First Impressions

Most people today judge others by their first impressions.  Take for example, a job interview.  If two people are interviewing for the same job, and one of them shows up to the interview wearing sweatpants and an old Hawkeyes' sweatshirt while the other one comes in a freshly pressed business suit, it's a no brainer which one will land the job.  The person in sweats could have been the more qualified of the two and had a great personality, but because of his/her appearance, the interviewer passed them by.  The same can be said in all walks of life.  When people see a person dressed all in black, they might think "Goth" or "Emo".  When a teenage boy dresses like a skater: tight jeans, a colorful T and over-sized sneakers, they might think, "Slacker" or "Pot-Head".  And when a female college student walks down the street with blond hair, buckle jeans, and newly purchased Ugg boots, people might think, "Prep", "Rich White Girl", "Snob".  These are common stereotypes everyone can recognize, but that's exactly what they are: Stereotypes.  I'm sorry to admit that when I walked into the prison, I came with stereotypes already playing out in my head.  I expected to see women, locked behind bars, screaming crude things as we passed them by.  I expected to see mostly minority groups, specifically blacks and Hispanics.  I expected to see women in their twenties, thirties, and forties.  I expected an unpleasant atmosphere.        
     Needless to say all of my stereotypes were wrong.  The only women I heard yelling were women hollering at their friends saying there were going to lunch.  Almost every woman we passed said "hi" or "how are you".  Every door we walked through was being held open by a friendly face.  As far as I could see, there were as many white women as their were women belonging to different minority groups, if not more.  I saw women of all ages, spanning from late teens to early twenties, all the up to women in their late sixties.  And the atmosphere was pleasant.  I did not feel scared or frightened, I did not feel awkward or embarrassed.  While many of the buildings were shabby and forlorn, the women were extremely nice and inviting.  This experience taught me the importance of pushing past known stereotypes in order to see what a person is really like.  Although we did not get to talk to any women individually, I am convinced that when I do speak one on one with a woman behind bars, I will see more similarities between us than differences.