Everyone ought to display a certain level of confidence in their abilities and identities. It’s a vital springboard to a successful career and life.
Sadly, not everyone displays this confidence. And those who do sometimes come off as intimidating to those who don’t.
So if you have been told that you are intimidating or that you have a strong personality and you don’t know what that means or you are someone who just wants to know if you are intimidating, I’ve written this article on ‘signs that you are an intimidating woman’ just for you.
We can’t say for sure if it’s a case of being intimidating or if it’s the person who is interpreting your vibes who is just intimidated, probably because your personality reminds them of their weaknesses or areas in their lives where they aren’t measuring up.
Either way, you may not need to change these traits. Instead, you may want to douce them with a little bit of grace and meekness, but that’s just about it. You also need to make sure that you aren’t being arrogant.
With this article, you’ll be able to figure out what you should keep doing, what to tweak a little, and what needs to go.
14 Signs You Are An Intimidating Woman
1. You don’t need people’s approval to live your life
While other women may be dependent on validation from other people to get through their lives, you absolutely do not need it.
You don’t really pay attention to what people think of you or what you are doing. You don’t wait for them to give you a thumbs up before you pursue your ambitions.
In a world where social media likes and engagement seem to be the fuel that drives many people, you keep going with or without the engagement. Because you are self-motivated.
You know who you are and what you are capable of. You trust yourself, and you don’t need people to acknowledge that before you are confident and approach life from that standpoint.
Now, this can be intimidating to the person who lives off the approval of others, but it’s a great plus to your personality.
2. You know your worth
Another aspect of knowing who you are and what you are capable of is that you place a premium on yourself. You know you are important and deserve the best things in life.
You are not willing to settle for less in life, relationships, or your career. People cannot win you over with material things or sweet talk. You are valuable, and you know it. This helps you set boundaries for who and what enters your space. Who wouldn’t be intimidated by a principled woman?
You also know that you deserve to be respected and would expect to be respected by the people you come into contact with.
The good side of it is that you also treat others with the same respect that you want to receive.
3. You are a goal-getter
Success is never out of reach for you because when you set your mind on a goal, you put in the required work, time, energy, and discipline to achieve it. You have great work ethics.
You are reliable. Impossibility is not part of your vocabulary; you always seek ways to work around challenges and get your expected results.
Life may give you lemons, but you make chilled, tantalizing lemonades from them. Problems are your learning opportunities; they only make you stronger.
Your attitude is 100 out of 100 every time and every day. You don’t quit. You never complain. If you fall, you get back up.
You are a model woman. But such strengths could make colleagues and friends feel a little less comfortable when they are working with you.
Should you change this? No!
Find a way to carry others along and stir in them the same passion you have. Raise the bar, but be considerate when they don’t reach it. Instead of being their intimidator, be their inspiration.
4. You call out wrongdoings or doers
As a woman who doesn’t settle for less and is a goal-getter, you don’t also permit mediocrity in others, especially those who work with you or whom you have a close relationship with.
You hold a high moral standard and stick to your values. And when you see someone derailing from that standard, you call them out.
You are well equipped to stand up for yourself or for others when you feel like your rights or theirs are being infringed upon. You are daring and bold.
5. You are not confused about what you want
Everyone has opinions and desires, and they are constantly looking for ways to get others on their side. They could be a little manipulative in their attempts.
For instance, a friend may want to impose their plans or ideas on you without prior information. They want things done only their way.
But as someone who knows what she wants, you are not easily swayed and manipulated by people.
You have a mind of your own, your own plans and goals, and you prefer to stick to them. And you know how to say no!’ without feeling guilty.
You’ve taken the time to discover who you are, why you are here, and where you are going per time, but you prefer to keep your eyes on the road.
6. You like to lead
From head girl in secondary school to your department representative (course rep.), to the President of the student’s union, to head of department at your office, etc., you like to be in charge, leading others to success.
