'Being a nerd': 15+ Supposedly stigmatized behaviors that are actually no big deal

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 4, 2024 4:00 PM EDT

I used to fear that I would be made fun of for having curly hair. It made me feel different, since very few people in my grade growing up had similar hair as me. Looking back on it, I think a lot of that fear was self-consciousness. Kids will indeed bully you for things you didn't even know about yourself. I remember kids getting bullied for the kinds of pencil cases they would use. 

But as you get older, you realize that those things are baseless, and they don't matter when you grow up. Nobody has bullied me for my curly hair, certainly in adulthood. But I have had many people tell me they wish they could have my hair. How about that? It's easy to get wrapped up in your head, or what the media tells us we should be ashamed of, but real life is usually much better. These are some examples of these kinds of irrational fears. 

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  • 01
    "People have made such a mountain out of this particular molehill"
    via Melissa Askew
  • 02
    r/AskReddit u/stefan_reevezsky • 8h What things are claimed to be "stigmatized" in media, but actually aren't in society?
    via u/stefan_reevezsky
  • 03
    tiny_book_worm • 6h I have to say wearing glasses and having braces. No one called me four eyes. No one called me tinsel teeth. Believe me, I was made fun of as a kid, but those weren't the reasons.
    via u/tiny_book_worm
  • 04
    450925swf • 6h inlaws, most people I know get on pretty well with their inlaws.
    via u/450925swf
  • 05
    Free Ad3119 • 5h High school stereotypes, they scared the me until I got to high school. out of
    via u/Free_Ad3119
  • 06
    doublethink_21 • 5h I'd classify this more as a Reddit thing than media but doing stuff by yourself. Some people here get almost hysterical when they describe eating at a restaurant or seeing a movie by yourself. I guarantee you that if you're behaving normally, no one else gives the tiniest of if you went out by yourself.
    via u/doublethink_21
  • 07
    Brickwater • 6h Saying Merry Christmas
    via u/Brickwater
  • 08
    stefan_reevezsky OP. 8h I would say it's having tattoos, piercings, etc. If people around are split 50/50 - those who just glance and those who don't care - it doesn't mean that there is a stigma.
    via u/stefan_reevezsky
  • 09
    squashbritannia • 5h Going to the cinema alone. I hear Americans think that's weird but nobody has ever called me out on it. Maybe they're too polite? Or maybe we Belgians appreciate alone time.
    via u/squashbritannia
  • 10
    closetmangafan • 7h Everything. The media likes to blow things well out of proportion to get a good story for people to follow and talk about. Most of the time, it's because of the media that many big problems are as "big" as they are.
    via u/closetmangafan
  • 11
    IrwinLinker1942. 4h Having freckles. When the fake freckles makeup trend was taking off, tons of people came out of the woodwork to complain about how "unfair" it was that they got teased for having freckles and now it's a trend. I'm sorry, but unless you were physically and socially perfect in the eyes of your peers in elementary school, you probably got bullied for something arbitrary. For me, it was my big ears. I'm not going to sit here and whine about people stretching their ears and making
    via u/IrwinLinker1942
  • 12
    hazps .7h Slightly niche perhaps, but my kids always had trouble buying Fathers Day cards for me because I didn't spend my evenings down the pub, fish or play golf.
    via u/hazps
  • 13
    figgleswag. 6h Older women dating younger men
    via u/figgleswag
  • 14
    Difficult Math7391 • 6h Being short (as a man). Especially online, people have made such a mountain out of this particular molehill over the last few years. I've never met a woman who strictly dates men 6' and up, and my short mates get plenty of action.
    via u/DifficultMath7391
  • 15
    Marvin2212 • 5h Maybe wanting to stay single. Media portrays it as a desperate cry for love, but in reality, it's pretty liberating!
    via u/Marvin2212
  • 16
    phillillillip⚫ 6h Being a nerd. Yeah nerdiness might get you bullied in school depending, but a lot of nerd culture has just become part of...well, culture. I find this most annoying with elder millennials who still act like they're some sort of oppressed elite because the dare to like Mario.
    via u/phillillillip
  • 17
    swanny246 3h Recent trend seems to be the "blue bubble/green bubble" debate with iPhones and Androids. People apparently HATE green bubbles and refuse to communicate with anyone if they have to send green bubble text messages. Have not met a single soul in person or even online who gives a
    via u/swanny246
  • 18
    insecure_driver • 5h Therapy. Movies make it seem like a secret society meeting, but in real life, everyone's like, 'Oh, you too? My therapist says...
    via u/insecure_driver

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Tags

bully school nerds braces eating alone childhood solo growing up stigma movies glasses askreddit back to school in laws geeks adulthood Reddit bullying
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