At the beginning of January, I shared the first episode of the Firestarters podcast. In it, I spoke with Gretchen Carlson about how she found the spark in her life, became Miss America, the ways in which she’s fought back against sexual assault and workplace NDA’s, and what she’s looking forward to in the future - maybe a run for office?!
But one of the things that stuck out to me most was the ways in which she’s been stereotyped in her life, first by her grandfather when she was up for Miss America, and then later in her TV career.
Women are so often stereotyped, in all areas of their lives. And I’d be interested to hear from you in the comments - how have YOU been stereotyped? How has it affected you? And what are you doing to push back against it?
I remember being afraid that I *would* be stereotyped in college because I got my Bachelor's degree in fashion and I was convinced people wouldn't take me seriously. So because of that, I went to graduate school to get a master's in business. In hindsight, that was all of my own insecurities coming to the surface, thinking that I wasn't smart, thinking that I'd never get a "good" job. I think I ended up stereotyping myself, and anyone else who focused on fashion as a career path, and I wish instead I had just been proud of it and where it took me.
When I stopped drinking alcohol 6+ years ago, I was surprised how many people made assumptions about me because of it. Some friends wondered aloud if I would still be “fun.” New acquaintances would ask a series of questions—from subtle to bold—to as to why. (One even asked if I was Mormon.) Alcohol is such a charged force in mom culture that one or two people even seemed personally offended by my choice—as if my abstinence was a reflection on their own choices.
There were a lot of boarders from Hong Kong at my school when I was in middle and high school. I once was mistaken as a boarder, despite being day girl. What’s interesting is that I haven’t heard other Asian kids say that they, too, were mistaken! I don’t really speak Cantonese with friends, nor did I gravitate towards class that international kids (or even Asian day students) typically take (STEM).
I remember being afraid that I *would* be stereotyped in college because I got my Bachelor's degree in fashion and I was convinced people wouldn't take me seriously. So because of that, I went to graduate school to get a master's in business. In hindsight, that was all of my own insecurities coming to the surface, thinking that I wasn't smart, thinking that I'd never get a "good" job. I think I ended up stereotyping myself, and anyone else who focused on fashion as a career path, and I wish instead I had just been proud of it and where it took me.
When I stopped drinking alcohol 6+ years ago, I was surprised how many people made assumptions about me because of it. Some friends wondered aloud if I would still be “fun.” New acquaintances would ask a series of questions—from subtle to bold—to as to why. (One even asked if I was Mormon.) Alcohol is such a charged force in mom culture that one or two people even seemed personally offended by my choice—as if my abstinence was a reflection on their own choices.
There were a lot of boarders from Hong Kong at my school when I was in middle and high school. I once was mistaken as a boarder, despite being day girl. What’s interesting is that I haven’t heard other Asian kids say that they, too, were mistaken! I don’t really speak Cantonese with friends, nor did I gravitate towards class that international kids (or even Asian day students) typically take (STEM).