Since, well, forever, we have been exposed to stereotypes. As time goes on and social media advances, the action of stereotyping becomes more and more common. A majority of people would most likely argue that stereotyping creates negative views on certain groups of people. While this is a valid point and pretty much true, we can all admit that we are guilty of stereotyping in some way. Even the media uses stereotyping nowadays to grasp our attention, and admit it, it works. Whether our reactions be a laugh or a gasp of appall, we respond the way we do because we realize it is a stereotype. Even if we are appalled by it, we are stereotyping by simply admitting it is a stereotype. For this reason, advertisements use an effortless method of attracting viewers by incorporating stereotypical characteristics in even what may seem like the most innocent of ways. "Credit Princess" is a print ad that was released in 2007 by Erwin Penland Advertising Agency of Greenville, South Carolina. The ad itself is one big stereotype; however, almost every viewer laughs after seeing the ad because the creators have put together a humorous piece that comes off as nothing but harmless and amusing at first glance. "Credit Princess" is proof that everyone, especially the media, stereotypes, and unfortunately, it has become a norm. The public eye has become blind to the negative connotation that lies behind stereotypes and instead focuses on the so-called "innocent" amusement stereotypes create.

"Credit Princess" is an advertisement for Seiko Epson Corporation, a company that produces receipt printers for stores. Seiko Epson is known for the high quality of its printers- the receipts process and print quickly, and paper jams are few and far between. The point that the creators of the ad are trying to make is that Seiko Epson printers will keep the process of receipt printing at stores fast, resulting in shorter lines and fewer backups of customers. The ad depicts a young, blonde woman, early to mid-twenties, dressed very nicely. She is carrying a designer purse, several shopping bags, and an array of credit cards. The headline of the ad states, "Of course she'll take her time in the checkout line. That's, like, the perfect place for, like, guys to check you out." The stereotype in this ad is obvious at first impression. The soft, solid blue background of the ad makes the woman's bleach blonde hair (far from natural, of course) pop, leading viewers to the very snobby, "I'm better than you," kind of expression on her face. She is wearing multiple pieces of gold jewelry, a pair of designer, bug-eye sunglasses on her head, along with an XOXO purse. She is holding at least three giant shopping bags full of clothing and shoes she obviously is not in need of, and in her other hand, she is showing off her, not short of six, credit cards, proving that she is, indeed, Daddy's "little princess." The girl in the ad is the type to drive everyone off the wall, yet humor us at the same time because, well, she's probably not the brightest diamond on the shelf. The quote next to her only proves us right. Of course she would say, "like," every chance she gets. Because no other adjectives are more accurate, right? And only a literalist would associate the check out line at a store with guys checking her out. 

We all know those types of girls. Even "those" types of girls know those types of girls. Every viewer sees this girl from the same perspective, no matter what type of person we are. Why? Because she is a stereotype- one we are all familiar with. She is the stereotypical "dumb blonde" who considers shopping a job and work a privilege. We joke about people like this, but the more we consider it, the more we can acknowledge the fact that an advertisement like this can come off as extremely offensive to a girl who looks similar to the one portrayed in the ad. For all we know, she could have her Master's of Engineering degree, or she could be a neural surgeon. Her physical appearance tells us absolutely nothing about who she is as a person and what her morals are. But stereotypes lead us to believe otherwise. 

When viewing "Credit Princess," nobody thinks to him or herself that the girl in the ad is a genius who makes six figures every year and is shopping for clothes to donate to charity. We think she is a spoiled brat, and that is exactly what the creators of the ad want. Again, stereotypes effortlessly attract attention to advertisements. The public eye understands what the ad is going for, and immediately responds in agreement, blinded to any sort of negativity or controversy the ad is capable of creating. 

