When you see a guy wearing something sparkly or hear about a girl who wants to join wrestling, a part of your subconscious immediately makes a judgment. “This isn’t normal,” your mind seems to say. “This isn’t right.” Even if you aren’t drawing a negative conclusion, your mind still processes the information as different and unconventional.

You can’t really help it. You were probably raised that way. Society has taught us from a young age that guys like trucks and the color blue, and that girls like princesses and pink.

Your parents were even guilty of imprinting these stereotypes into your mind. Maybe they weren’t doing it deliberately, but it probably still happened. The moment your mom bought you your first Barbie, she was unintentionally instilling a typecast into your young mind.

Since society has engraved these ideals in our minds, we really can’t be blamed for thinking this way. However, now that we’re aware we do it, we’re capable of revision.

Prejudice and stereotypes have turned society extremely ugly. Upon seeing somebody new, we immediately form an opinion of them. We don’t even require a basic conversation before sorting people into categories and labeling them.

Society has placed a taboo upon women riding motorcycles and men doing ballet. Gender roles were established long ago and have been unknowingly eternalized and preserved. While we may think these generalizations are mostly abolished, humanity proves otherwise on a nearly daily basis.

Guys can’t join cheerleading, girls can’t join football, and if a guy wears a little too much pink, he’s automatically gay.

Some of the most talented athletes are female, and the most prestigious fashion designers, male. This is 2012, not 1920.

If we could eliminate these treacherous thought processes, the world would be much more tolerant and accepting. We wouldn’t have to worry what others thought of us nearly as much, and we could just enjoy being ourselves.

I’m really not asking you to do anything out of your comfort zone. Simply next time you catch yourself thinking something prejudiced about someone because of their gender prototype, think again.

13dbrissonburns@usd489.com