People From Connecticut

     Whenever I say I'm from Connecticut to people who have never been here before, typical questions that ensue include: "Is everyone there rich?" "Is your mom a soccer mom?" "Are all your high school friends preppy?" and "Do you live in a mansion?" These are all overgeneralized, but at the same time there's truth in a lot of Connecticut stereotypes. People don't just pull these notions out of thin air.
     Being home reminded me of some more stereotypes that it seems like people who aren't from Connecticut aren't really aware of. I think it's safe to say that people who live here either fit into these stereotypes or would find these stereotypes relevant.

• You go to Cape Cod on family vacations every summer: Going up even further North to go to the beach is something I don't think I'll ever understand the reasoning behind. I'm personally not a fan of swimming in ice cold water at the beach. I shouldn't even talk, because I've never even been to Cape Cod. It's supposedly very scenic. 

• You're either obsessed with your religion or you're obsessed with being against religion: This is a new trend I'm noticing in my town in particular. I'm all for people believing in what they want, but if nobody asked you for your religious views, nobody cares what you have to say, so you should just probably keep it to yourself. You would think that this is common sense.

• You suck at driving: Seems to me like people in Philadelphia know how to drive, but drive like garbage because they're in a rush, whereas, people in Connecticut seem to genuinely suck at driving. Too many times I've been stuck behind slow old people, been cut off, or just witnessed people doing stupid things that make it blatantly obvious that they don't really know how to drive/ don't have a lot of experience. Connecticut isn't the only state full of awful drivers, but I feel like Connecticut is home of a special kind of breed of awful drivers.

• You treat your 18 year old kids like they're 11: This probably isn't just a Connecticut thing, just a general trend I've noticed among most my friends' parents. It's really depressing that people are still getting grounded for little things during their winter break.

• Dressing like an androgynous blob is socially acceptable/ cool: My personal favorite. I can't even attempt to classify what is considered trendy at Temple because there are just so many different people. I find myself being inspired by what other girls are wearing or the types of outfits they put together. I am such a girl. Aside from finals, it's rare to see people wearing sweat pants. When I first got back to Connecticut, I went to Panera and literally every girl in there could have been confused for a guy. Call me what you want, but I just can't even wrap my mind around how drowning in sweatpants, a giant hoodie, wearing no makeup, with hair pulled back in a high, unflattering, sloppy ponytail, all at the same time, is socially acceptable or even cool. Taking some pride in your appearance and not dressing like you hate yourself isn't a bad thing in my eyes.

     Of course, I can't speak for all of Connecticut. I've only met a fraction of the 3,518,288 people who live here. These are simply some somewhat biased observations I've made since I've been home. 


(That picture's not mine. Got it from here.)