Many of the women in the study hid their brightness in order to fit in. Even though these women knew they were bright, they found it hard to celebrate their brightness. I tried not to look different, not to look smart, not to be interested in other things people weren't interested in. I played stupid, so nobody would know that I was different. A few women in my study hid their giftedness so completely they could never acknowledge that trait, even to themselves, until adulthood.
Women have long bent to the cultural message that it is unfeminine to be bright.
Many women fear they will be rejected socially or be considered unfeminine if they appear to be too bright or too competent. Many women in leadership positions well understand this issue. The Land of No Cracks Allowed Even though the women in my study hid their intelligence at times, they still achieved academic success. However, later in their lives, when success didn't come as easily, failure hit hard and deep. Dealing with failure wasn't easy.