The Role That Stereotypes Play in Our Lives

The Role That Stereotypes Play in Our Lives

Stereotypes play a pervasive role when it comes to shaping people’s perceptions and, more importantly, their identities. Through different ways, like via pop culture of societal attitudes, the images that are often and continuously characterized about specific people or communities from a certain ethnicity, socioeconomic class, or rural areas considerably influence how these people are perceived as well as how they form their identities. In this regard, studying the articles, Icon and Identity: Dolly Parton’s Hillbilly Appeal by Graham Hoppe and The Rhetoric of the Real: Stereotypes of Rural Youth in American Reality Television and Stock Photography by Carissa Massey highlights key learnings. Notably, the two articles give deep insights into the significant impact of stereotypes in shaping an individual’s identity, particularly within the context of Appalachian and rural American cultures. Also, these articles specifically analyze how stereotypes can be limiting or empowering, which reveals how complex it is to form an identity in a society where mass media often reinforce a narrow image of what an individual from a rural area is like. Stereotypes seem to have a dual role in an individual’s life, whereby they are reduced to overgeneralized and simplified images that are harmful, while they also provide a chance for individuals to reclaim these images in a way that creates a more complex and realistic identity, helping them thrive.

According to Massey’s analysis of rural youth, stereotypes are not just images but mechanisms that shape the public’s perception and create expectations. In American reality television, rural residents are usually portrayed as backward, illiterate, and unsophisticated. In order to convey a sense of simplicity and remoteness, stock photography depicts these residents in specific environments, like the backdrops of rustic settings (Massey 366). Though such settings are well thought out, they are planned in order to send a message that confirms and meets the stereotypical expectations of the viewers. Still, while some of these environments may be true, Massey argues that constantly using these representations strips away the complexity of rural life and reduces it to misrepresentation meant to fit perfectly with the world’s preconceived notions. The narrow portrayal tends to impact individuals from rural settings because being constantly displayed in a certain way may lead to the internalization of these stereotypes, and the individuals may end up seeing themselves as limited to the roles prescribed by society.

Contrastingly, Hoppe explores how a global superstar from rural Tennessee, Dolly Parton, has coped with the rural stereotypes throughout her career. Being from Appalachia, a rural area, the stereotype of being a hillbilly is one that Dolly Parton was burdened with; nevertheless, she chose to embrace it, and using her charm and quick wit, she successfully navigated this stereotype, eventually even turning it into a brand. As a result, she managed to reclaim the stereotype of being a hillbilly, and she reframes it on her own terms. According to Hoppe, Parton mocked the stereotype using hyperbole and humor, which not only enabled her to capitalize on its cultural recognition but also helped her distance herself from the negative suggestions of the stereotype (Hoppe 51). This is an ideal example showing how stereotypes can be harmful but also offer an opportunity for empowerment.

These two articles are ideal when highlighting the duality of stereotypes. On the one hand, stereotypes can be harmful to individuals. Consider the case of how mainstream media portrays rural youths by feeding into the expectations of the audience and confirming their stereotypes. Notably, these individuals from rural areas are boxed into roles that prevent them from being seen as multidimensional human beings like those from urban areas. Besides, when people see themselves constantly represented in a certain way, they most likely will begin to act in a way that affirms this representation. This is referred to as the self-fulfilling prophecy, whereby the expectations that one person has about another person eventually lead to that person acting in a way that confirms the expectations (Fei et al. 89). This pattern is reflected in Massey’s observation that the sense of self-worth of rural youth was negatively affected following persistent media images of their life as philistine.

On the other hand, Hoppe describes Dolly Parton’s experience as a successful subversion of stereotypes into tools of empowerment. As opposed to rejecting the stereotype and having a negative perception of it, Parton leaned into it and used it to build a brand that made her relatable to both urban and rural audiences. In doing this, she challenges the traditional stereotype of the hillbilly woman as dumb, oversexed, man-crazy, curvaceous, and blonde (Hoppe 50) and, in place, presents it as something more complex, full of wit and business savvy. Through this self-presentation, Parton demonstrates how stereotypes can be reworked to tell a more nuanced story.

In addition, growing up in the digital age, where there are vast amounts of streaming materials, I have made many observations of how rural life is vilified. One major theme in these types of media is the setting of the filming, which makes rural areas seem almost lifeless, unkempt, depressing, sad, or abandoned. Also, the music used is the same—it tunes the emotional state of the audience, making them feel bad for the people in the film. Besides, the audience’s expectations may be already set in negative stereotypes; thus, such filming only further proliferates stereotypes toward the people in the film (Massey 370-371). Even so, I noticed a difference in how movies in urban areas are made, with most of them romanticizing urban life, which is not the case. The quality of the films is bright and lively, with lively music like in the Gossip Girl show. However, cities are often noisy, smelly, and crowded, among other things not captured in the movie. I realized that this is the same case in the rural area, but the media representation has a lot of discrepancies.

In conclusion, Hoppe’s and Massey’s articles on real life examples are perfect for demonstrating the powerful force of stereotypes when it comes to shaping an individual’s identity and public perception. Whether the stereotype is positive or negative, these generalized representations play a critical role in determining how individuals will come to perceive themselves and how society at large perceives them. Hoppe shows how a stereotype can be challenged and changed into a tool of empowerment, while Massey showcases the dangers associated with one-dimensional stereotypes, especially among young people. Further research on this topic could delve into why people feel or have the need to confirm stereotypes or expectations. Finding answers to such questions could help find a way to curb this need and get rid of stereotypes and their harmful effects.

Works Cited

Fei, Wang, and Haslinda Abdullah. “Applications of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies to School Education.” Social Psychology Theories and Methods in Education. IGI Global, 2023. 89-123.

Hoppe, Graham. “Icon and Identity: Dolly Parton’s Hillbilly Appeal.” Southern Cultures 23.1 (2017): 49-62.

Massey, Carissa. “The Rhetoric of the Real: Stereotypes of Rural Youth in American Reality Television and Stock Photography.” Rurality and Education. Routledge, 2020. 45-56.

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Assignment Details
ENG-102-0-11501 ENGLISH COMPOSITION II (Fall 2024)
lives; be sure to meaningfully incorporate the following:

The Role That Stereotypes Play in Our Lives

•
the two articles we have read: “Icon and Identity: Dolly Parton’s Hillbilly Appeal” and “The rhetoric of the real: stereotypes of rural youth in American reality television and stock photography” (failure to integrate these sources will result in a zero, with no opportunity to revise)
at least two sources from your listicle (failure to integrate these sources will result in a zero, with no opportunity to revise) your own observations and experiences (failure to integrate these will result in a zero, with no opportunity to revise)

An introduction that puts the paper in context
A thesis statement that makes your claim about the role of stereotypes in our lives
Body paragraphs that support and develop your claim using the article we read, at least two sources of your own (from your listicle), and your own observations and experiences Clear topic sentences; logical transitions
A conclusion that offers an summary of your major ideas and that offers advice for further research
Concise language
Close editing and proofreading (no grammar errors or typos) MLA format