By CERYS PUMPHREY, aged 16

Have you ever crossed the road to avoid a group of teenagers, made a judgement on someone you don’t know or labelled someone for the way they look? For most of my teenage life I have suffered stereotypes from all corners of life.

I have been marked as ‘trouble’ to those older than me, a ‘nerd’ by my peers and a ‘man’ by others.

Stereotypes have invaded our society, dividing social classes and age ranges.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I am a teenager and I hang out with my friends in bus shelters because there is nowhere else to go.

I will be the first one to say that I have hoodies – plenty of them in fact – to pull up when my ears get cold.

But I can’t lie and say that I don’t try in my exams and I won’t try and fool you when I reveal that I’m upset when I get a B instead of an A.

I can’t even deny that I play rugby even though I’m a female. Does this mean that I am what I have been called? That the stereotypes are right?

No, they are never right.

Teenagers are people – nerds are reaching for their goals and female rugby players are only playing a game they love.

It is never right to stereotype, it is never good to judge and it is never just to be prejudiced.