13 Bright Side Readers Shared Stories That Break All Possible Stereotypes

We all know that we shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. However, it’s not easy to get rid of stereotypical thinking that can distort our opinions of others.

At Bright Side, we love hearing stories about people who broke all possible stereotypes because life can surprise us with the unexpected.

• One time, I went to a jewelry store. I was standing there admiring the jewelry on display when a man came in dressed in worn-out pants and sandals on his bare feet, looking so unkempt and dirty. Then, he asked the sales assistant to show him a diamond ring. He said he would buy it; it would be his daughter’s wedding present. I was stunned! © Tatsana Turpakova / Facebook

• I work for a children’s charity fund in Ireland. Not long ago, an old lady came to our central office with a sports bag on her shoulder. She said, “I’ve worked all my life, and I will die soon. I have no children, so I left a bit to my nephews and myself, and I want to donate the rest to the children. I don’t trust banks. I don’t want them to keep my money after my death.” Then she emptied her bag on our table. There were 300 thousand euros. Everyone in the office was speechless. © Lina Ianushevych / Facebook

• Once, I was riding a bus and was sitting next to an older man who looked cultured and well-educated. Then, a group of young men in leather jackets got in, they used foul language and laughed loudly. When this older man and I got off the bus at the bus stop, a joyful puppy ran to the man. His face twisted, and he kicked the puppy away. Suddenly the group of young men got off. One of the guys stopped, hid the puppy in his jacket, and said, “Let’s go home; my mom won’t mind.” I will never forget it. © Olka Gusar / Facebook

• My husband and I work in construction. We usually wear second-hand clothes to work, so we can easily throw them away afterward. We received a large sum of money for a project. My husband decided to buy us new phones. We went into the store almost 20 minutes before closing. All the sales assistants were already chilling out. One of them came up to us reluctantly with a look in his eyes, saying, “What are you doing here? Did you come to get warm and stare at phones?” and then left quickly. We didn’t take offense, but when the next sales assistant approached us, we asked him to wrap up two new phones. When the security guard saw the wad of money that my husband took out of his old jacket, he just said, “Wow!” At this point, the first guy looked like the saleswoman in a similar scene from Pretty Woman. © Tatyana Kovash / Facebook

• My friend and I were in Vienna. We went to Frey Wille jewelry store. The prices were really high there. We were standing admiring the jewelry and talking to the saleswoman. Suddenly, she said, “The owner will drop by soon — Friedrich Wille!” And then a tall older man arrived. By bicycle! He had neither security nor an armored limousine. © Yulia Dmitrieva / Facebook

• My colleague and I went to a store during our lunch break. In the underground crosswalk, two policemen stopped us and asked us to show our IDs. We weren’t expecting that, so we only had our employee badges with us. We showed them to them. They looked at us in surprise and asked, “You’re librarians?!” And there we were: two girls in their twenties, wearing cute sundresses, high heels, and makeup. Apparently, they thought all librarians were old ladies in glasses and knitted cardigans. © Elizaveta Katina / Facebook

• My uncle was walking down the street and heard brakes screeching. It was a Ferrari parking at full speed. He thought a tough man would come out of him, but the door opened, and a small old lady got out of the car. © Ksenia Azarova / Facebook

• Our school had a girl janitor. But if something happened to the computers, she would put the mop aside and fix the problem before the system administrator arrived. © Victoria Vladimirova / Facebook

• Once, my husband and I were in the town of Interlaken, in Switzerland. We usually went to a cozy cafe for breakfast, where we would see an older woman dressed in a tattered fur coat, torn soiled gloves, and a ridiculous hat every day. She would sit at the same table and drink tea. A couple of days before we left, we asked the waiter to bring breakfast to this old lady at our expense. He looked at us in surprise and said, “She’s the owner of this cafe and the entire chain of cafes here and in Zurich.” That’s it. © Daniel Ravid / Facebook

• Recently, a taxi crashed into my car at a traffic light. I got out thinking that I’d have to spend a few hours there. I expected to see a potbellied man behind the steering wheel who would call me all the known stereotypes about female drivers. I came up ready to fight, rolling up my sleeves, and saw a nice-looking young man. He immediately admitted his guilt and even gave me a chocolate bar. © Helen Sights / Facebook