everyone values the liberal arts, but I didn't know some people perceived English degrees so negatively. I was also surprised by the comment that specifically girls draw when they are bad at everything else. 

One way to combat stereotypes such as these could be by changing the way the engineering student thinks about usefulness in terms of academics and society. In the article, "The Psychology of Prejudice, Stereotyping and Discrimination: an Overview" by Scott Plous, it says that stereotype threat can be lessened "with a change in orientation" (21). While this section of the article discussed reducing stereotype threat, I believe this is applicable to reducing stereotypes as a whole. Communication is necessary, even within the sciences. Indeed, much of my undergraduate research has been in the Environmental Humanities as I seek to bridge the gap between the sciences and the general populace. Scientific information and research are not always accessible to those not within the field. Informing the engineering student of the way English majors work towards a common goal could reduce his negative stereotype of English being a useless major. 

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