Being a raver is such a positive thing! We are all about good vibes, always there for each other, and on top of that have such a good time at raves, but sometimes the rest of the world doesn’t look at us in that way. Ravers seem to have a lot of horrible stereotypes that we get labeled with. Here are the 5 stereotypes that seem to follow us the most: 

WE ALL DO DRUGS: Not all ravers do drugs. Some people do drugs and some don’t, but what really bothers me about this stereotype is that ravers seem to be the ones that always get the negative attention when it comes to drug use. In life, there are people who do drugs and people who don’t, not just in raves! If you go to any kind of concert for any type of music, whether it’s rap, pop, country, rock, etc, there are going to be some people who are drug users and some who aren’t, but raves seem to only get attention in mainstream media when it has to do with drug use. Whether someone does drugs or not is their own business, I don’t think anyone should look down on anyone else for their own life choices, so people who look at ravers should know that they are in no place to judge anyone else, and they should also understand that not every single raver does drugs! Pills are not the mascot of raves! Like I said, yes there are some people who do drugs but just because we are ravers doesn’t automatically mean we all pop pills.

WE ARE ALL SLUTS AND MAN WHORES: Sometimes people see raver boys partying without shirts or raver girls wearing pasties and booty shorts, and they automatically give the side eye and have very mean things to say, but just because we dress like this, it doesn’t mean we are sluts and man whores! There is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of your body or expressing yourself through what you wear. Sometimes we like to go all out on our rave outfits because it’s a safe environment to do so, and in everyday life, we aren’t able to express our unique style in that way, so what’s wrong with that? Whenever I hear someone complaining about what we wear I always say, “Why does this clothing offend you so much? Do you get offended when you go to the beach and see topless guys and girls in bikinis? If it’s acceptable to be in swimwear at the beach, why isn’t it acceptable to dress like this at a rave?”. A person is not defined by the clothing they wear, but someone who is quick to judge someone else for what they choose to wear seems like someone who wishes they could have the guts to be who they really are the way ravers do.

WE DON’T KNOW WHAT REAL MUSIC IS: This stereotype bothers me the most because I’m so passionate about EDM. Other people seem to think that because most EDM is made on the computer that is not real music, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! EDM takes so much time, skill and talent. The production process is so much more than what we all see, and I guarantee anyone who has never made EDM would have a very difficult time to even make just a simple tune. People who think this stereotype is true don’t know what really goes on behind the scenes. Also, just because this is music that makes us dance, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a message. I think that’s what’s so great about EDM, this is music that makes us feel, but also makes us dance! There are EDM songs about love, life, and everything in between, the fact that the beat is amazing and gets the crowd moving is actually a plus! This is one type of music that can give you a euphoric feeling without even taking any substances, the music itself is like a drug! Some people also don’t understand that EDM has so many sub-genres! Not all EDM sounds the same, maybe they might hear a Progressive House track that they don’t like, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like all EDM, maybe they just don’t like that particular style or sub-genre. Sometimes people need to be more open-minded, and give the music more of a chance.

WE ARE A BAD INFLUENCE ON THE REST OF THE WORLD: People believe that our lifestyle is not one that others should be influenced by, but it should actually be the other way around! A raver lifestyle is something that the world should really take notes on. Our number one mantra is peace, love, unity, and respect, how amazing would this world be if everybody in the world lived by those words! There would be constant world peace, no fighting, and complete equality. One of the best feelings at a rave is the feeling of being accepted for who you are, and being surrounded by so many friendly people. Outside of raves, there are situations of being bullied, being judged, being criticized, and not being able to be yourself, but in a rave, it’s nothing like that! If the world was like that, then there would be so much less pain in the world, so why wouldn’t a raver be someone to look up to?

WE ARE ALL YOUNG, BRAINLESS, IMMATURE PEOPLE: Just because we are ravers, doesn’t mean we are stupid! Some people look at the way we dress, hear the music we listen to, see the raves we attend and put us in this box and claim that we have no brains if this is the lifestyle we choose to live, but this is definitely not true! There are ravers who are mothers, fathers, nurses, counselors, and so much more! There are ravers who have careers, go to school and make big impacts on other peoples lives. Loving this music and loving to go out doesn’t mean you have no brains, it means we love ourselves enough to treat ourselves to something that makes us happy and lifts our spirits. There are so many very intelligent ravers, and you don’t have to have a high IQ to be smart either! To be compassionate about others, help people around you, or spread good vibes, are all very kindhearted and admirable qualities that we have, and it doesn’t sound very intelligent to think that we are all brainless selfish robots if you haven’t even experienced a rave for yourself. We are smart people who make huge impacts outside of the rave, and the fact that we can also spread the good energy from being a raver along with living our lives, I think makes us very intelligent!

This lifestyle that we live is a beautiful thing, but if people are too busy judging, then they will never get to truly understand what it is to be a raver. We spread love, we accept everyone, and we lift each other up! The bad stereotypes were obviously made and spread by people who haven’t experienced it for themselves, but all of those negative things aren’t going to stop us from continuing to live the life we love! So let's keep being the best ravers we can be while also educating the people who try to put us all in a box!