Because I work with gifted and talented
students at my job, I got the chance last semester to talk with some
“smart (and I mean super smart) girls” in middle school. During
one of these discussions I asked them, “How is being a girl
different from being a boy?” They had many different responses,
but one that I heard over and over again was that because they are
girls they don’t feel like society values their smartness. They
also feel like, in general, people automatically assume they are less
smart than boys. I was shocked! Could there be some truth behind
these feelings? Does society really send girls these messages and
how does it affect their self-worth?
It turns out that research does support
the feelings expressed by these “smart girls.” There are many
studies that show adults commonly underestimate the smartness of
girls. The message society sends “smart girls” is that their
minds matter less than their looks. These messages often lead “smart
girls” to hold themselves back from success or minimize and
apologize for it like it’s something to be ashamed of.
According to the Davidson Institute for
Talent Development, some of the challenges for “smart girls” are:
- Low self-esteem
- Feelings of inferiority
- Fear of taking risks
- Exaggerated concern about being accepted among peers
- Ambivalent feelings about talent
- Conflict between cultural identity and school achievement
This is unacceptable! One thing I
really love about the Shimmer Sparkle Shine Project is that they help
girls learn to recognize how ridiculous society’s messages are and
start to value what is truly valuable about themselves.
So find out what makes you Shimmer,
Sparkle and Shine, and hold onto it no matter what society says!
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