Stereotypes

A stereotype is an over generalised belief about a particular group of people. For example many people perceive 'hells bikers' to dress in black leather with tattoos. Blondes are stereotypically stupid, overweight people are lazy and all teenagers are rebellious and struggle to get along with their parents. Stereotypes are conveyed through movies, cartoons and advertisements. Stereotypes have the potential to simplify social interaction as they lead people to make assumptions when they meet a new person. The mass media creates stereotypes by conveying 'common' characteristics of a culture, race and gender. While there is usually a grain of truth in a stereotype they can be unfairly exaggerated and applied to people.