The California Perception

There's a stigma on Californians.  Don't try and deny it, because if you're not from California, you are literally judging me right now.

Growing up in the suburbs of San Diego, I was sheltered. I didn't think states like Maine and New Hampshire actually existed, even though I'd read and learned about them in school in history classes.  The furthest I'd ever gone in the country was Arkansas, and to me that was a wilderness that I deeply disliked.

And so it is no huge shock to anyone when I say that when I moved 3,000 miles across the United States to rural Northern New Hampshire, that my sheltered existence was thus shattered. I had been to rural places before, visiting my aunt and grandparents who lived in the Bible Belt, but Littleton completely and unequivocally changed my viewpoint.

There I was, this teenage Suburbanite in a town of 6,000 people.  Where I grew up, people smoked outside of buildings.  Smoking was all but banned in restaurants in San Diego County for the most part, but my first day in exploring the town with my younger sister, we found out this was not the case in Littleton.  Being teenaged girls, we went into this pizza joint (basically because it was the only eatery on Main Street that looked teenager-friendly).  Instantly, I am assaulted with the scent of every cigarette brand imaginable co-mingling in a small space.  It was like stepping into a seedy bar in the middle of nowhere that is the size of a mall jewelry store.  Having grown up around a grandfather who smoked like a chimney, the scent wasn't offensive.  The environment was, however.  I like being admired like any other female, but it's different when you're being gawked at by 40-year old men who are missing a few teeth (this is not an exaggeration, it's the honest truth).

Fast-forward two months, and school starts.  Because you're in a small town, everyone knows you're the new kid.  And because of this, you're so much more intriguing to everyone.  My first day alone I was asked a million questions about my schooling, how things were different, the weather, and everything else.  Despite the fact I was from California, and the new girl, I wasn't getting the typical stereotype perceptions.

That is, until this Senior guy decided to take Childcare a month into the school year.  This guy decides to challenge my mindset, insulting my home state, and stereotyping me as some stoner that surfs in their free time.  That guy learned pretty quickly that you don't insult my home state or the inhabitants of my home state without my saying something.

And so, I just want to point out a few things and smooth any misconceptions you might be having about Californians, of any gender.

• First and foremost, not everyone in California smokes pot.  While it's true that a lot of Californians smoke pot, and advocate the legalization of pot, not everyone smokes or likes pot.
• Unless you're from Southern California, surfing is not a statewide activity.  I have yet to dip my toes in the water in NorCal, but from what I have heard, the water is frigid. And even if you reside in SoCal, it does not mean you surf.
• Not all Californians bleach their hair.  
• Or spend copious amounts of time in the sun, baking like turkeys.

And as for the female perception:

1. I am not, nor do I ever plan on being, Barbie.  Growing up in the age of Baywatch on TV, I never  aspired to resemble Yasmine Bleeth or Pam Anderson.  I didn't want the fake plastic "bimbo" boobs as a little girl.
2. I can speak with an affected "Valley Girl" accent.  You watch enough TV with stereotypical California teens (California Dreams and Saved By the Bell), you learn something.  But I used this accent as a joke, even as a teenager.  I don't talk like that on a daily basis.
3. At one point, I did use the word "like" after every other word.  At the age of nineteen, I taught myself not to.  It was a process, but I am happy to say I have eradicated the superfluous use of it from my vocabulary.
4. I love the sun.  But I don't worship it.
5. Shopping is not my life.
6. I don't purposely flaunt myself all over God's creation in the hopes of landing a hot guy.
7. Money will not buy my happiness.
8. I am not fake. I don't pretend to be something I am not.  This is a charge leveled by an Irish actor I admire.  
9. I am not a fame-seeker.  I have seen exactly one famous person my entire life, and that was Shirley Jones.  And even then, she was on a podium at the local mall when I was 17 and I couldn't see her clearly.  I don't seek out famous men and try to get them to buy me things.  I'd love to meet one, but not with an ulterior motive in mind.
10. I am not stupid.  I paid attention in school, and read in my free time. There's this perception that California girls, especially women from Los Angeles on downward, are entirely stupid. Sadly, this is a myth.  People only see the dumb bottle-blondes that litter the L.A. area. I won't mention names, but one was married to a former boyband member for a few years. The more intelligent California females are out there, in public view.  You just have to know where to find them.
11. I don't hang out in clubs.  

Basically the last half was more about me than California women as a whole, but you get the point.

Besides New Hampshire, California is the only home I know.  I was born in Arizona, but came to this awesome state when I was six months old.

Oh and another thing.  Just because I have lived in California since I was six months old, does not mean I sleep through earthquakes.  I have never slept through one, unless it's less than a 2.0.  And they scare the living crap out of me.

Any other concerns or perceptions you'd like me to answer to the best of my ability, leave a comment.