"I want to be popular!"

You're gonna be popular!
I'll teach you the proper ploys
When you talk to boys
Little ways to flirt and flounce
I'll show you what shoes to wear
How to fix your hair
Everything that really counts
To be popular
I'll help you be popular!
You'll hang with the right cohorts

You'll be good at sports
Know the slang you've got to know


So if you didn't guess this blogs on the popular people and the song lyrics up there are from Wicked's song Popular. Glinda (above) is the popular girl in her prep school. Now I know I already did a post on preps but I think preps and popular people are two different thing. Prep is more stereotyped as how you dress, talk, that stuff. Popular is too but popular people are the ones who everyone knows. But is that such a good thing? Sure you are considered "cool" but with being popular there seems to be some flaws.

1. Everyone talks about you, good and bad.
2. Everyone knows all the rumors about you and they judge you.
3. You will have haters. And they are waiting for you to mess up.

Maybe you look at the popular girl or guy and think "I wish I was them.." but why would you say this? Jealousy? Maybe. Your life isn't going how you want it to? Sure. But I think that is pretty stupid. If you are jealous then see my above three points. Another point I could add to jealousy is that everyone has flaws, everyone isn't always how they appear to be. The popular person may look so confident and perfect but are they?
If your life isn't going how you want it to, there is probably a 90% chance that theirs isn't either. Like I said, people aren't always how they seem. That person whose life looks perfect may be putting a fake smile on and holding back tears. And if you are really that upset by how your life's going then you should change it. You have control of your own life.
I guess the point of all that rambling up there was that being popular probably isn't all that it's cut out to be.
So after re-reading my three points up there I realized I kinda made popular people seem like bad people. I think I should correct myself. If they're are popular, there's a reason. They could be the nicest, funniest, most outgoing person. So if you just read my last sentence then go back to my three points, it doesn't make much sense. For example when I said everyone talks about you good or bad. That came off like the popular person is having people talk bad about them behind their back. Not true. I know many "popular" people in my school who are the most loveable people and I have never heard a bad thing about them. I just wanted to clarify that.

So I guess my point from this post was don't think that popular people have the perfect life. There is always something you don't know about a person.

http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-a-popular-person

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/popular

"I can't. I have band."

"Band nerds". Personally I have a feeling I am going to have fun writing this post. I laugh whenever someone I know talks about band. It is like they go off into their own little world with their own language and everything. Honestly, I do not know the difference between a high G note and a B flat. And I have no idea if at a band competition getting a 1 is a good score. I learn something new about music every time I talk to someone in band though (if on the subject of band). I asked my friend in band if they liked being called a "band nerd" and she said "I see it as a compliment. It means I am good at what I play." I think that is a pretty good way to look at it!

(Oh and I do realize not everyone in band would appreciate being called a band nerd. They may take the term nerd offensively. If you are in band and you're reading this, please don't take the name band nerd offensively. I think it is a good thing.)

Well I have many friends in band and when I think about it, they must be some of the coolest people I know. Some may see them as those kids who are at school early because they had practice, the ones who get to skip a class to go to a lesson, nerds who aren't as nerdy as the "nerd nerds", and the ones who seem to hang around fellow band mates. (If you have read my other posts and you do not realize these are stereotypes then I think I will die inside a little.) I think that if you don't have a friend who is in band then you are missing out. They seem a little happier than the average person. They come off as dedicated and hard working, considering they are totally committed to their instrument. And once again, they seem happier than the average person. Maybe it is just me who sees this? Maybe not. But now I am rambling. All I'm saying is that people in band get stereotyped as losers. I think they're pretty dang cool.

I just want to mention that "band nerds" are pretty committed to what they do and I give them props. They go to practices all week, lessons, competitions, summer band, it is a lot of time.

I think "band nerds" are very talented. If you have ever seen a really big highschool or college marching band then you probably know what I am talking about. The video below is a great example. Seriously, how do you march around, make cool formations, and play an instrument at the same time!? And on top of that in front of lots of people. I think its crazy, and I personally could not do that. Maybe they don't go as extreme as the people in the video did below, but you get the point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marching_band

The video above really impressed me. Thought I should post it and see if you think it is as cool as me. But maybe I am just easily entertained.




The picture to the right is of my schools bands walking in a parade. I would like to give picture props to Shelby because I stole it from her pictures (:

Just a refresher

So I have talked about preps, jocks, nerds, emos, and band nerds. I guess I have covered the basics. I think different people will take my blog into perspective in different ways. But when I picked this topic I wanted people to see my opinion on who the people behind the stereotypes are. Maybe you will now be more conscience about what you call people. Maybe you don't care. I just want you to think about what I say.





I am going to just go through what I have talked about in my blog so far for this post. I am going to use movies or shows as references and give them ratings.


So first I did preps. In that post I made a reference to the movie Mean Girls. If you have not seen Mean Girls then I must say that it is one of the best and funniest movies I have ever seen. Basically it is about three mean girls in highschool who "adopt" a new girl who moved from Africa. They turn her into one of them and she gets so caught up in their world she forgets who she is. But overall, it is about preppy girls in highschool. Out of five stars it is probably a 4 and 1/2.


