I was watching television with my mom, a real Andy Griffith fan, and this particular episode made me think about how things have changed, and maybe how they haven’t so much.

A little girl asked why boys have to think they’re better than girls at everything. “The male ego,” is the answer she receives, with the advice that maybe it’s a good thing to let men think they’re better at everything.

Next, she tries it out on Opie (who’s still sporting the black eye she gave him earlier in the show). Of course, he likes her much better when she plays dumb.

My first reaction was to think about how different things are now, but are they? I asked my husband and his response was that boys are threatened by girls who are better, but men are not. Do you agree? Do women still feel as if they have to dumb themselves down in order to be attractive? Is it something that women do in front of men, or is it broader? I know when I was a kid I got teased for being smart, so I quickly learned to hide it.

So, how many of you have hidden your intelligence for some reason? Was it to attract someone, or to fit in, or for some other reason?