Trotting through the halls and skirting through the parking lot, you will notice a select group of students who embrace hobbies associated with negative stigmas. These unique students can be identified as ‘Horse Girls’ and ‘Car Boys’ — two very unique groups that share an accepted stigma surrounding their hobbies. This is due to stereotyping by arrogant students who think the world revolves around them.

Many ten-year-old girls find an interest in horses because, through their eyes, horses are related to ponies and unicorns, but around the ripe age of thirteen, most girls realize that they’re too cool for unicorns and ponies. At this point, the interest in riding horses dies. Yet, some girls slip through the cracks, and their passion for horses lives on. These girls, who hold onto their pony fantasies through high school, have been labeled ‘Horse Girls.’ Now, don’t get confused, these girls are not the average horse riders. They live and breath horses — I’m talking horse shirts and endless horse pictures on social media; their username may even be associated with horses. A good example would be an Instagram account called “horselover75618” with a horse emoji in the bio, followed by pictures of horses. The owner of this account is most definitely a ‘Horse Girl.’ Unfortunately, instead of embracing this hobby, most students make fun of it and try to isolate the kids who happily take part.

Another hobby that is associated with a negative stigma is cars. More specifically the individuals that take on the title of ‘car boys.’ The term is well known by the student body and refers to male students who are a little too proud of their cars for comfort. And the thing is, the cars these boys brag about aren’t anything to look at. They’re not gawking over Lightning McQueen — their prized possession, their car, is covered in Duct Tape, scratches, dents, and the saddest part of all, it’s filled with premium gas. This hobby is most likely associated with social media as well, via Instagram, on a page that is full of car pictures and videos. These boys who are fond of their cars get patronized for not only having unpopular cars but for loving their unpopular car.

At this point, two unique hobbies have been established, so let me propose a question — why is it that patronizing these hobbies has become such normality in high school? It needs to stop. Making someone feel alienated for being passionate about something is not okay. It is bullying in the purest form. There is no reason one student’s hobbies are superior to another. Adults don’t go around patronizing someone’s hobby just due to the fact that it isn’t of their interest, and it should be no different in high school. Some hobbies aren’t for everyone, and that is perfectly okay, but supporting your ego by putting other students’ hobbies down is not ‘cool.’ So, the next time a student is talking about a hobby you don’t particularly care for, don’t put them down. Instead, learn about what else is out there in the world. It is easy to reject ideas that aren’t familiar, but if you immerse yourself into things you’ve never considered instead of judging them, you might find yourself taking up a new hobby or two.