You are never shy about holding the reins, and you do a good job at it. You are responsible for your actions and choices, and you are willing to take on the role of being responsible for others.
A woman who is a leader, and a thriving one at that, can sometimes seem intimidating to others.
Men could wonder if that kind of woman would submit to being led, especially in a relationship. Trust me, it can make them shudder.
7. You question things
Trends are good, but reasoning is better for you, and so you always want to know ‘why’.
You are not quick to follow the crowd or systems. You pause long enough to think about the pros and cons of things. You take risks, but well-calculated ones.
Because you are not gullible, your personality may seem too strong to some people.
8. Extremely practical
One person who can intimidate others is one who doesn’t act impulsively but rather takes decisions and acts based on facts.
You might be less emotionally aware because you don’t allow your emotions to rule you, but you are very logical.
You are not a fan of theory; you want to see how things work in a real situation. You love to see the end from the beginning, if possible, before you venture into anything.
Since women are known as emotional beings, you’ll stand out from the crowd as someone who is different.
9. You have outstanding taste and style
To accentuate your confidence and worth, you have a matching sophistication and style.
Your dress sense is elegant, piece after piece. You invest in looking good and are not ashamed of it.
You also believe that you deserve the finer things of life, and you get them for yourself.
10. You are financially secured
Gone are the days when women were dependent on the men in their lives for their every need.
Now, women are doing great in the financial department. They are bringing the bag in for themselves and are living great.
A woman who doesn’t need a man or even other women to get by is said to be a strong woman and can be intimidating. But never mind; this isn’t a bad trait.
11. You are judgmental of others
I know I said that some of these traits would mostly not need change, but there are definitely some that would need to be adjusted.
One of such traits would be being overly judgmental. When you criticize other people to the point that they feel less confident, you may end up breaking their confidence. And that will earn you the name tag ‘intimidating’.
A strong and confident woman knows she isn’t perfect and gives room for other people’s imperfections too.
And no! This isn’t an excuse for allowing mediocrity. Try constructive criticism instead. People will be open to hearing your reviews, and you can be sure they’ll grow as a result.
12. Your manner and tone during conversations may be too strong
With your personality comes the perk of having strong opinions. Sometimes the way you convey those opinions may be a little harsh. People would most like to be intimidated when you are aggressive and direct when you speak.
You dominate conversations because you are very knowledgeable and competent at communicating. Yet, if you are not careful, you could go overboard, and rather than sounding intelligent, you could be domineering.
Watch your tone when having conversations. Be careful with your choice of words. Also, listen more than you talk, even though you know what to say.
13. People aren’t comfortable around you
Have you noticed that there’s a hush that falls over a room once you walk into it? Do people need to pre-meditate what they want to say to you before approaching you?
You just might be intimidating.
I had this boss once. Each time she walked into the office premises, everyone shuffled—scratch that—ran back to their duty post.
You’ll see people straightening their clothes and hair. Even checking their breath. I feel like even the clients got the memo that whenever the boss was around, everyone had to be coordinated.
The thing with this is that you’ll have more people against you than for you. You’ll also have more people working for you just because they don’t have any other jobs at that moment. You can’t be productive that way.
And because no matter how self-sufficient you are, you still need human capital to be successful, you need to work on being a little friendlier.
14. You are not approachable
It’s only in extreme cases that you find people who deliberately want to scare people away from themselves. But you could be doing this, albeit subtly.
People are intimidated by some who are quick to react harshly. They cover up when they make mistakes and even tell lies so that they don’t have to face you.
When you constantly overreact to situations, you build a wall around you that no one wants to climb over.
Once again, the importance of human relationships cannot be overemphasized. So before you react to situations, pause, breathe, and analyze the situation. You’ll react in a better way if you do.
Did you identify with any of the signs listed above? Could you see a friend, family member, or boss as you read through? We would love to hear from you in the comment section.
