Stereotypes

            A man in baggy, dirty clothing, with messy hair and a limp walked up to a couple of young women and asked them a question, which was followed by a slight pause. The girls then gave the man a snooty look. They turned and walked away laughing and would occasionally stare back at him in a condescending manner. He hung his head and walked in the opposite direction. It was obvious that the girls were acting like they were better than the man and that the man, according to the situation at hand, must be living in poverty; and not worth the time of day, in their opinion. They give off the vibe that says “I am too good for the likes of you,” with their actions. 

The man could have money and just choose to look dirty and not care. Not everyone who has money is “clean-cut.” However, because looking dirty and wearing baggy clothing and having messy hair is frequently attached to those who are suffering in poverty, it is automatically assumed that all people who look like that are poor, or when they go up to other people to ask a question, it is for money because they must be beggars too right? This is an example of a negative stereotype. People who look like this man are usually associated with the term bum, because in someone else’s opinion of their appearance, they look like one. This is also an example of the reverse halo theory. By looking at a person, one makes an assumption about them without first viewing how they act towards others, or knowing their background. Also, reflected appraisal takes effect here because the girls gave the man negative appraisal from their first impression of just looking at him and ignoring his question. They had already made it up in their mind, ‘No, we don’t have anything to give you. Get a job.’ That was the message that was put out by looking at their body language and their reaction. That may not have been what the girls said, or what they thought, but the physical clues gave that message off to others in the area, ‘That’s what they mean when they react to someone that way.’  Also, this is a good example of pseudo self esteem, which is when a person relies on external elements such as clothing, social status, appearance, and approval of others. These girls cared about appearance and social status obviously because they wanted nothing to do with the man. He could have been asking them for directions, and they wouldn’t help him just because of what he wears and how he looks.