College Stereotypes

Introduction

“Bahamian females follow nonverbal stereotypes to fit in college life.” The communication Mosaics states that “Nonverbal communication includes all aspects of communication other than words”. A stereotype is defined by the Webster’s dictionary as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A college is defined as an educational institution providing higher education or specialized professional or vocational training.

Nonverbal communication makes up about two-thirds of all communication. They include physical features, gestures and signals whether conscious or unconscious that a person sends to others. Nonverbal communication fortifies a first impression in settings such as attracting partners or for a business interview. When giving off a nonverbal message persons tend to focus on the environment around them, and when perceiving nonverbal behaviors all the five sense such as touch, sight, and hearing are used for interpretation.

Bahamian females in Cob tend to follow a specific or general set of nonverbal behaviors. These nonverbal behaviors include but are not limited to haptics, artifacts, kinesics, environment, physical and olfactics. However, for the purpose of this research paper only physical appearance, artifacts, and environmental features will be mentioned. Nonverbal behaviors are often a direct influence of the culture that a group of people live in. In COB this reflection is virtually absent as the cultures represented and imitated are more often than not American, European, Or Jamaican; almost anything but Bahamian. Bahamian females in the college recognize the nonverbal behaviors of these places as a fixed and oversimplified image of beauty and this is how they desire to be perceived. In simple terms they are following the stereotypes developed by these places. This is the product of the fact that most nonverbal behaviors are not instinctual but are a result of...