Do you know that fear of reinforcing negative stereotypes about women through your own mistakes?

I (24F) often feel like I’m not allowed to just try something new and suck at it in peace, especially when there’s already a negative stereotype about women being bad at it.

When I was learning to drive, I’d always avoid parking if other people were watching, especially men. Because… what if I messed it up? They might not just think, “Oh, she’s a new driver.” They might think, “Young, blonde and can’t park — typical woman!” Of course, avoiding it meant I got less practice, so I actually stayed bad at parking for longer. Thankfully, I’ve made up for it since. (Yeah, Heinz, I can park like a pro now.)

I recently bought a PS5, the first console I’ve ever owned, and I want to play games like CoD. But I’m scared to pick a female character because I’m just not good yet. Not because I’m a woman, but because I’ve literally never played before.

Women already get shit on enough as it is. I love women and I don’t want to reinforce stereotypes or give people ammo against not only me but half the human race. But I’m also just a person with my own strengths, weaknesses and level of experience. I wish I could just fail sometimes without feeling like I’m embarrassing all women.

Does anyone else feel this way? How do you deal with it?