At Good Shout, we want everyone to communicate well. That means having discipline, being unique, and being clear.
But sometimes, things can get in the way. One of the things we notice time and time again is women editing themselves and caveating their statements because they worry about being unlikeable. Why? Because women are statistically more likely than men to receive unsolicited feedback such as: you’re too direct, too cold, too blunt, too confident, too ambitious, too shy, too much, too UNLIKEABLE.
So, we soften.
It takes bravery to be yourself, so we’ve decided to launch the Unlikeable Woman™️ initiative as a love letter to the women the world’s afraid of, because they refuse to edit and shrink themselves.
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Shapeshifters: what we do to be liked in life and at work
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Latest news: Report from Good Shout finds that 50% of women don’t share their opinions in order to be liked.
New research reveals the extent of female 'shapeshifting’ in life and at work to be liked by others, including frequent apologies, downplaying achievements and softened speech.
The study investigated the concept of likeability and authenticity, revealing the pressure that women feel to be liked, and the lengths they’ll go to in order to make themselves more palatable.
"Likeability labour"
The report findings highlight what Good Shout calls "likeability labour" - the mental and emotional load of worrying about being liked - with 56% of women feeling pressure to be likeable (either all of the time or sometimes) versus only 36% of men. Additionally, the consequences of being disliked are significant for women, with 37% fearing that unless they’re liked people will talk behind their backs, and 18% expressing concerns about being overlooked at work. It’s a constant concern: over a third of women were worried about being seen as too confident or bossy, and 20% of women reported having been called bossy compared to only 12% of men. In addition, almost half of all women (43%) said that they downplayed their achievements as not to alienate others.
Download the press release here.
The Unlikeable Woman™️ Summit
28th May 2025, Farringdon, London
If you're angry, direct, too confident, not confident enough, too sensitive, not sensitive enough, outspoken, independent, blunt, honest, any or all of the above, then you're probably an Unlikeable Woman™️
And we want to celebrate you. The Unlikeable Woman™️ Summit is a one-day love letter to us, and them. Come to hear talks by inspiring Unlikeable Women™️, have important discussions with Unlikeable Women™️ and eat and drink with them, too.
It's time to revolt. Isn't that the most perfectly Unlikeable thing we could possibly do? 😉
AGENDA:
11am: Amy Kean, CEO of Good Shout
11.20am to 12pm: Dr Charlotte Proudman. "He Said, She Said: speaking up against patriarchal systems."
12pm to 12.30pm: Tamu Thomas: "The Power of NO."
12.30pm to 1pm: Panel: Why I stopped faking (and why you should too)
1pm to 1.30pm: lunchy bits
1.30pm to 2pm: Laura Bates.
2pm to 2.30pm: Anna Bogutskaya. Unlikeable Female Characters: the women pop culture wants you to hate.
2.30pm to 3.10pm: Ella Morgan. "Unlikeable by Design: when being yourself is a revolutionary act."
3.10pm to 3.30pm: break and chats
3.30pm to 4pm: Misha B. "Overconfident? Feisty? Allow me to explain."
4pm to 4.30pm: Panel: How to own your voice online
4.30pm to 5pm: Jane Evans. A Guide to Dismantling the Patriarchy.
5pm: close and epiphanies