For my jock tv show or movie reference I have so many options to choose from. But I think I am going to go with Nick and Shawn from Fired Up. (see right). They are the best football players in their school, they get all the girls, they just seem like complete jocks. When I think of jocks I think Fired Up. It was an ok movie. 3 stars from me. But if you like jocks or movies about cheerleading, then you should watch this. Nick and Shawn are true jocks.




Nerds = My Life As Liz. Hands down. Liz Lee is a ex girly girl who lives in a town where all the girls are like barbie. They are all blonde, tan, and most of them are pretty mean. Liz gets backstabbed by her "friends" and she then starts hanging out with the nerds. Throughout the season you see her go through her senior year as an out of place nerd. I think it gives you a good insight on her way of viewing her peers. It is a great show and it guarantees some laughs. If you have a thing for nerds then you shoudl check it out. I give it 5 stars.


I really could not think of anything for emos. So I will just recap. You should not joke about someone who is struggling with their emotions. It is wrong. You may be pushing a person to their limit. You should try to help, not make fun of them or say that they are emo. They probably won't appreciate it.

I know that there are movies on band camp, but they are highly innappropriate. So for band nerds I will recap again. They are dedicated to what they do. They seem to always be timely considering they must always be on time for their lessons, practices, and concerts. I think the term band nerd could be a compliment. It just means you are good at your instrument. I don't know how others may feel but thats my point of view.

On a more serious note

This stereotype I feel the most seriously about. By calling someone emo you may be pushing them to their final limits and they say do something drastic. Emo can be a very harsh word.

"Emos". They are those people that when others see them they might be frightened at first. They are stereotyped as the ones who wear all black, heavy makeup, and hurt themselves. Really they are just confused with their emotions. They may be in a deep depression or they may just have mood swings. Being so sad that you become depressed.. just imagine how horrible that would feel. And on top of all of that you get called emo? No. Sometimes you just shouldn't cross the line like that.

The most common stereotype that goes along with "emo" is cutting. For anyone who doesn't know, cutting is a form of self-harm where you physically cut yourself. Basically if you cut, you are labeled as emo. I feel that it is unfair to be labeled for a bad decision you have made. Who hasn't made a questionable decision in their life before? I'm about 99.9% sure that everyone has. Would you like to be labeled for a mistake? Probably not.
While I'm on the topic of self-harm, if you or someone you know is cutting then the Suicide Hotline is a 24/7 number you can call and you can talk about what is going on. Everything is confidential and it is a good way to make sure you have someone to help you through tough times. It is not just for suicide but emotional crisis. The number will be at the end of this blog.

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I wish I could make this blog less serious. I wish I could crack a joke right about now. I wish I could say something to lighten the mood. But I do not think it is right. I am not capable of being able to turn this subject into a joke. That is how strongly I feel. And anyone who knows me knows that I can turn anything into something a little less serious. Just bear with me until the end of this post.
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So picture this. You have had the absolute worst day ever. Nothing went right and you just want to go home. You get home and yet another thing goes wrong (whatever would make you the saddest, just imagine that). You have some friends who have cut before and/or you have heard about it. Nothing else could possibly go wrong right? So you are sitting there crying and you just do it. Bad decision (reference to a couple paragraphs back).
Ok you can stop picturing this now. But how would you feel if someone called you emo after that? Pretty crappy. That is why I feel so strongly on thie topic. You can make a person go to their lowest low just by saying some stupid words to/about them. Anyone who says "I didn't mean it" or " They took it to seriously" should have thought about how what what said could make another person feel.


To wrap up this blog I would like to tell you about my favorite organization. To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA). To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit organization, or as most call it a movement, to help people sturggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. 2 out of every 3 people who are depressed do not seek help. TWLOHA was made to help those people. If you have ever seen a "love is the movement" shirt or logo, that is TWLOHA. To find out more go to the link below.

http://www.twloha.com/vision/

National Suicide Prevention Number - 1800-273- TALK (8255)

"Everyone's a nerd inside. I don't care how cool you are"

One of the most popular movie nerds is McLovin (Superbad). His fake ID form the movie is shown above. Nerds are such a popular stereotype that they even make movies about them (see left)

The title of this post was a quote from Channing Tatum. If you do not know who that is he was John in the hit movie "Dear John", and i find his words incredibly true. I think using the word nerd to describe a person is hypocritical. Like Channing said, we are all nerds on the inside. Everyone can relate to the term "nerd". People stereotype nerds as those people who get straight A's, who constantly do school work, and overall just do not fit in with others. They may seem a little weird and that is why we are all nerds on the inside. You can't tell me that you know a person who isn't the littlest bit weird. I know that I have never talked to a person who doesn't have a little "nerd" in them. Haha. You may just say that they are just weird, but in my eyes it is their "nerdiness" showing.

I personally think "nerd" is a hurtful label. Some may be proud to be called a nerd, and others might get their self-esteem crushed by this four letter word. You should really take into consideration what you are saying when you say someones a nerd. It could be taken as a compliment. You said (stereotypically) that they are smart. But as I said, some may take it the wrong way. All I ask for is that you think before you speak.

