10 Midwestern Stereotypes (2024)

10 Midwestern Stereotypes (1)Happy Friday everyone!

We’ve made it through another week. Luckily, this shorter week really made the days fly by and only today felt like I was watching the clock, waiting for the weekend.

Ry and I are headed to a party my agency is throwing in MKE (Milwaukee, WI for those of you who don’t know) tomorrow night. Staying at the Kimpton, probably watching the Notre Dame game at a bar in the 3rd Ward. The usual. Will report back sometime next week. Other than that, just hoping it’s another productive weekend filled with meal planning,laundry, reading, watching the first Packers game (#GoPackGo) and continuing to clean up that budget of ours. Fun stuff, I know guys. I go hard.

Anyway…

This post is going up a bit late, but it wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t just slightly late, right? Right.

I just felt like this post needed to be written. These things need to be said.One of the many reasons I started blogging and threw “Midwest” in the title of my blog was to try and be a voice of the modern heartland woman. Modern. Meaning, probably not the stereotypes that are passed around in the media or elsewhere. Of course, I’m just one small voice in millions in the Midwest, so if you feel anything needs to be added to this list – please let me know! I’m interested in what you guys think are the most annoying stereotypes we get too.

1. We’re all farmers.

My uncle is a farmer. I grew up across the street from a farm. Many kids I went to school with came from generations of farmers and some became farmers as adults. TBH, I love farms (makes sense – I love animals), but I dislike generalizing an entire population.

2. We have funny accents.

We definitely say things a bit differently, especially depending on where you live in the Midwest (a Chicagoan accent is very different than a Minnesotan accent, which is different from a Wisconsin accent). But guess who else has a funny accent? EVERYONE. I mean, we’ve all met someone from New Jersey or New York, orchatted with a Cali guy?

3. We’re backwards.

Ugh, I hate this stereotype. Just because Ilive between two coasts doesn’t mean I’m out of touch with what’s going on in the world, culturally, politically or otherwise.

4. Wehave outdated style.

Please. Have we seen some of the fashion bloggers who live around these parts? Oh, you haven’t? Well here are just a few:

  1. Sequins and Stripes
  2. The Chambray Bunny
  3. Regally Soled
  4. Sabby Style
  5. Charmingly Styled
  6. Wit & Delight (okay, they’rebasically just lifestyle – but they’re so cool!)
  7. Blake Von D
5. We all enjoy the frozen tundra and refuse to leave it.

While I absolutely love a romantic snowfall around Christmas time, the frozen tundra that is January, February, March and occasionally April are THE WORST THING EVER.

“If everyone hates it so much, why don’t they just move?”

Have you seen the Midwest in the summertime? Or in the Fall? Or earlier Winter? This is such a beautiful place to live, it makes the winter season bearable.

6. No one interesting lives in the heartland.

Oh, puh-lease. Didn’t you just see all the bloggers I mentioned? No? Alright, well here are a few other “cool” peeps who call the Midwest home:

  1. The late Prince, who called Minnesota home.
  2. The billionnaire Warren Buffet lives humbly in Omaha, Nebraska.
  3. Meanwhile, Lebron lives in a $9.2 million mansion in Ohio.
  4. John Cusack prefer to hang out in Chicago (when he’s not working).
  5. Not to mention these 20 midwesterners who changed the world.
7.There’s nothing to do in Middle America.

Well where are you in the Midwest? My guess is no matter where you are, there’s more to do than you think. In a city? Well, you know there’s options. In a smaller area? Visit a local cafe or secondhand store, or take a walk around. You’re bound to find some beauty.

8.We discriminate.

Why does it seem like the weird, racist, terrible shit is the stuff the media likes to focus on when it features the Midwest? Like everywhere in the world, we have not-so-good-people living around here, just like we have incredible and way-too-nice people living here too. It’s a melting pot, much like the rest of America.

9.The Midwest is just farms and backwoods.

Have you seen the incredible architecture in Chicago? Or visited the biking paths in Twin Cities? Or walked the streets of Madison (especially during a Badger game)? No? Well, then please don’t talk.

10. Nothing of note happens in the Midwest.

Need I remind you of #6. No, okay how about this? Or this is currently happening. And this happened too. Then there’s always this.

Any other heartlanders haveanything to add?

