Learning what types of stereotypes are put on people and what their opinions of them are can really open someone’s eyes to the world of others. When I did this, I had no idea that there were so many points of view on stereotypes. I thought that generally, stereotypes are bad, but in the long run teach us how to love ourselves. There were plenty of people I interviewed who had this same overall view, but the more specific, in the moment, aspect was different for each. Some people said that stereotypes haven’t helped them grow at all, and some who believed that even while it was happening, the stereotype used to describe them wasn’t negative. I found it interesting how a lot of people said they were afraid to not conform to stereotypes at first. When we are different from a stereotypical member of a group, it makes us stand out, which is not always wanted. But after using a little time to realize who we truly are and who we want to be, we can be more comfortable standing out from the stereotypes. Several people also told me that they were afraid to act how they normally did because of stereotypes. It is a normal thing to want to fit in with the “normal” but that’s not the best option for anyone. The best interviews I did were with the people who recognized that they needed to grow and became stronger, more confident, and with a changed outlook on the effects of stereotypes. We all stereotype people. We also all get stereotyped. We may not realize either of these happening in our lives but when I talked to all these people I saw how differently I could really think about them and change my mindset about myself and other people to become a better, stronger, and more optimistic person when it comes to stereotypes.