DAE feel like only men are allowed to be attractive and talented?

I like who I am and I’m proud of the skills I’ve developed, but as I’ve grown I’ve felt a need to hide those things. I remember a girl in middle school actually getting upset and telling me that she didn’t like me because I was “good at everything” (for the record I was not good at everything, I was decent at like a few things). I remember practicing guitar and playing a new song I’d learned and when I was done my friend said “I hate you so much” in like a joking way but she kept repeating it over and over and over again and eventually I could just tell that she wasn’t really joking.

It’s like I’m only allowed to have a couple talents until people start disliking me. I don’t get it. I see my brother, who is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met, and everyone loves him. Like he can just pick up something new and be great at it. Each talent he has just makes him cooler. And I see this all the time with men. People praise them for their skills. They’re called “badass” and “GOATS”.

I know this probably seems like a braggadocios post, but I genuinely am just tired of having to water myself down just to make other people comfortable. I don’t get why other people can brag about themselves and their talents and get positive responses and people hyping them up, but God forbid a conventionally attractive woman be talented.

Posted Jun 5, 2026, 4:53 AM UTC

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