It is crazy to think that making assumptions has been around for forever. The podcast begins by giving examples that are commonly believed as “normal.” This included one of the most common beliefs of women not being allowed to wear tank tops as women can be distracting to men if their shoulders are exposed. Black hairstyles are also crazy to view as being unprofessional due to the assumptions that black individuals are unprofessional.
After listening to the podcast, I reflected on all the rules I had in school. I attended a Catholic school up until college. I had a uniform to wear and it had to be up to the expectations set by the school board and principle. This went from having a skirt of a certain length along with the right collard short that was always tucked in to create a professional look. I never truly queestioned any of the rules presented even as I got older. When I started high school, I still had a uniform as I attended a Jesuit school. The high expectations were set since you stepped into the school with the right khakis, to the right collard shirts with the school emblem and any sweaters worn had to match as well. The most bizarre rule in my opinion were the socks. In grade school, you had to wear knee high socks that were white. Some girls would wear blue or black and I remember having the principle com into our class to reiterate the rules to a group of 2nd grade girls. I truly believe that makes no real difference as parents are the ones with the real power of having the student wear the right socks. A few other rules included not wearing nail polish, having natural color, and hair being a certain length. Guys also had a similar rules so there was not just one gender that had more rules, but both were held to a higher standard.
In college its very different having more freedom on my day to day clothing, however, I still catch myself saying I can not wear a dress without a cardigan or my shorts and skirts need to be a certain length. So although these rules are not enforced, I catch myself still thinking about them and using them as a reference.
While my lived experiences are quite different from yours, I, too, am guilty of falling victim to the assumptions I’ve heard about my people- Black people. For instance, whenever I decide what to wear when going out at night, I try to avoid wearing extremely dark colors or all black to give off the impression that I am “dangerous” or “violent” to my white counterparts. It definitely takes some mental willpower to work against these assumptions so that one doesn’t fall into stereotype threat.
I agree that there is a huge difference between knowing a rule doesn’t hold water or knowing an assumption is inaccurate and actually making a change in one’s mindset about this rule or assumption. The first step is recognition and acknowledgement, and then we have to work to get rid of these assumptions and stand up against rules that don’t help in any way.