Stereotypes About Teenagers

There are many stereotypes about teenagers, and as one, I too feel the effects of such negative labels upon my life. Teenagers are often made out to be stupid, lazy, arrogant, untrustworthy, rebellious, and over-emotional by society. These generalizations about teenagers are simply untrue, and while of course, there are some who fit the bill, there are those types of people within every age group. The way teenagers are made out to be actually affects their lives and behavior, me included. I feel that my identity has been warped in a way because of the negative stereotypes about teenagers. There is a lot of pressure for me to not act like a “teenager”. Because teenagers are “stupid”, I try to always know what I’m talking about, or at least …show more content…
Because teenagers are “arrogant”, I have actually become a really good listener, and while that is a trait that I am proud to have, I think I have missed out on some opportunities in my life and don’t have as much confidence as I would like to have. As I am the listener in my group of friends, they often come to me for advice, and while I am happy to help, I must admit, that it can be exhausting. I am not used to opening up about my own problems, and sometimes I feel like I have to be the strong one in my group, and that I can’t ask for help from them, so I just end up bottling things in. Because teenagers are “untrustworthy”, I try so hard to prove to my parents that I am trustworthy, and I know that they know that I am. But they still don’t give me the chances to really prove myself, even though I have never done anything to show them otherwise. Because teenagers are “rebellious”, I have trouble truly expressing myself. I cannot show to my parents the music that I enjoy listening to, talk to them about several of my interests, or wear or buy clothes that I actually like, because they wouldn’t approve. I would be rebelling by enjoying