Hello everyone!

Let me start off by just saying that I'm completely overwhelmed by the response this campaign is recieveing - it's been a little over two months since I started this movement and today, because of your love and support, we have more than 4.30k followers! I feel like we've come so far off as a team and I'd just like to take a moment here and thank you for that.

Moving on, many wonderful people on this website have followed this account and have written stories to support this campaign and while that is absolutely enthralling, I think a problem arises when people start misinterpeting what the campaign really is about and write a story based on their misconception. So to help you folks out, I thought I'd compile a list of things that fit the criterion of the movement for better understanding.

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BREAKING STEREOTYPES;
A LIST OF THINGS THAT FIT THE CRITERIA

• Stereotypes related to Race

The Stereotype; Arabs are terrorists / African Americans are good at basketball / Asians are geniuses and know kung fu.

Breaking it; A person stands up for the community / person of that community against someone (say, school system) to defend them and sparks about a change in the views of people, spreading awareness.

• Stereotypes related to Gender

The Stereotype; Men are strong and do all the work / Girls can't be good at sports / Real Men don't cry / Women can't be as smart as Men.

Breaking it; A person does the opposite, proving that gender norms not define or bound them and that everyone is unique in their own way and is just as complex.

• Stereotypes related to Culture

The Stereotype; White Americans are lazy, obese and dim-witted (a perfect example is of the tv series The Simpsons) / All Jews are greedy / Italian or French people are the best lovers.

Breaking it; A person breaks a stereotype prejudiced to their culture or defends another individual belonging to the culture by various means and hence, spreads awareness in the society.

• Stereotypes about Groups of Individuals

The Stereotype; Goths wear black clothes & makeup, are depressed and hate the society / Blondes are unintelligent / Politicians are corrupt and think only about their personal gain and benefits.

Breaking it; A person opposes the stereotype and breaks it by doing the opposite, speaking out as / for a person associated with the group of individuals and hence, spreading awareness.

• Stereotypes related to Sexuality

The Stereotype; Men who have a feminine side are gay / Women who have a masculine side are lesbian / Homosexuality is immoral, wrong and is an abomination.

Breaking it; A person stands out to break the stereotype, proving otherwise and succeeds in destroying misconceptions about the community, spreading awareness.

• Social Stereotypes

The Stereotype; Asians have small eyes and speak the same language / Black Women do not have real hair / Poor Americans are white trash.

Breaking it; A person stands up for community / person of that community and educates the society about the misconception the society has borne, breaking the stereotype and hence, spreading awareness.

• Stereotypes in High Schools

The Stereotype;  Nerds wear glasses, score straight A's and have no social life / Cheerleaders are complete bitches / Punks wear spikes & chains, are a menace to the society and are always getting in trouble.

Breaking it; A person breaks the stereotype labelled on them by displaying diversity of actions and hence, proves the statement to be incorrect.

• Stereotypes related to Religion

The Stereotype; All Muslims are terrorists / Christians are hypocrites and are against everything that makes life good and enjoyable / Jews are greedy money crunchers.

Breaking it; A person associated with the community educates the society / steps up to break the stereotype and sparks about a change in the views of the people.

• Stereotypes about Disability

The Stereotype; People with disabilities need constant help as they can't do much without themselves / People with disabilities cannot raise children / People with disabilities cannot be productive and contributing members of the society.

Breaking it; A person with disabilities displays intellect and courage as they break the stereotype bounding them and demand for equal rights, treatment and access because they are just as unique and ordinary as other individuals.

• Stereotypes related to Profession

The Stereotype; Surgeons are cocky, arrogant and career - driven / Accountants are boring and quiet people who do not communicate effectively with others / Artists are moody, overly dramatic and self centered.

Breaking it; A person breaks a stereotype associated with their profession, either through various means or through discussion with other members in the society.

• Stereotypes about Mental Illness

The Stereotype; People with mental illness are dangerous and unpredictable / People with mental illness deserve blame for their conditions / People with mental illness have little hope for recovery.

Breaking it; A person stands up for this community, discussing and educating other members about how mentally ill people deserve equal treatment, respect and love, just as everyone else.

• Stereotypes related to Love

The Stereotype; Two people cannot stay friends for a long time without falling in love / You can only fall in love once / Love at first sight exists.

Breaking it; A person experiences the opposite and hence the stereotype associated with love is broken.

• Stereotypes related to Body Images in Media

The Stereotype; Men should be tall, muscular and hot with six packs and perfect hair / Women should be beautiful, thin and fair with a body that meets the society's standards.

Breaking it; A person who doesn't believe in the media's personifacation of beauty stands up for the people (individual / community) with body types that don't meet the society's standards but are nonethless beautiful, spreading awareness on loving your body.

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NOTE

Having a stereotype in your story does not count for the campaign, given that this campaign has been created to break these stereotypes. The characters in your story must break a stereotype in order to account for the campaign.

Additionally, I recommend anyone who has doubts regarding the specifications of the movement to contact me beforehand and discuss the probability of their story fitting the campaign rather than posting it and adding the tag after uncertainity.

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These are just a few examples, ofcourse. Stereotypes can be big (see also: about race) or they can be small (see also: about love), but as long as they play a part in your story, they fit in the criteria.

It is essential to understand that this campaign has been created for spreading awareness and while the unconditional love and support is highly appreciated and thanked for, I don't want anyone writing a story for the sake of being a part of the campaign. Hence, I suggest that everyone does a little research on the stereotype they plan to write about and about the ways they wish to break it.

If there are any other stereotypes that I didn't mention about, feel free to point out and I'll add them. You can direct your questions about the qualifications here, on ask.fm (http://ask.fm/theattractivegeek), on @pawfectly or via PM. 

Have fun writing!
#Breakstereotypes