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Internet Users Told What Hollywood Stereotypes About Their Countries Make Them Roll Their Eyes

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We’ve all seen stereotypes in Hollywood movies and TV shows, many of which are based on old, antiquated conventionalization about someone or somewhere, along with new ones that don’t seem to make sense. Either way, Hollywood tends to use these tropes a lot. Below is a list of stereotypes shared by Reddit users that Hollywood has made about their countries.

1. Brazil

  • Not everyone here loves Carnival. Not everyone knows how to samba. Women don’t walk naked on the streets. We are a pretty conservative country. © Father-McKenz1e/Reddit
  • They think Brazil has an eternal carnival and that everyone plays football (soccer) and listens to samba, but actually, just a few people like Carnival and it’s just in February. There are a bunch of people that only like football in world cups (me), and no one listens samba anymore. © showohs/Reddit

2. Mexico

3. India

  • It’s not all snake charmers, cows, and the Taj Mahal. © Cheese_J***y/Reddit
  • That we still do snake charming as a pastime! Also, the same stereotypical music that plays when there is a scene in our country... © B2A3R9C9A/Reddit
  • We’re not poor. India is more than cows and slums. We don’t have bullock carts on the road all the time and snake charmers around every corner. Not all of us wear turbans, and we don’t speak English like we’re high and sober at the same time. © dd801363/Reddit

4. Canada

  • Anything north of America is a frozen wasteland. We Canadians have our igloos and dog sleds, you guys have bears and fur hats. © azhorashore/Reddit
  • Canada isn’t actually just a frozen tundra where American heroes can escape and live in a log cabin off the grid. © W*****yWeekends/Reddit
  • That Canada is all wilderness and snow. No, I don’t ride a polar bear to school. © BusinessList2 / Reddit


5. Switzerland

  • Switzerland: We have things other than banks. © Bringyourlight/Reddit
  • Switzerland consists basically of banks and the Alps, that’s it. And also, Swiss people don’t talk with that really weird accent that sounds more like Austrian than Swiss German. © pompeiigirl/Reddit

6. France

  • Not every window has a view of the Eifel Tower. And it’s painfully obvious when they go to shoot a vineyard scene in California to pass for the French countryside. © LastRomancer/Reddit
  • That we are all super cute and romantic people who will take you to the Eiffel tower after painting you in a park © Midnightistic/Reddit
  • Parisians don’t always have a view of the Eiffel Tower. © NoahBogue/Reddit

7. United Kingdom

8. Australia

  • Throwing a shrimp on the barbie is something we don’t do, kangaroos and koalas are not cuddly animals, with kangaroos being able to kill a person easily and koalas often peeing on you when held, and we don’t wear corks hanging from wide-brimmed hats to keep off flies. © Tasqfphil/Reddit
  • Hollywood seems to think we don’t ride kangaroos in Australia. Don’t know why... © Minimum_Leather/Reddit
  • We don’t all dress like we’re from the outback and say “g’day.” © mktyrrell/Reddit

9. Egypt

  • We have other things than the pyramids and Cairo. © mufasto1/Reddit
  • Egypt isn’t just a desert. There’s loads of greenery around the Nile. Also, we all live in large metropolitan cities, not as sheepherders. © egyp_tian/Reddit

10. USA

  • That American teenagers look like they’re 30. © Purple-Chocobo/Reddit
  • High school in the USA isn’t like one giant happy pool party. Everyone hates it. © hidden-lion/Reddit
  • No American I know sits down to a big elaborate breakfast every day. We don’t live in gigantic houses while working as dog walkers. We can’t take off from work at a moment’s notice and fly to another country. © kanoel5577 / Reddit
  • That all the aliens land here, I haven’t seen a single one. © Toast_is_sexy / Reddit

11. Japan

  • That we all eat sushi and ramen and watch anime — I mean, I get it, but come on. ©_Soyuz_/Reddit
  • That Japan is high-tech © kamatacci/Reddit
  • Japan isn’t super techy. If anything, we are very behind. Computer science isn’t a popular or even common major here, and none of my friends know how to code. © qsz67/Reddit

12. Germany

13. Italy

  • Basically, Italy is 90% countryside and the cities in the remaining 10% are roman ruins, old houses inhabited by septuagenarians or Venice. © Azathoth90 / Reddit
  • Italy isn’t just Pizza, Pasta, or Mandolino. We have lots of places to visit, not only Napoli, Sicilia or Roma. For example, I live in the region of Umbria, and it’s a natural paradise, it’s called “the Green Heart of Italy” for a reason. © TimeBreakerSaiyan / Reddit

Are there any other stereotypes you’ve seen about your country? What is it really like there? Tell us in the comments.

Please note: This article was updated in November 2021 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.
Preview photo credit Emily In Paris/ Netflix and co-producers, Emma / Focus Features and co-producers
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