6 Terrible Stereotypes (That Came From Positive Things)

6

Every Witch Stereotype Comes From Women Working A Cool Job

Picture your favorite witch. Unless you went with '90s Sabrina, you're probably picturing an old woman wearing all black, with a pointy hat, a broom, and maybe hovering over a black kettle. You might have a cat in the mix as well. Everything you pictured was a relic of a kind of cool minute in history when women could earn a living doing a very specific job: brewing beer.

Medieval people who didn't know jack about how the Universe worked, how to read, or why someone should invent toilet paper as soon as possible understood at least one thing us sophisticated modern types can agree with: Their drinking water was garbage. Which was why some of them skipped water altogether and drank beer instead. In a world in which hunting, warring, whoring, and maybe cobbling (?) took up most of the day, men didn't have time to wait near a kettle to make their own beer. So the brewers were usually (pause for dramatic effect) ... women.

You could find them if you knew the right signs. Usually she'd be near a big black kettle. And she'd have a cat to keep all the barley-eating vermin at bay. She'd also have an ale stake, which they were required by law to display. What's an ale stake? A long wooden pole with a bunch of twigs at the end, like a broom. And if you were out and about at the market, you could look for the big black pointy hat they wore to stand out while selling their brewskies at market. Sound familiar yet?

David LogganThe green skin thing may have been from a hangover.

But everything started to change for lady brewers in the 1300s. Men suddenly decided that they wanted in on the rising alcohol market, which meant women had to move their asses out of the way. And when they refused? Well, there was a certain medieval saying about smart, strong-headed women: witch! She's a witch! Burn the witch!

Suddenly, now that it suited the men, the tall hat became the witch's evil uniform, and the barley-protecting cat a "familiar" given to her by Satan. And the broomstick? She obviously rode it to go to her secret devil meetings. And that boiling brew wasn't beer anymore, but some sort of evil drink that would make you go all weird -- you know, unlike beer. By the 14th century, people had been poisoned (ironically) against the idea of female homebrewers, right in time for large-scale breweries to take over. And so today, super annoying guys will make sure you know all about their latest microbrew, not realizing their shitty hobby got women burned at the stake.

5

"Dumb Blondes" Was Accidentally Birthed By The Suffrage Movement

Once upon a time, a troupe of blonde performing women arrived in New York from Great Britain. They set up shop doing a burlesque performance and made obscene amounts of money. The end. Except that the particular time this story was in was 1868, so a lot of sexist bullshit then occurred.

When we say these blonde women performed burlesque, it wasn't burlesque as we think of it today, which is basically stripping with better music and nipple tassels. No, this was the extremely-risque-for-its-time burlesque, wherein women put on a play while showing their legs! Legs covered in thick tights, like they're some kind of comfortably warm harlots. Some of them even dressed like men. The nerve! Being a living, breathing woman would have been enough for most misogynists at the time, but add in the sexy prancing, the cross-dressing, and the fact that these British immigrants were taking indecent American jobs, and you have massive outrage on your hands.

Via Musicals101.com"Is that a dog dressed as a lamb?! Will these loose women stop at nothing?!"

4

Cops Eating Donuts Came From Long, Terrible Hours

During the daytime, you can stop in for a bite anywhere, but in the old days, if you were working the night shift and wanted something to eat, your options were limited. Sure, you try to find an all-night diner or pack a big lunchbox and thermos, but for cops on the job, one of those is very impractical and the other makes your partner call you a big ol' nerd.

3

The Idea That "Lesbians Drive Subarus" Saved The Company

Here's one you might not have heard of unless you are gay: All lesbians drive Subarus. Weirdly specific, sure, but the stereotype has been hardwired into gay culture. Why? Because of a logical fallacy. Not all lesbians drive Subarus. But for a time, all Subarus were driven by lesbians.

It all started when Subaru was completely bombing as a company. In the 1990s, big flashy cars were coming into fashion, and the company's modest, compact brand wasn't cutting it anymore. Only one part of their line was selling well: the four-wheel-drive cars. However, the company couldn't figure why. Then, one executive had a mind-opening chat with a gay friend and realized the reason: lesbians.

Lesbians loved everything about the outdoorsy Subarus. They were small, dependable, and cute in an off-road culture that leaned more toward dick-swinging big rigs. This revelation did pose a problem, as Subaru couldn't openly advertise to lesbians, because this was the '90s and even Friends was making a million gay jokes. Alienating their heterosexual customers, however few there were, would be corporate suicide. They had to stay in the closet, advertising-wise, and had to be subtle. Their new ad agency created a series of print ads showing Subaru cars from behind, all of them with sapphic-signaling license plates. One plate said "Camp Out," and another said "Xena Lvr," after lesbian icon Xena: Warrior Princess.

SubaruSince then, their ads have gotten a bit more direct.

2

Hollywood Created The Festive Latina Stereotype To Sell Movies To Latinos

During WWII, Hollywood had a problem. Europe was being overrun by Nazis, which means they weren't buying American movies! (Also death and destruction, etc. etc.) So the studios needed a new foreign market to compensate for the loss in revenue. Luckily, there were plenty of movie lovers waiting for them south of the border. Only one problem: They were the same people Hollywood had been racist to since day one.

Previously, South Americans and Mexicans had been negatively typecast as the bad dudes in film -- bandits tying women to trains and things. But with this new surge of Latin-oriented films, they had to become good guys. However, Hollywood kind of ... overcompensated. Needing a new Hispanic stereotype, Hollywood looked to Brazilian Carmen Miranda.

20th Century Fox

1

Most Racist Job Stereotypes Come From Success Stories

This might shock you, but Americans used to be rather shitty to immigrants. Hard to believe, we know. Not content to merely impair them economically, socially, and culturally, people had to start calling them names as well. But despite those severe limitations, many immigrants rose to the occasion, creating empires out of the scraps that had been left for them.

Which only gave people new ways of being racist.

While now a beacon of progressiveness and decent coffee, 1800s San Francisco had a serious racism problem, what with the many immigrants coming from over the Pacific. Most San Franciscans found them far too ... what's the term ... not-white for their liking, and refused to work with them. Eventually, the only two areas these Chinese immigrants found openings were in the restaurant business and taking in laundry. The pioneer of laundry was Wah Lee, who called himself "King Lee" (awesome) and set up a laundry business in Chinatown around 1855. As his business thrived, his Chinese employees were inspired by his success and started setting up their own laundry businesses. Soon there were dozens, then hundreds, and by the 1880s, over 7,500 all across California. So naturally, as a reward for their ingenuity and drive, 150 years later, Chinese immigrants are still linked to the idea they are the absolute best at getting stains out.