Are Stereotypes Harmful To Society

The U.S is a melting pot for many cultures, the integration of people with different backgrounds fueled the widespread use of stereotypes. From the moment we are born, society has echoed into our ears the expected attitudes and actions people are meant to follow. Stereotypes are typically associated with gender, race, and sexual orientation. Stereotypes are harmful because they lead to academic pressures, hinders self expression, and influences negative perceptions of others.
To begin, stereotypes are detrimental to society because they influence the academic performance of others. According to “How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance”, Shankar Vendantam mentioned, “Reminding women about their gender or telling them that …show more content…
For instance, stereotypes make others feel that they can’t be open about their interests. For example, stereotypes may limit the interests of others. As stated by the article, “How a Self-Fulfilling Stereotype Can Drag Down Performance”, “Stereotype threats...can subtly make particular groups feel out of place: A woman in a math class, a black or Latino man confronted by a vocabulary test, a white man trying to make a basketball team.” To elaborate, stereotypes are damaging because if a person’s actions are not within the boundaries their generalizations, they could feel insecure and unaccepted by society. Moreover stereotypes may influence people’s likings in their early development. This is exemplified in “Breaking Gender Stereotypes in the Toy Box”, when the author explained, “Their behavior got much more stereotypical when they were asked their own preferences...the boys especially were unwilling to say that they liked any of the ads aimed at girls.” This suggests that generalizations in the media influence the interests of boys and girls at an early age. Which proves that stereotypes are toxic to society because they perpetuate the idea that boys are looked down upon and weak for liking “girly