Close your eyes and imagine a narcissist. Try to imagine what a narcissist looks like in your mind. He’s a male, isn’t he? While there are many men in the world with narcissistic personality disorder, we often associate narcissistic traits only with men.
We think of an unrelenting ego and an arrogant sense of self-satisfaction, and for whatever reason, we identify those traits as masculine. It is one of the most common stereotypes about narcissism.
But here’s the thing – narcissism knows no gender boundaries. Women can be narcissists too.
Female vs. Narcissistic Male
Are men more susceptible to narcissism than women? While there is some research to support this, this does not mean that women are immune to narcissism.
We all know women who make everything about themselves, women who flaunt themselves, women who are arrogant or self-absorbed. Some women display traits consistent with the classic definition of narcissism, which is “excessive or sensationalized interest in oneself and physical appearance.”
Narcissism is more subtle in females, especially with covert narcissism and communal narcissism. Overt narcissism and exaggeration are more common in males.
It is known that women have traits that are less severe and difficult to detect than men with narcissistic personality disorder. Women are more likely to be misdiagnosed, and have greater empathy and emotional sensitivity to narcissists than men.
There are many narcissistic women in the world, and if you want to maintain healthy relationships with the people in your life, you must be careful with them.
7 Signs of a narcissistic woman
- Every conversation revolves around her.
While it’s fine to talk about yourself occasionally at social occasions, a narcissistic woman will almost exclusively talk about herself or will always direct the conversation to herself.
Ask yourself: “When was the last time you asked a question about me?” If the answer is no, then this is a clear sign that she is full of herself.
- She keeps canceling plans with you.
Conflicts happen, but one big sign that she is a narcissist is when she pathologically refuses to live up to her previous commitments. She doesn’t care about influencing others.
She never thinks about disappointing you. All she wants is the freedom to do what she wants, whenever she wants, no matter how it affects the people around her.
Related:
- She gets crazy when you tell her “no.”
This is one of the easiest ways to spot a narcissist. When they ask you to do something, just say, “No.” It doesn’t even have to be a hard “no.” You can just delay your answer or say: “I’ll get back to you.”
Narcissists hate this type of response. They do not like others to exert influence on their self-centered spheres of existence.
If you know a woman who loses her mind when she responds negatively, she may be displaying narcissistic traits.
- Flirt with people you don’t like.
Flirting is fun for adults, but narcissists use flirting as a tool to get what they want. This becomes obvious if you know a woman who uses flirting as a way to manipulate people she is not romantically interested in.
Narcissists believe they are the sexiest things on earth, and this inflated sense of self-image makes them believe that no one could ever resist them.
Hence, they flirt as a form of manipulation because they cannot imagine that any man or woman would not be completely seduced by their feminine wiles.
- She doesn’t speak well about the people in her life.
Narcissists see themselves as standing at the top of the social pyramid, with everyone else at their feet. This attitude can become apparent if you listen to the way they talk about others.
Do the women in your life frequently use derogatory terms to describe others? Does she always question the intelligence of others, but never her own?
This is classic narcissistic behavior. We all have the opportunity to lash out at our friends from time to time, but if you know a woman who always does it and never shows any signs of empathy or self-deprecation, she’s probably a narcissist.
