My collection of stereotypes comes from books, magazines, newspapers, movies, television shows, radio programs, news shows, conversations, podcasts, etc. Sources can be 10s to 100s to 1000s of years old.
Stereotypes and categories overlap at times. I create categories of stereotypes as I have stereotype examples to put into those categories.
The research into gossip goes back at least to the middle of the 20th century. Both men and women research gossip. Putting all of their research together, this is my definition:
Gossip is talk and writing about people
— both other people and ourselves —
in family, social, workplace, and public settings.
Much of the research shows that gossip is both positive and negative. I define gossip as good, bad, or ugly. Good gossip ignores or breaks stereotypes. Bad gossip uses stereotypes. Ugly gossip manufactures stereotypes.
Negative stereotypes exist about everyone, no matter their age, gender, race, religion, profession, etc. These stereotype blog posts will help you understand the negative stereotypes about you.
If you use negative stereotypes about people who are different from you, you are inviting everyone who hears you to use negative stereotypes about you.
Stereotype Updates
I add stereotypes as I come across them.
I will add the new stereotypes at the bottom of each listing, putting ~~~~~ between the older stereotypes and the new stereotypes.
More Stereotypes
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: People In General
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Ethnic, National, & Racial Stereotypes
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Romance
Negative Stereotypes Behind Bad & Ugly Gossip: Poverty
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Tired of losing out to stereotypes?
Learn strategies for taking positive control
in the small spaces of situations and relationships.
People who take positive control position themselves to attract unimagined success.
~~~~~~~~~~
Men In The Workplace
Businessmen
aggressive
materialistic
mercenary
Handsome Men
ambitious
self-interest is a threat to management
opinionated
Managers
domineering
challenging
Men Who File Sexual Harassment Charges
not real men
sexually deviant
Men Who Work In Female Workplaces
less manly
Nice Guys
finish last
When Men Fail On The Job, The Stereotyped Reasons Include:
lack of effort
difficult situations
bad luck
When Men Succeed On The Job, The Stereotyped Reasons Include:
ability
talent
Women In The Workplace
Attractive Women
stupid
should be trophy wife instead of career woman
interested in sex
schemers
less trustworthy
more expendable
should smile at everyone
less competent
Businesswomen
less happy with success
unattractive
aggressive
unpopular
less likely to maintain a steady relationship
egoist
dominant
hide feelings
less feminine
less desirable
Feminine Dressing Women
low managerial skills
low interest in work
illogical
overemotional in critical decision making
financially irresponsible
helpless
dependent on the influences of others
sexy
flirtatious in social relations
not assertive
low independence
low self-confidence
Women Are Seen As Unsuitable For Management Positions…
when their hair is long, curly, extreme in color, in the face, fastened with barrettes and ribbons
when they wear extreme amounts and colors of makeup, soft or tight sweaters, low necklines, ruffled blouses,
dangling or ostentatious jewelry, and don’t wear a jacket
when they are attractive
Women Bosses
petty
envious
power-mad
aggressive
Women Who Cry On The Job
weak
vulnerable
crack under pressure
Women Who File Sexual Harassment Charges
whiners
complainers
incompetent
Women Who Use The Titles Miss Or Mrs.
lacking personality characteristics of a successful middle manager
Women Who Use The Title Ms.
more motivated
more masculine
less likable
When Women Fail On The Job, The Stereotyped Reasons Include:
no talent
no ability
When Women Succeed On The Job, The Stereotyped Reasons Include
unstable conditions
external causes
General Experiences For
Women In Workplaces
Fewer
opportunities
promotions
resources
Less
accommodation
authority
autonomy
approval for efforts
cooperation
credit
pay
respect
Lower
performance evaluations
More
disapproval for efforts
interruptions
pressure
General Stereotypes
About Women Workers
Less
competent
knowledgeable
less authority
Not good as leaders
Too emotional to do important work
Incapable of assertiveness
Deviant for
showing competence and assertiveness
interrupting men
General Stereotypes
About Women’s Work
Less
important
authoritative
convincing
valuable
Inferior
Deserving rejection
Unworthy of recognition
More Insights Into
Gender Bias
“How to Navigate Bias Traps Toward Your Ultimate Success with Gifty Enright”
Shedding the Corporate Bitch Podcast With Host Bernadette Boas
March 5, 2024
Performance
Attribution
Likeability
Affinity
Maternal
Intersectionality
5:55 to 9:05
Professions
Athletes
can’t hold regular jobs
Biology Teachers
nerdy
Business Coaches
big egos
haven’t accomplished anything
couldn’t succeed themselves
their way or the highway
tell rather than coach
consider themselves gurus
full of s—
CEOs
need huge salaries and bonuses for motivation to do their jobs well
Cheerleaders
slutty
queen-bees
wear short skirts
gum-chewing ditzy snobs
airheads
gossipy
mean
Clothing Designers
aggressive
Community Organizers
rabble rousers
outside agitators
professional agitators
Construction Workers
ordinary
unremarkable
Entrepreneurs
criminals
Executive Coaches
no domain experience
parrots who only listen instead of asking questions after listening
