The other day I was talking to a guy about dating. And inevitably the issue of educated women being intimidating to guys came up. It always does. This, naturally, catches my attention and strikes a chord because I fall into the category of educated, solid, return missionary, full of purpose and direction, top-notch, bright, experienced, and, simply put, amazing women that some guys consider intimidating. And the question came to my mind. Would men prefer that a woman who is all these great qualities “dumb-down” so that they won’t feel intimidated? Please answer no. Any other answer would just be dumb. The whole intimidation excuse sounds to me like them trying to pass the buck and blame women for being too good and amazing. And what are we supposed to do about it? Play dumb? Do you really want women to be less than what they are capable? We don’t expect you to be less than what you are capable of . In fact, good women will have high expectations of themselves and men. And I know men are more than capable of reaching those expectations. I’ve seen it in my father, brothers, uncles, cousins, friends, coworkers, etc. It is possible. And an educated, full of purpose and direction, top-notch, bright, experienced, and, simply put, amazing woman will help you get there.
While I was mulling this around in my mind the example of President and Sister Hinckley came to mind. Sister Hinckley often said, “He gave me space and let me fly.” In response to that President Hinckley said, “I’ve tried to recognize my wife’s individuality, her personality, her desires, her background, her ambitions. Let her fly. Yes, let her fly! Let her develop her own talents. Let her do things her way. Get out of her way, and marvel at what she does.” That seems easy enough, right? Just jump in the picture and let her fly. She will love and cherish you for it.
So men, who are claiming to be intimidated by educated, full of purpose and direction, top-notch, bright, experienced, and, simply put, amazing women… That is a really dumb excuse that I am not buying. Buck up and step it up. There is a woman out there who is totally worth it. Actually, there are many.
Picture from here.
