By Sara Kay

I’d like to preface this article by saying that everyone, no matter who you are, no matter how perfect or cool you think you are, has been the victim of a stereotype. Everything we do, everything we say and certainly everything we wear has been cast into so many stereotypes, it’s almost unheard of. And even some things that we can’t control, like where we’re from or our facial features, are cast into these groups that mark us like lepers. And to be completely honest, I’m a little fed up with it all.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve thought about the stereotype I represent. Growing up in a predominantly Jewish area, I pretty much assumed that being Jewish meant that I had a Jewish mother, was destined to have a big party with lots of presents and money, with a little bit of Hebrew text crammed in. I would also constantly be pressured to marry a Jewish boy. But as I got older, I realized that I was being stereotyped as the typical “Jew” when I did certain things. “Hey Sara, how much money did you just spend on that pair of shoes?” “Well, they were originally $200 but I got them for $90!” “Wow, you’re such a Jew.”

If bargain shopping makes me Jewish, then consider me Moses incarnate.

Although the typical Jewish stereotype is everywhere, lately I’ve been faced with a new and different stereotype that is fairly localized and really grinds my gears. It’s judgmental, it’s presumptuous and in some instances it’s just plain rude. It’s being labeled a “Rugby Girl.”

Now, as a little background information, I do play women’s rugby, along with about 20 other girls here at the University. We practice and play together. We’re a great team and those girls are my best friends. Sure we talk about tackling and rucking, scrumming and drinking heavily, but every group of friends has certain things that they all do together.

So why was it that at a recent party, one of the girls from my team told me how she was called a “Rugby Girl” and then was basically cordoned off from the rest of the party because the host was afraid she would start a fight, finish all the beer or do a combination of both? Why does being part of a sport that happens to have a reputation for housing beers and wrecking faces have to be considered so negative?

To the untrained eye, the two words “Rugby” and “Girl” put together just says what sport a certain girl plays. But to someone who has been on a rugby team and knows the inner workings of such an intricate sport, there’s more meaning to that. Apparently, a rugby girl can mean any number of things, and whether or not they’re true to each individual, we’ve all been lumped together into the stereotype that is the Rugby Girl.

So after doing a bit of research on this subject, I’ve found out just what “Rugby Girl” means.

We’re all lesbians. Big, butchy, lesbians. We can consume copious amounts of alcohol in a short period of time, whether it is at a party or at a post-game drink up. We hate guys. All guys. When we’re looking at you and talking to you, all we’re really thinking about is tackling you, because apparently, that’s all we know how to do. We’re rude, crude and laugh at other people’s expenses. We should be avoided at parties and we love to punch people’s faces out.

Oh, and we enjoy starting fights, pretty much anywhere. At parties, at restaurants, at peaceful gatherings. Big, lesbian rugby fights. Classy, aren’t we?

And it’s bull, all of it. Just by reading the words on the page, it frustrates me. Why is it that of all the sports here, this one is stereotyped the hardest? What about other sports like tennis, or lacrosse or wrestling? I think we can all think of a few stereotypes for wrestling, but this is all about anti-stereotyping, so I won’t go on.

The point I’m trying to make is that stereotyping people to the point of isolation is wrong. If this were the type of society that accepted the art of the stereotype, then people from foreign countries would be right about us. Americans are fat, lazy and stupid. But every day we try to counteract that stereotype by showing how smart we are, how we are trying to get rid of obesity in this country. As for the laziness, well, that’s just a world wide epidemic.

So to those of you reading this who have been victim of a stereotype, whether it be for the sport you play, for the religion you practice or for being from a particular island that is lengthy and is part of the state of New York, here is my attempt to reach out to you. You’re not alone! Fight back against that stereotype, whatever it may be! And if all else fails and you are just too stereotypical to turn back, do what ever it is you do best. As for me, I’ll be punching in faces and attaching a permanent funnel to the top of my head.

Sara Kay is a junior print journalism student. You may e-mail her at [email protected].