on cruse control doing rinse and repeat with clients
coach executives to manage the little people in a company
promise simple answers and quick results
exploit powerful hold over clients
Executives Who Say Goodbye To Every Employee At The End Of The Day
checking up on employees
Government Officials
tell lies
cover up the truth
engage in conspiracies to deprive citizens of their liberty
Interns
untrustworthy
Journalists
callous
cavalier
hound celebrities
interested in human weakness
chew up private lives for entertainment
Lawyers
untrustworthy
contemptible
fast talkers
dishonest
subverters of justice
look for loopholes
Life Coaches
think they know more than anyone else
think they are better than anyone else
unqualified
underequipped
undertrained
delusional
manipulative sellers
no domain expertise
scam artists
psychologists with no credentials
shamers
bullshit jobs
Men In Ads Selling Beauty Products, Shopping, & Fulfilling Lives To Women
bumbling fools
Men In Commercials Selling Laundry Detergent
not guys
Military Historians
right wing
morally suspect
just plain dumb
Military Pilots Who See Surface Air Missiles Where Government Intelligence Believes They Can’t Be
cowboy pilots
Models
airheads who make pots of money for not doing much
Pilots
alcoholics
Private Equity Firms
gut jobs
squeeze privates
hollow out companies
Secretaries
materialistic
overly emotional
often irrational
physically limited
less than committed to the job
don’t perform well
not valuable
dependable
Sex Surrogates
prostitutes
Soldiers
shell shocked soldiers are neurotically susceptible and infantile
American Soldiers
mean
aggressive killers
Tarot Card Reader
flakes
Treasure Hunters / Shipwreck Hunters
only in it for the money
Truck Drivers
hog the right of way
drive dangerously
cause most car truck accidents
bullies
menace on the highway
Writers Of Fiction
difficult temperament
~~~~~~~~~~
Male Dancers
sissies
Male Elementary School Teachers
pedophiles
failures as men
Male Kindergarten Teachers
babysitters
Male Librarians
wimpy
asexual
Male Nurses
gay (which assumes that being gay is bad)
Male Social Workers
feminine
passive
Men Who Work In Stereotypical Female Professions
taking a step down
enjoy a glass escalator of preferential treatment for hiring and promotion
~~~~~~~~~~
Female Scientists Who Are Feminine
incompetent
Female Scientists Who Are Masculine
unlikable
Female Scientists Who Have Children
not committed to their work
incompetent
Female Scientists Who Speak Their Mind Or Are Decisive
too masculine
Female Working In A Dealership Service Center
doesn’t now what she’s doing
Women Running For Political Office
young girls
little housewives who don’t know anything
incompetent
Individual Characteristics
Half White / Half Black
Performs better than Black
Low Income Workers
will not be motivated by higher salaries to do their jobs well or work harder
will only be motivated by the threat of their jobs being moved overseas
Older Workers
absent more
lower productivity levels
less flexible in their behavior
unable to learn new skills
prone to job-related accidents
Plus Size Workers
blameworthy
guilt-ridden
untrustworthy
incompetent
salesclerks
pushy
insensitive
insincere
fawning
People Who Do Their Jobs Well
hall monitor
tattle tale
troublemaker
trying to get coworkers in trouble
hormonal
rebellious
stroppy (British for bad-tempered)
time of the month
bad tempered
argumentative
Successful Black Women / Career Black women
arrogant
hard
controlling
self-centered
uppity
Whistleblowers
squealers
rats
stoop-pigeons
finks
loose cannons
dangers to businesses damaging to career of fellow workers
habitual liars
irresponsible
masters of deceit
criminals
fudged resumes
Workers With Disabilities
incompetent
vulnerable
ineligible for jobs
Shared Stereotypes
Shared Stereotypes #1
Businessmen
Businesswomen
Women Bosses
Clothing Designers
American Soldiers
aggressive
Shared Stereotypes #2
Businessmen
Secretaries
materialistic
Shared Stereotype #3
Businesswomen
Women Who Use The Title Ms.
more masculine
Shared Stereotypes #4
Women Who Cry On The Job
Workers With Disabilities
vulnerable
Shared Stereotypes #5
Women Who File Sexual Harassment Charges
Female Scientists Who Are Feminine
Female Scientists Who Have Children
Women Running For Political Office
Overweight Workers
Workers With Disabilities
incompetent
Shared Stereotypes #6
Cheerleaders
American Soldiers
mean
Shared Stereotypes #7
Entrepreneurs
Whistleblowers
criminals
Opposite Stereotypes
Opposite Stereotypes #1
Feminine Dressing Women
flirtatious in social relations ≠ not assertive
Opposite Stereotypes #2
General Stereotypes About Women
Incapable of assertiveness ≠ deviant for showing assertiveness
Opposite Stereotypes #3
Men Who Work In Stereotypical Female Professions
taking a step down ≠ riding a glass escalator up
Workplace Policies
Giving Raises, Health Care, & Retirement Benefits To Workers
will increase inflation
squeeze profit margins
end economic prosperity
Giving Stock Options, Bonuses, & Multimillion Dollar Salaries To CEOs
will lower inflation
increase profit margins
lead to economic prosperity
Research On The Impact Of Parental Work
work-family issues are concerns for women
focuses on the mother having a job or the father losing a job
Points to Ponder
About Men in the Workplace
Men in women’s fields enjoy a glass escalator of preferential treatment for hiring and promotion and are over represented in managerial positions. But choosing a career in a traditionally female field means you’ll face stereotypes of failure and criminality.
