why do we have to dumb ourselves down?
Throughout our lives as women, we are expected to submit to a man’s perceived intelligence. Their ego can be too fragile in a circumstance in which they encounter a strong and intelligent woman. It threatens their perceived sense of superiority. I’m not directly insinuating that all men think and act this way, but they all have the ability to stoop to that level of ignorance. It’s apart of the culture. Men expect to be dominant over women.
Thankfully, this is changing. We know strong women; they are our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and family. We have women in power that we would have never expected to see in decades before. The culture of how society views women are changing. Although, society’s gaze is often perceived as from a male point of view, so it certainly isn’t changing enough. Just because we have women in power and constitutional rights, does not change the fact that the culture desires for women to be suppressed by the man. A woman can be Vice President, but it doesn’t change the fact that misogyny still exists in many facets of our society today.
In dating, men take the knowledge of a woman’s income very seriously. They want it to be high, but not higher than theirs. If so, they feel a loss of control and power. It’s an insecurity that they can’t seem to breakthrough. Women who have money aren’t even necessarily more powerful than men who don’t have money. It’s the perception of that power that influences the insecurity that men feel.
There is no one type of woman. Women are extremely dynamic individuals. If you’re a woman, it’s likely that you’ve felt the pressure to dumb yourself down for a man to feel better about himself. Some women are fine with that aspect of dating, and it works for them. But, we shouldn’t have to change ourselves to appease the male ego and its insecurity. If you have to change something about yourself to make a man feel at ease, ask yourself, “What am I losing so he can gain?” And “Is it worth it?”
A real love connection knows no bounds. You won’t have to change yourself for them. It’s organic. Don’t let society make you think that you have to be less than, so he can feel more than. We shouldn’t have to suppress and lose parts of ourselves just so a man will love us. If they need that, then they aren’t capable of handling you, or anybody who isn’t a one-dimensional caricature of a woman. You can be and express yourself as you are, and find love.
