Image from Pixabay edited with canva
For a very long time since man discovered the differences in our human make up, stereotyping became an issue. Let's understand what the word 'stereotype' means. I'll say 
Stereotype to my understanding is when a particular belief is being generalized to a particular category which may not always be true.
I see stereotyping as a negative perception an individual or group may have about another person or group. As a result of this negative perception, the interaction may be affected because of the presence of prejudice. This is akin to discrimination because it affects the way we see and relate with people. We are quick to judge others because we have categorized or generalized them into a particular spot.
I very much appreciate Chimamanda Adichie's Ted Talk on The Danger Of A Single Story which is on stereotyping and its danger to the society. This brilliant Nigerian writer effectively captured this topic when she said,
The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story… The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.
(You may click on the title to listen to the Ted talk)
Stereotyping is wrong. This is because what is on the outside is only a small part of who a person really is. Most times these negative perceptions turn out to be wrong. Yet the damage would have already been done.
There are different types of stereotyping. I'll like to talk about two of them that are intertwined and how they have affected me - gender and cultural stereotyping.
Gender Stereotyping - As a woman, I have faced prejudice in my career and life because of my gender. First is the perception from the male gender mostly that women are 'fragile, the weaker vessels' and so we are limited as to the things we can do or the kind of career we can pursue. No wonder the saying was coined up, 'what a man can do, a woman can do better'.
Women are a lot stronger than people give us credit for. No woman is limited unless she chooses to be. This prejudice has worked against me such that in my profession, some clients would rather have a man attend to their work than a woman. It's getting better though as the society is becoming enlightened.
Cultural Stereotyping - I am from the Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria and there is this common belief that we love to add a lot of palm oil to our food when cooking. This stereotyping is so real that we have been so named by some ethnic groups. To the Igbos, we are referred to as ndi ofe nmanu meaning people who love eating palm oil. Again, wrong perception!
Fats and oil are common consumables all over the world. It is part of our diets and very good for the body. I see no reason why a group of people should be prejudiced because they consume more oil. Well, I do not consume much oil, anyway. Lol.
One thing I know is that no two persons or group of persons are the same; each person is different and distinct. Rather than "create a single story" like Chimamanda Adichie said in her Ted Talk, let's strive to know each person truly without the prejudice or the need to fit them into a box.
This is my entry for the Crossculture/Blogging Challenge monthly cross community contest on the topic - Stereotypes. My special thanks to 
Thank you for visiting my blog.