Points to Ponder
About Women in the Workplace
If you are a woman, be careful to never use any of the negative stereotypes about women in the workplace against other women. If you do, you will be giving permission to everyone else the stereotypes about women in the workplace.
Points to Ponder
About Pay & Benefits
Did you notice the following?
Money and benefits supposedly motivate CEOs but not the workers that keep the company going.
Raises for CEOs supposedly benefit the economy but raises for ordinary workers supposedly harm the economy.
Secretaries cannot be motivated by raises but are materialistic while CEOs need big pay raises to be motivated but are not materialistic.
Perhaps we should ask the CEOs who get the top pay and benefits to explain why programs that give money to the poor have created so many benefits that dozens of countries have those programs.
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Because medical professionals misdiagnosed my childhood spinal injury for 33 years, I’ve lived with the stereotypes about people with disabilities. No one alive has any guarantee that they will never become disabled. How many elderly people confined to wheelchairs planned to be confined to wheelchairs at the end of their lives? None, of course.
You face the same stereotypes if you become disabled. Break stereotypes about disabled people to protect yourself in the future.
Strategies For Shattering Stereotypes
Choose a strategy based on the level of danger in the situation. Talk to the target in front of the harasser only if the situation is safe for conversation. If the situation is dangerous, create some kind of distraction. I now carry a personal alarm with me for creating distractions quickly.
Talking to the target instead of the harasser allows the harasser to just walk away. If harassing situations come up regularly in a workplace or other common location, you could also use these strategies at calm times to increase understanding about the consequences of using stereotypes. Just tell stories to your coworkers/colleagues as opportunities come up.
Adapt the strategies as you need to.
Surprise The Harasser(s)
If you can possibly do so, give the harasser(s) a moment of dignity. People harassing others will not expect positive statements. The positive statements might be enough to stop them in that situation. One example:
“It’s obvious —– is having a bad day. Let’s give him/her/them time to
calm down and ease the strain on his/her/their heart(s). Let’s hope
tomorrow will be better.”
This statement tells the harasser(s) that they are under stress and deserve to feel better. By expressing concern for their health, you are letting them know you consider them valuable. They may not feel much value in their daily lives.
Visit the website below for resources on opening doors that give moments of dignity. Read People Success Example #5 on the People Success page. You’ll learn how I turned a bad relationship around using moments of dignity, and reaped an unexpected reward.
Make Yourself An Example
This works best if you are not whatever is the reason for the harassment, not Muslim, not black, not Jewish, not Hispanic, not whatever. If you can identify any commonality between yourself and the target(s), talk about them to the target.
“Excuse me, but I noticed that we share a taste for … How would you
recommend cooking it?”
Your commonality will at least partially shatter the stereotype.
Provide Information About Stereotypes
If you can connect to the Internet, bring up the appropriate stereotype blog post and tell the target what the stereotypes are about you and why they are wrong. You could start with:
“Did you know there are stereotypes about everyone? The stereotypes
about me are …, but they don’t fit me because …”
You would be shattering a stereotype in front of the harasser.
Talk About The Consequences Of Creating Failure
Visit this Success & Failure Choices page to read about various types of success and failure. If you can think of an example from your own life, tell that story. Otherwise, use one from the blog below.
You could use this example from “Standout Success For 19 Year Old Joey Prusak”:
“A Dairy Queen customer saw manager Joey Prusak stand up for a
visually impaired customer. The bystander customer sent an email
to Dairy Queen. The story ended up on Facebook. The owner of Dairy
Queen, Warren Buffet, called Joey to thank him. Queen Latifah invited
Joey to appear on her show and gave him money for his college fund.
NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick invited Joey to a race. Good things can
happen to people who take care of other people.”
Talk About The Benefits Of Living The Golden Rule
Remind the harasser of the Golden Rule:
“Since the Golden Rule is important to me, I’m going to treat you
the way I want to be treated. I also know that being kind to others
is good for my health.”
My favorite version of the Golden Rule comes from Buddhism, “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” See these Golden Rule statements in 21 religions, 5 philosophies, and 2 moral/ethical systems to pick your favorite version.
Read up on the health benefits of kindness for details to talk about.
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Critical Thinking Questions
1. What’s happening?
2. Why is it important?
3. What don’t I see?
4. How do I know?
5. Who is saying it?
6. What else? What if?
Stereotype Thinking Questions
1. What is threatening my beliefs?
2. How can I make it unimportant?
3. What can I reject?
4. What can I laugh at?
5. How can I attack people who threaten my beliefs?
6. How can I deflect?
The stereotype thinking questions are mine, based on my observations of stereotype thinkers.
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Paula M. Kramer
© 2015 to the present
All rights reserved.
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