--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we see society telling women that…" description: "\"When we see society telling women that they have a certain time, that they make women compete with each other, the older generation competing with the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/karla-souza-14563_ability_when-we-see-society-telling-women-that-t_2528775.jpg" --- # When we see society telling women that they have a certain… ![“When we see society telling women that they have a certain time, that they make women compete with each other, the older generation competing with the younger generation. They've made us believe that there's not enough men out there for us or that we're only hired because of our looks and not…” quote by Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/karla-souza-14563_ability_when-we-see-society-telling-women-that-t_2528775.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/karla-souza-14563_ability_when-we-see-society-telling-women-that-t_2528775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/karla-souza-14563_ability_when-we-see-society-telling-women-that-t_2528775.jpg) > “When we see society telling women that they have a certain time, that they make women compete with each other, the older generation competing with the younger generation. They've made us believe that there's not enough men out there for us or that we're only hired because of our looks and not because of our abilities.” [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society imposes limiting narratives on women, fostering competition and self‑doubt about abilities versus appearance. **In simple terms:** Women are told there aren’t enough men and that looks matter more than skill. Key Takeaway Recognize and reject limiting gender narratives. Themes gender self‑esteem competition empowerment Mood frustrated hopeful Type motivational critical When to use this quote - career advancement - dating - leadership - media consumption Key Concepts social conditioning identity confidence Questions to Reflect On - How do you challenge internalized gender myths? - What steps can you take to value ability over appearance? A Different Perspective These narratives can be deeply internalized and hard to change without systemic support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Compete Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compete-older-487794/) [Competing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competing/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Generation Competing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-competing-1323257/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Make Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-women/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Older generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/older-generation/) [Telling Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-women-1211064/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Women Compete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-compete-1182400/) [Younger generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/younger-generation/) ## Related quotes > [Even as a small child I never felt that I should have to compete with anyone - even my older brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-hickman/even-as-a-small-child-i-never-felt-that-i-should-have-to-compete-with/) [Dwayne Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-hickman/) > [People have different ideas on how to increase female racing driver participation. My belief is that men and women should compete together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-wolff/people-have-different-ideas-on-how-to-increase-female-racing-driver/) [Susie Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-wolff/) > [Women compete, compare, undermine, and undercut one another - at least, that is the prevailing notion of how we interact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-v-gordon/women-compete-compare-undermine-and-undercut-one-another-at-least/) [Emily V. Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-v-gordon/) > [Women do not avoid fighting because they are dainty or scared, but because they have a greater stake than men in staying alive to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-campbell/women-do-not-avoid-fighting-because-they-are-dainty-or-scared-but/) [Anne Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-campbell/) > [Do women compete for the favours of men? Yes. They've spent 5,000 years competing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/do-women-compete-for-the-favours-of-men-yes-they-ve-spent-5-000-years/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [ We need to stop telling \[women\], "Get a mentor and you will excel." Instead, we need to tell them, "Excel and you will get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-need-to-stop-telling-women-get-a-mentor-and-you-will-excel-instead/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“telling women they didn’t want a relationship but really, Sam knew, just holding out for something better to come their way. And something would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lloyd/telling-women-they-didn-t-want-a-relationship-but-really-sam-knew/) [Amy Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lloyd/) > [What I like about the '60s movies was that they were about women. They were telling women's stories. I think a lot of movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-biller/what-i-like-about-the-60s-movies-was-that-they-were-about-women-they/) [Anna Biller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-biller/) > [Stop telling women to smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatyana-fazlalizadeh/stop-telling-women-to-smile/) [Tatyana Fazlalizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatyana-fazlalizadeh/) > [All over the world, there are so many magazine articles and books telling women what to do, how to be and not to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/all-over-the-world-there-are-so-many-magazine-articles-and-books/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [It is unBritish to start telling women what they can and can't wear. It would immediately create a group who want to be martyrs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/it-is-unbritish-to-start-telling-women-what-they-can-and-can-t-wear/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [What I want to know is that why we, as a nation, we are telling women that it's okay if a man is power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-bhasin/what-i-want-to-know-is-that-why-we-as-a-nation-we-are-telling-women/) [Neha Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-bhasin/) > [Im not telling you to not look at women. Just the opposite. Im telling you to see women. Really see them. Not just with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tufail-mehraj/im-not-telling-you-to-not-look-at-women-just-the-opposite-im-telling/) [Tufail Mehraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tufail-mehraj/) > [Women telling men to step out of roles so they can step into them isn't going to endear people to feminism. Neither is telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/women-telling-men-to-step-out-of-roles-so-they-can-step-into-them-isn/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [I do not believe that government should be in the business of telling women what they should do with their bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/i-do-not-believe-that-government-should-be-in-the-business-of-telling/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) ## More by Karla Souza > [I told my friend - we were working on a movie together - and he gave me a script and asked me to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-told-my-friend-we-were-working-on-a-movie-together-and-he-gave-me-a/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [ Wisdom and white hair might not be as valued \[in our society\] as in different cultures. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/wisdom-and-white-hair-might-not-be-as-valued-in-our-society-as-in/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [Mexican food is one of the best culinary experiences that people can have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/mexican-food-is-one-of-the-best-culinary-experiences-that-people-can/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [There's a lot of lies out there that we should catch and that have taken me a lot of time to sort of see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/there-s-a-lot-of-lies-out-there-that-we-should-catch-and-that-have/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [ There's a lot of things, even the landscape that we show in the movie \[Everybody Loves Somebody\] of Ensenada in Baja is just spectacular.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/there-s-a-lot-of-things-even-the-landscape-that-we-show-in-the-movie/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [I think it's not an easy task because there's not enough Latino writers that are being given opportunities to write things - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-think-it-s-not-an-easy-task-because-there-s-not-enough-latino/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [ \[Everybody Loves Somebody\] one really loves both cultures, represents them in a very accurate, genuine, authentic, fun, fresh way, and it includes so many… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/everybody-loves-somebody-one-really-loves-both-cultures-represents/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [Family is something that I grew up with, and the Mexican culture has a lot of, you know - Sunday is the day you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/family-is-something-that-i-grew-up-with-and-the-mexican-culture-has-a/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [All the products that are sold to us - those anti-aging products - are telling us that there's a due date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/all-the-products-that-are-sold-to-us-those-anti-aging-products-are/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [The patriarchal society has made women believe, first of all, you're only valid and valuable when you're young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/the-patriarchal-society-has-made-women-believe-first-of-all-you-re/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [I think that, for sure, we as women should try and realize that it's more about having someone to share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-think-that-for-sure-we-as-women-should-try-and-realize-that-it-s/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [ I hope that we start trendsetting \[with Everybody Loves Somebody\], you know, like having bigger movies also include that. Because I think it'll definitely… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-hope-that-we-start-trendsetting-with-everybody-loves-somebody-you/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [ In the movie \[Everybody Loves Somebody\], the sister tells my character, "No, don't you want to be with someone?" I think the family -… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/in-the-movie-everybody-loves-somebody-the-sister-tells-my-character/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [I think Shonda Rhimes came to change television for women forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/i-think-shonda-rhimes-came-to-change-television-for-women-forever/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) > [ \["When are you getting married" in Everybody Loves Somebody\] is funny because it's put on by women and men. Society makes women feel like,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karla-souza/when-are-you-getting-married-in-everybody-loves-somebody-is-funny/) [Karla Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) [Explore all 46 Karla Souza quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karla-souza/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we see society telling women that they have a certain time, that they make women compete with each other, the older generation competing with the younger generation. 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