Introvert Myths
In season 1 of The Introvert’s Bubble, I had an episode about misconceived and preconceived notions of what introverts are like. I thought I would add a couple more that have been popping up lately and I have found particularly strange. These connect to the ones I mentioned last season, but have been added to. They think it makes the sayings more true for some reason. An example: “you’re a woman…” or “you’re a minority,” so you must be blank. These are the type of things that make you go “huh?”
I don’t understand it because we are all human, and humans are complex creatures. We all have multiple layers to ourselves and there is nothing wrong with being different. I’m not exactly sure why it is such a big deal that everyone needs to fit into a box. So, I want to talk about these myths and destroy them the best I can because they are ridiculous and annoying.
Quiet women are strange or insecure. A lot of people think that talking a lot means that someone is secure about themselves or has confidence. However, not all leaders need to be loud or talkative. There are times when they need to talk, but there are times where listening is better. It is not strange when women want to be quiet. Most people want women to talk only when it’s convenient.
Femininity equals chattiness. There’s this idea that women always gossip, or all we do is talk about airhead topics. However, they just put out a study that says that men are just as gossipy as women. We’re all complex human beings. Gossip could even be as simple as talking about the royal baby or how someone else’s kid got into college. On the flip side of things, we can be seen as not good enough as a woman because we choose not to talk a lot or are more introverted.
Being extroverted is more attractive. A lot of extroverts are better at conversations and appearing confident. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t make them more charismatic, nicer, or more physically attractive. People love being around introverts too. Some people actually prefer quieter people, or ones who enjoy deeper conversations rather than small talk.
Introverts are rude. A couple of people shocked me with this one recently: “You’re really good at talking. How can you be an introvert? And also, you’re kind of nice!” I had no idea what that meant! Of course, some of us can be a little rude when someone is in our face or asking personal questions when they’re not a close friend. We most likely seem ruder too because we want people to back off and leave us alone in general. Some extroverts have more leeway with others because they seem more attractive, funny, or friendly when asking others to back off. Introverts tend to get tired of people faster, especially if we have had a lot of human interaction that day, and we may be a little grumpy.
These are just four random myths that I’ve discovered lately, and I wanted to blast right through them! If you have any additional ones, share them! These myths can be frustrating and constraining, and it’s fun to destroy them.