Stereotypes In The Military

Today, before we even get to know a person, we fit them into a stereotype we think they fit best in, without any knowledge of that person, we just call it how we see it and go from there. A stereotype is based on something that is true, but is exaggerated and isn’t always true, a misconception, however, is formed from a stereotype but has no truth behind it, for example, going outside without putting a sweater will result in getting sick. Today women are considered strong and intelligent, and fought long and hard for the equality they deserve, still they battle with stereotypes about how women aren’t as smart as men, or that women aren’t good at sports and so on and so forth. Of all the stereotypes, women in the army are the most understated
Everytime she comes back home from being away for so long I always ask her where she went, what it was like, what the people were like, what kind of missions she went on. Of course she can’t tell me exactly what she did while she was over there, but she would try and answer my questions as best as she could. Our whole family was a little more than shocked when she told everyone that she enlisted because she’s five foot nothing and had always been a girly-girl, she liked getting all dressed up and she was a cheerleader in high school, so her enlisting in the national guard was the last thing we would’ve expected her to do. I remember the very first thing I asked her when she told me that she had enlisted was, “Aren’t you scared?” how she answered this question was way different than I had thought she would answer, she told me, “I’m not scared because I’m fighting and defending something that is greater than myself and means something”. Yes, my family and I did stereotype her because she didn’t fit the image that we had in our heads when we pictured a woman in the army, we had already categorized and defined her to one group already and we couldn’t see her as a soldier going God knows where and putting her life on the line fighting for her country. She certainly proved us wrong, she’s
Sometimes there’s just things men to that women weren’t made to do and aren’t able to do. The first and most common stereotype when it comes to women in the army is that women aren’t as strong and are physically inferior to the men, this is true. Women don’t have the same build as men, plain and simple. We weren’t made to lift heavy objects and do hard labor work, but should we need to, we find a way for it to get done. Many would think that women would stick together in the armed forces, women don’t typically befriend their fellow women soldiers, they’re either in competition with them, “I wish I could say that there was a special camaraderie amongst the females, but the truth is I had few female friends” (Stephanie Christopher officer in artillery unit) Minsburg, Talya. Women Describe Their Struggles, 2015. The women stay in competition with each other because nobody wants to be seen as the weaker soldier. Also by doing this they try and make one another look weaker, hiding all their own weaknesses so well. If a woman is seen with another woman that’s considered the weak link then by she herself is assumed to also be weak just by association with that individual woman and can potentially lead to further