I remember a time in school when I was with a group of girls and it was obvious that these girls were not as dumb as they were pretending to be. Okay, so you know that part in Mean Girls where Cady pretends she doesn’t understand calculus to get the attention of Aaron Samuels? It is easily the most infuriating scene/section of scenes in the entire movie. It was like that. And in that moment, I wish I would have called those girls out. In the words of Rivers Cuomo, lead singer of Weezer, “Smart girls, I can never get enough of those smart girls.”
I don’t know of a situation where I’ve ever actually dumbed myself down to get a boy to like me, so I can’t offer some words of wisdom and say, “I shouldn’t have done it because x, y and z.” But what I can tell you is that the right guy will never make you feel like you have to dumb yourself down.
Think of Hollywood’s sexiest women right now. I don’t know about your guy friends, but I polled a few of mine and Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson and Olivia Wilde are consistently thought of as some of Hollywood’s hottest women. Something that they also have in common is that they are smart. Emma Watson has an English degree from Brown for Pete’s sake. Yes, some might be more witty like JLAW and Mila Kunis but there is still no denying that intelligence is sexy.
Also, consider your own preferences when finding a significant other. You’re always going to say “sexy, funny, smart,” so why would you act a different way towards a boy? If you like smart boys, there’s a good chance that a boy is going to like a girl who’s smart. It’s just common sense. Maybe you’re awesome at science, show it off! Maybe you’re better with words like I am, then write. I know Stephen loves when I write things about him or for him, and it’s something unique to me. No one likes an empty shell. Do not be an empty shell.
It absolutely infuriates me that women feel they need to cater to men and not come across as intimidating. It’s often for that reason alone that they dumb themselves down or apologize for behaviors. But in my personal opinion, the type of guy that intimidated by a strong or smart woman isn’t the type of guy you should be with. End of discussion.

To read more Bold Girls’ Bible, see all past entries here!

Molly is a senior journalism/English major at a school you haven’t heard of in a state you haven’t heard of. She’s obsessed with Chandler Bing, English bulldogs, and cheese. Follow her on twitter @mollymahannah, or check out her website accordingtomolly.com.