Something I see so often, especially in the creative space, is people’s battles with imposter syndrome. It makes me sad every single time because I just know that what they are feeling isn’t their fault. So today I’m talking about imposter syndrome. Where it came from, a history of women’s rights, and how it relates to imposter syndrome. But most importantly how you can identify where imposter syndrome is coming from in your own life and how you can reframe your thinking on it and recognize how to fight back.

I hope I can do a small part in helping you overcome your imposter syndrome or at the very least help you recognize where it comes from. So you can use that feeling to keep pushing forward. Because the reason you feel it is because your voice and your success are rebellious.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome is a feeling that high achievers get in the workplace that tells them that they do not deserve their success. Most importantly, it’s a feeling that seemingly has no root cause because their success has, in fact, been earned. It affects mostly high achieving people in corporate America, but it seeps into other aspects of life and achievement. We’re talking about how to identify it in your own life later but let’s lay some foundations!

Merriam-Webster defines imposter syndrome, in part, as “persistent doubt concerning one’s abilities or accomplishments accompanied by the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one’s ongoing success.”

The Origins of Imposter Syndrome

When discussing imposter syndrome it’s crucial to discuss where it came from. Imposter syndrome as a term was originally coined in the late 1970s by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes. It was used specifically to describe the feeling that high achieving women get in the workforce. Since its first usage, research has shown that both men and women experience imposter syndrome, but it’s crucial to remember that the term was coined specifically because of a feeling that seemed to be unique to women.

But, why would the feeling of imposter syndrome mostly be felt by women? Let’s talk about the history of women’s rights.

The History of Women’s Rights

But what would make it more prominent in women? I think to understand that we need to ask ourselves what might have been happening in the world when the term was first studied. Imposter syndrome was first studied in the 1970s, a time in which women were winning many individual rights for themselves.

In 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments is signed into law, which states that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” In the same year, restrictions on contraceptives were lifted, granting women more control of their bodies and the ability to plan when they have children around their education and careers. Instead of the other way around.

In 1973, the landmark supreme court case Roe v. Wade decision was made, in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. This is yet another giant step forward in granting women the right to bodily autonomy. In 1974, the Fair Credit Opportunity Act made it illegal for any financial institution to discriminate its applicants based on their religion, race, national origin, or gender. And in 1978, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act passed giving women more workplace protections.

Women had been working for decades before this, but majorly were still expected to have short careers and were viewed as secondary earners as their husband’s careers came first. Once we hit the 1970’s though, as women won their rights back, a dramatic shift was beginning to happen in the work lives of women across the country. Women were beginning to invest in their education in preparation for long careers and entering the workforce in positions that were, until this point, essentially only for men. Women were earning financial independence from their husbands and were finally in a position to be able to support themselves.

What this means though is that women were finally entering the workforce in positions that were, up until this point, completely dominated by men.

Reframing Imposter Syndrome

It is no coincidence that imposter syndrome was first noticed in the 1970s when women were winning back the rights that gave them much more freedom. Women were joining the workforce and entering spaces that were historically only reserved for men. And they were joining a space full of men who were raised to believe those spaces were exclusively for them.

If we remember, the definition of imposter syndrome explicitly says that this feeling comes “despite evidence of one’s ongoing success” and was originally noticed to be exclusive to women. If we recognize imposter syndrome in the context of the history of women’s rights we recognize that this term emerged when people were beginning to enter spaces that were literally not designed for them.

If we do that, we start to recognize that imposter syndrome is a feeling that people get when they participate in systems that are not welcoming to them. They begin to feel like an imposter in that situation because these systems are designed specifically for men and in order to succeed they must play into the systems that have oppressed them. And these systems of exclusion are prominent to this day.

A study by KPMG found that 75% of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome and 74% of executive women believe their men counterparts do not experience the same feeling of self-doubt. So it seems like even today it is primarily felt by women.

The definition of an imposter, as defined by Oxford Languages is, “a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.” This can be read in two important parts. One is “a person who pretends to be someone else” which highlights the way that women must act a certain way in order to be successful. Think about the stereotypes we have for certain jobs, like car salesmen or a lawyer for example. These professions have a personality stereotype.

Another important piece is the “especially for fraudulent gain,” because to patriarchal systems, the success of women in the workplace is fraudulent to the system. So not only do women have to bend into something that they are not to fit into the mold of success, they feel like they’re an imposter because their success is fraudulent by design.

Women are not meant to find success to this degree and so imposter syndrome is not simply a feeling of inadequacy, it is the feeling of oppressive undertones that permeate the workplace. Let’s begin reframing imposter syndrome as the resulting feeling and trauma of daily microaggressive behavior and/or lack of representation in the workplace or in whatever space you are feeling it.