Nerds, in my opinion, are just people who others see as weird. But if you were considered a "nerd" then would you like people to make fun of you because you are just being yourself? Didn't think so. "Nerds" are just people who are comfortable being who they are.

"Nerd" Quotes

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"I'm the biggest nerd - I love comic books and stuff like that! I don't have any friends who are actresses. I only had one friend who was a girl growing up. Most of my friends were boys. I was such a tomboy. I enjoyed doing boy things." - Megan Fox

"One of the most frightening things about your true nerd, for many people, it's not that he is socially inept - because everybodies been there - but rather his complete lack of embarassment about it" - Neal Stephenson (author)

"I was a nerd academically. But I was also an athlete and musician. I never wanted to be shut out of any situation. I think it was that more than anything." - Brian McKnight (singer)

Like i have said in my previous posts, this blog is made to help people understand who the people are behind the stereotypes. They all have feelings. We shouldn't label others because of how they talk, dress, act, etc. We should all be more conscience about what we say to others.

Baby Its Fact - Hellogoodbye
The video below always comes to my mind when I think of a nerd. The singer portrays a nerd in love.

I was pumping iron in the weight room this morning

-Stereotype: jocks

-What they are stereotyped to do: Act tough, talk about sports, play sports

-What's really going on: Well they really do talk about their sports and they really do play sports.

Jocks are stereotyped as "all muscle and no brains". They can come off as tough, self absorbed, not that bright, and sporty..obviously.

From my point of view, "jocks" are just people who really like sports. They seem to be constantly playing them and talking about them to their friends. In at least one class each day I hear a conversation about sports. It is usually about which sport is better, who is the best pro athlete, stuff like that. But just because a person really likes sports does not mean that they are "all muscle and no brains". I know many "jocks" who get good grades and who can keep up an intellectual conversation that is not about sports. They prove that "jocks" aren't just the school babes and that they are people for others to admire. They're well rounded individuals.

People who are referred to as "jocks" seem to hang out with other "jocks". (this is the same towards any other "group" of people. you stay in your comfort zone which usually means being with people who are like you.) If you have ever heard one of their conversations, there is a good chance it was about sports. This may seem stereotypical but this is my point. Sometimes the details of the stereotype may be true. This is how people label others. They go off of what they know and put you in a category. This may seem wrong but it's life. You are probably going to get labeled and stereotyped along the way by what people hear. You may be having a chat about baseball with a friend and you can be automatically put into the "jock" stereotype.

Like I have said before, and will probably say at the end of all my blogs to get my point through, this blog is made to help people understand who the people behind the stereotypes are. They all have feelings. We shouldn't label others because of how they talk, dress, or act. I think we should all be more conscience about what we say about others.

"OMG I'm so preppy!"

• Stereotype: preps

• What they seem to do : talk a lot and laugh loudly.

• What they really do: talk a lot and be happy.. and sometimes laugh a little to loud.
  

Preppy people. Or "preps". They are those people who others see as perky people who have lots of friends and seem genuinely happy. For example, in the popular MTV show My Life As Liz, the "preps" rule the school. They walk down the halls with all their friends and seem to overpower everyone around them. They can seem very intimidating, but people stereotype them as rude people with big egos.

People may categorize me as a prep. But I certainly can't blame them. My friends are preppy, i talk non-stop, and i laugh..a lot. This is what people think preps do. They are always with their friends, they gossip and share their latest news, and they tend to be loud. People also think they are mean or that they think they are the coolest people ever. This is not true. Preps are just people who like to be with their friends and who are usually happy people. They are also very nice.

I must admit there usually is the one preppy girl who does think shes queen bee. She may treat others like they aren't as good as her and put them down. She either does this for a certain reason or she really just is not a nice person.

I have heard people say that preps only care about their clothes, hair, makeup, friends, etc. This is and is not true at the same time. I know that I care about how I look during the day and I care if I talk to my friends but that is not the center of my life. I care about my grades and my life away from school. It makes me mad when people say preps are just stupid people who do not care about anything but shallow topics. They may come off as stupid when you hear them in the halls giggling like crazy people or saying "And I was like, oh my gosh!" but really most aren't. My friends are straight A students who definitely are not stupid. They have their "blonde moments" as some would say, but they are also some logical girls. I want people to realize "preps" don't just go around gossiping and doing their hair. They are just normal people like anyone else. They just seem to be overly happy and loud.. haha.

Like I said in my intro, this blog is made to help people understand who the people behind the stereotypes are. They all have feelings. We shouldn't label others because of how they talk, dress, or act. I think we should all be more conscience about what we say about others.

Gina's Bio and Intro to Blogs

I'm Gina Williamson. 14, 8th grade, average girl. I do cheer and play basketball. My blog is on stereotypes and labels. Teens use these all the time. "Prep, jock, emo, nerd" these are words i hear everyday to describe people. Teens tend to use them the most. People use them without thinking about how the person may feel about being labeled. Some people don't care but others are more sensitive towards what their peers think. I'm writing this blog to show you the different stereotypes and labels and saying my opinion on them. I want people to learn about stereotypes and labels and try to stop them. People do not deserve to be labeled.