10 Midwestern Stereotypes (2024)

FAQs

10 Midwestern Stereotypes? ›

21 Stereotypes Midwesterners Are Tired Of Hearing
  • The Midwest is just corn fields. ...
  • The Midwest is BORING. ...
  • No one in the Midwest has dreams, they're content to stay in their small towns forever. ...
  • The Midwest is super conservative. ...
  • And Midwesterners party in barns on the reg. ...
  • Midwesterners only drink Budweiser.
Aug 26, 2014

What do Midwesterners say weird? ›

"Pop" is a word for what others call "soda."

One of the most common words Midwesterners get teased for saying is their word for "soda." You may get strange looks for saying it elsewhere in the US, but a fizzy, flavored drink is called a "pop" in the Midwest.

What is the Midwest mostly known for? ›

The Midwest is a region of the United States of America known as "America's Heartland", which refers to its primary role in the nation's manufacturing and farming sectors as well as its patchwork of big commercial cities and small towns that, in combination, are considered as the broadest representation of American ...

What is a Midwestern personality? ›

The profile and traits of the Midwest (Friendly and Conventional) implies a regional cluster of personalities that are family-oriented, religious, and thus drawn to more conservative political orientations. There is a psychological dimension to highly innovative, entrepreneurial and creative places.

What are things that are only in the Midwest? ›

There are many foods, sayings, weather patterns, and hobbies that are only found in the Midwest. We've gathered up some of the things that only Midwesterners can appreciate. Examples include tornado warnings, steakburgers from Steak 'n Shake, cornhole, spending summers at the lake, and Big Ten team allegiances.

How can you tell if someone is from the Midwest? ›

The Midwestern Goodbye And 22 Other Signs You're From The Midwest
  1. You measure distance in hours. ...
  2. You drive everywhere but can't parallel park. ...
  3. You say 'hi' to strangers when walking. ...
  4. You don't know how to say 'goodbye' ...
  5. You apologize — a lot. ...
  6. You're exceedingly friendly. ...
  7. You secretly judge people by their lawns.
Apr 15, 2020

Why does the Midwest have no accent? ›

The classic Midwestern accent is exclusively a result of that shift. Some examples: the vowel sound in the word “bag,” before the Shift, was pronounced with the tongue fairly low in the mouth. After the Shift, that vowel sound was, as linguists say, raised: the tongue begins much higher in the mouth.

What is a Midwestern goodbye? ›

If you live in the Midwest it means half your month has been spent saying goodbye after gatherings to fellow Midwesterners. It goes something like: "Welp, gotta get goin'.

What does Midwest nice mean? ›

Minnesota nice is a cultural stereotype applied to the behavior of people from the Midwest, implying residents are unusually courteous, reserved, mild-mannered and passive-aggressive.

Why are Midwesterners so passive aggressive? ›

Regional culture adds to the cultural dynamics. The culture in the Midwest is often referred to as “Midwest Nice” or “Midwestern passive aggressive”. Midwesterners are more likely to avoid speaking to others in a perceived negative way, rather than deal with the issues directly.

What is Midwest charm? ›

In it, he argued that “the source of the chivalrous idea is pride aspiring to beauty, and formalized pride gives rise to a conception of honour, which is the pole of noble life.” Perhaps these words could also be used to describe our modern-day “Midwestern charm.” After all, this charm weaves beauty through the region ...

What is the Midwest known for food? ›

Sometimes called "the breadbasket of America", the Midwest serves as a center for grain production, particularly wheat, corn and soybeans. Graham bread, steamed cornbread, and johnny cakes are traditional Midwestern foods, as are butter cakes like chocolate cake, devil's food cake, coconut cake and fruit cake.

Do Midwesterners say sorry a lot? ›

We're constantly saying sorry. Whether we accidentally bump into someone or just happen to open a door at the same time, we say sorry for everything, even when it's not our fault. Also, we say "hello" to everyone. Yep, even strangers.

Why do Midwesterners say ope? ›

Recently, thanks to the internet, folks from Wisconsin and the rest of the Midwest have slowly begun to gain awareness of just how often they say and hear the expression “ope.” It's said after bumping into someone, dropping something, or as an alert of someone needing to get around or “sneak right past ya.”

Are Brats a Midwest thing? ›

Wisconsin is the home of the "beer brat", where the brats are simmered in beer (generally a mixture of a pilsner style beer with butter and onions) before or after grilling over charcoal. Bratwurst was popularized in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, in the 1920s.

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