But I’m sure you know I’m not stopping here. If we’re calling imposter syndrome the resulting feeling and trauma of microaggressions and/or lack of representation, let’s talk about who else experiences microaggressions.

It is no coincidence that imposter syndrome was first noticed in the 1970s when women were winning back the rights that gave them much more freedom. Women were joining the workforce and entering spaces that were historically only reserved for men. And they were joining a space full of men who were raised to believe those spaces were exclusively for them.

If we remember, the definition of imposter syndrome explicitly says that this feeling comes “despite evidence of one’s ongoing success” and was originally noticed to be exclusive to women. If we recognize imposter syndrome in the context of the history of women’s rights we recognize that this term emerged when people were beginning to enter spaces that were literally not designed for them.

If we do that, we start to recognize that imposter syndrome is a feeling that people get when they participate in systems that are not welcoming to them. They begin to feel like an imposter in that situation because these systems are designed specifically for men and in order to succeed they must play into the systems that have oppressed them. And these systems of exclusion are prominent to this day.

A study by KPMG found that 75% of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome and 74% of executive women believe their men counterparts do not experience the same feeling of self-doubt. So it seems like even today it is primarily felt by women.

The definition of an imposter, as defined by Oxford Languages is, “a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.” This can be read in two important parts. One is “a person who pretends to be someone else” which highlights the way that women must act a certain way in order to be successful. Think about the stereotypes we have for certain jobs, like car salesmen or a lawyer for example. These professions have a personality stereotype.

Another important piece is the “especially for fraudulent gain,” because to patriarchal systems, the success of women in the workplace is fraudulent to the system. So not only do women have to bend into something that they are not to fit into the mold of success, they feel like they’re an imposter because their success is fraudulent by design.

Women are not meant to find success to this degree and so imposter syndrome is not simply a feeling of inadequacy, it is the feeling of oppressive undertones that permeate the workplace. Let’s begin reframing imposter syndrome as the resulting feeling and trauma of daily microaggressive behavior and/or lack of representation in the workplace or in whatever space you are feeling it.

But I’m sure you know I’m not stopping here. If we’re calling imposter syndrome the resulting feeling and trauma of microaggressions and/or lack of representation, let’s talk about who else experiences microaggressions.

Imposter Syndrome and Intersectionality

Now that we’re looking at imposter syndrome through the lens of trauma as a result of microaggressions and lack of representation, the clear next step is to begin talking about race. Imposter syndrome is not a feeling that comes from within but rather an internalized feeling that comes from participating in systems that were not designed for us.

Through this lens, we already know that women experience imposter syndrome at much higher rate than men because to a patriarchal system, their success is fraudulent. To the patriarchal systems, their success was never meant to exist. But when we begin to broaden our view and recognize other groups who have been historically denied entry into spaces not designed for them either, specifically the global majority.

Though there are studies saying that imposter syndrome is felt by people across all backgrounds, it’s important to remember that there are many more identities that have been pushed out of spaces of power. This means we will see imposter syndrome culminate at higher rates in people who live at the intersection of multiple marginalities.

Before you ask me why intersectional identities were not discussed in the original studies, please take a moment to remember that it was coined by psychologists and that therapy is often not accessible to everyone. Also, psychology is a relatively new science, and it was also not created with an inclusive mind to those of the global majority. This is true of most sciences, by the way.

Imposter syndrome is not something felt by women, but something felt by anyone who is experiencing success in spaces that were not designed for them. Again, this is because their success in those spaces was never meant to exist.

The Consequences of Imposter Syndrome

One of the biggest consequences of imposter syndrome is the likelihood that people will begin to self-reject. Self-rejection is a symptom of internalized feelings of inadequacy but it’s important to remember that it often doesn’t mean the person is actually inadequate. Imposter syndrome affects people who are completely qualified for the space they occupy but they are occupying a space that was not designed for them. In fact, one that was specifically designed to keep them out.

When we feel imposter syndrome our sense of stress is heightened and we are working in a mental space full of fear and anxiety. And when our bodies experience high levels of stress, which can make us at higher risk for many health-related problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, skin conditions, asthma, diabetes, and more.

Rejecting Imposter Syndrome as Protest

Winning our rights is an ongoing battle and we feel imposter syndrome because we are in the middle of the fight. We may have won our rights but everything can be taken away if we are not careful and do not stay vigilant. Imposter syndrome is a constant reminder that these oppressive systems exist and that they must be fought against.

Rejecting your imposter syndrome and pushing forward anyway feels difficult because it is an active protest. Protest is always scary, and it should be. Because you’re pushing against the status quo and advocating for change. If you constantly feel imposter syndrome, take a moment to remind yourself that your success is protest. Your success was not meant to happen and that is why you feel imposter syndrome.

Your success is pushing back against the system and the powers that be. Embrace it and keep moving forward.

