Stereotypes In The Workplace

When it comes to a job interview, many people believe that the first impression is the most important part of the interview. In order to increase their chances of getting a job offer, most people would work on their body language and outfit to leave a better impression. However, situations which we are judged in based on our appearance are not limited to interviews. We are being judged by different people on daily bases. Most people hold prejudices toward the groups they do not fit in because of difference in culture, race, gender, social class and even physical fitness. These prejudices are based on societal stereotypes which influence people’s judgement of others and how they present themselves; moreover, stereotypes are reinforced through
In my grandmother’s eyes, I have been suffering from famine for my entire life. Whenever I visit her, she tells me that my eyes are getting smaller, I am getting thinner every day, there is no meat attached to my bones and I need to eat more food, fat, and sugar. She is right to some extents and she is not the only person who notices my slim physique. I am around fifteen kilograms underweight and I have been unsuccessful to gain weight despite my active effort. In addition, my body has been criticized for not looking masculine enough as my slim body does not fit in idealized stereotypes of masculinity in our society. As a result, I have tried to hide my “lack of masculinity” by wearing a bigger size and multiple layers of clothes, in order to appear a little more masculine. Likewise, I adopted an aggressive facial expression to compensate for my physique and fit better in those idealised stereotypes of masculinity. On the contrary, there have been a number of times that I received a compliment for my underweight body which people thought it looks healthy or I have the self-discipline to take care of my
My voice is a part of me that I have struggled with since high school. I do not have a deep and loud voice. There have been times that people did not take me seriously because of how my voice sounds. Additionally, I have been told that I do not have a masculine voice and I need to increase my volume and deepen my voice. Another aspect of my speaking that I struggled with after moving to Canada, is my accent. Having an accent puts you in situations that give you the feeling that you do not belong and that you are subordinate to those who do not have an accent. In my first few months in Canada, my accent was really strong and I encountered situations where people started to ignore what I was saying because I could not pronounce some words properly. Additionally, when people hear my accent they usually ask “where are you from?” which appears as a sign that they think you do not belong here. Furthermore, having an accent would associate the person with negative stereotype attached to immigrants, such as lower education level, crime, and low socioeconomic status. As the result, I have been working on my voice and accent, in addition to changing the way I dress, to improve the impression I leave, not to be recognized by the negative stereotypes attached to the immigrants, and challenge these