Blog Post #2: September

     This month in class we have talked a lot about identity and who we are in front of people. We discusseed how people have an on stage and off stage self. Our on stage self is the person that everyone sees and how we present ourselves. Our behind the scenes self is our hidden self. That is our self that only a select few get to see. Our on stage self is who the world sees and that is where stereo types come from. An example of stereo types that we talked about in class is the stereo type and stigma around African American women. The three stereo types that black women get are Mammy, Jezebel and Sapphire.  Mammy is the idea that black women are there to care for those around her. I feel like this idea is true to some extent. I would say grandmas of all races, not just African American races, are this idea of mammy and care. So this stereo for black women has faded away.  The next stereo type that is around is the one about Jezebel. Jezebel is know for being hyper sexualized for have the classic hour glass shape. It is true that African American women gain weight in different areas than white some do but that doesn't mean they should be hyper-sexaulized for it. The next stereo type is the classic stereo type that we see often today in Sapphire. This is the personality that American American women have loads of attitude and is always angry. We see this stereo type the most today due to digitization. Lately I have been rewatching a guilty pleasure show called America's Next Top Model. In this show, like many reality tv shows, the black women fight and argue, have drama, scream and yell and bring general chaos to the show. This stereo type is what brings people to watch TV but it is also the idea of what a race is. In my opinion stereo types are humans way of categorizing people to make sense. I believe that stereo types can be true about a population because it is the front stage appearance of the population,  but that doesn't mean it is true for everyone. The same way the stereo types have changed for American American women so can a populations, they just have to be willing to let their back stage selves show through.