Identifying the Origin of Imposter Syndrome for You

Now that we know about the origins of imposter syndrome and have reframed it, I think it’s important we also begin to tailor our experiences to whatever industry we’re in. If we consider that imposter syndrome is us actively feeling the effects of oppressive systems, when we feel it in our respective industries, we can start to dismantle where these feelings are coming from. And therefore begin to dismantle the oppressive systems as a whole.

Are you working in an office setting and feeling imposter syndrome because all your coworkers are cisgender, heterosexual white men? Are you feeling imposter syndrome because even though your office space is diversifying, your DEIB programs have fallen flat (you are not alone)? Perhaps you feel imposter syndrome because the industry that you’re in glorifies hypermasculinity in the workplace. And even if you feel your office isn’t like that, the way in which they do business is reminiscent of a time when it was. Because the macro systems are.

I don’t know what the precise reason is for you, but I do know that our society still runs on a patriarchal, white supremacist structures. And even if it doesn’t always feel that way, even if your place of work is better and working to make it more inclusive (amazing!), we always need to remember that desegregation and integration is an active process to this very day.

Overproduction Under Capitalism

In addition to knowing that the world is built around the success of only a certain demographic, it’s also worth it to recognize that today we are producing more than we ever have before and for less pay. Up until around 1980, prductivity and wages stayed in line with each other in terms of growth but everything changed in the late 1970’s. Around that time, policymakers began dismantling all the policies that were making sure that wages grew with productivity.

Around that time we essentially stopped raising the minimum wage and labor unions were not able to keep up with the violence employers had toward workers to keep them more productive. We stopped taxing the rich as much creating a new class of uber rich and destroying the middle class.

So when we’re thinking about imposter syndrome we need to think about how so many institutions were not designed for everyone. But we also need to remember that, increasingly, institutions are becoming designed specifically only for the already wealthy. So not only was the world only designed for a very specific demographic, it is also becoming tailored toward only being a place meant for the uber rich.

In line with this, we’re starting to see an increase in people of all demographics feeling some sense of imposter syndrome. If we’re thinking about imposter syndrome being the feeling of oppressive systems stacked against you, remember that those who have multiple marginalizations stacked against them will feel it more. Remember our chat on intersectionality?

Let’s take it back to the study by KPMG that found that 75% of executive women have experienced imposter syndrome and 74% of executive women believe their men counterparts do not experience the same feeling of self-doubt. If we start to look at these numbers, more pieces begin to fall together.

Originally imposter syndrome was defined as something that was only experienced by high-performing women, but as time goes on it looks like more people are beginning to feel it as well. This makes complete sense as the gap between the uber rich and the average person gets wider and more oppressive.

Imposter Syndrome for Writers

While I don’t know the precise reason you may feel imposter syndrome in your field, I can speak a bit about where writers may feel it. So let’s chat.

To make sure we can frame this in the right way, I first want to make sure that we say this first: Publishing is owned by the uber rich and it was never designed for people who were not already privileged to gain entry.

Publishing (at least largely for fiction) is designed so that you must complete an entire manuscript before being able to even pitch your book to agents and then editors. Then, your advance is meant to help you have the time to be able to work on the manuscript with the editor. But that is far from the reality for most people.

The Reality of Publishing

But the reality is that not everyone has the time or ability to put in hours of unpaid time to even have the chance to pitch their books. Advances are generally not enough to buy people’s time and effort that gets put into the book, not even to mention the unpaid time that went into it before it even got pitched to the publishers.

The reality is that people who have social safety nets, especially generational wealth, are often more successful than those who don’t. If someone has the ability to take time off work, we have to remember that that is a huge privilege. Those people often see more success simply because they are able to dedicate more time and energy to their writing. It’s even more important to understand who generally has those safety nets and who doesn’t. The writers who often feel imposter syndrome the most are the people who are disadvantaged in the publishing industry.

Not only that, but the salaries at major publishers are inhibitively low. This means that if you want to help fix the system from the inside, you also need generational safety nets. And fewer people on the inside dedicated to fixing the problem means that fewer writers are going to be able to gain entry too.

Publishing was not designed for us to have a voice. And when you are feeling imposter syndrome for your writing, remember this: telling your story despite them is rebellious. Keep fighting.

Effects of Publishing’s Downfalls

Unfortunately, all of these downfalls create an unending circle. When it’s difficult for others to gain entry at all levels, it also means that the stories that get published follow a very precise narrative most of the time. This narrative is always going to enforce the stories of a certain demographic as superior because these stories are the ones that are “worthy” of being told. Literature is so important because literature becomes a part of our narrative.

When we reject imposter syndrome and push forward anyway, we’re opening doors for others. When we become successful, we’re showing the world that our success is possible and that systems designed to keep us out can’t keep us down. We’re showing people who relate to us that the door can be opened for them too. We’re changing the narrative. We’re fighting back. We’re changing the culture.