Women have been expected to look and act a certain way since the moment they're born. If they wish to be taken seriously and get far in life, they must look and act like ladies. They must respect everyone and not expect to be respected in return, they must look pretty every second of the day, and they must do the things that they don't wish to do in order to get far in life. What's ironic is that Society isn't always pleased when women do as they're told. If a woman looks and acts like a doll regardless of whether or not she wants to, she is labeled as a "fake" and a "wannabe". If she wishes to be anything other than a doll, then she is labeled as a "dumb feminist" and a "show-off who can't be taken seriously". Society cares so much about a woman's beauty only to tell her that she's "too pretty". "Honey, you're too pretty to be a scientist." "I'm sorry, but you're too pretty for me to take you seriously." "No, I'm afraid you're too pretty for something like that." Like many women, I've been told that I was "too pretty" for something. However, not every woman in the world has been told that she was too pretty to be autistic.

I wish I was kidding.

In November of 2014, I attended a church retreat during my first semester of college. I finally decided to open up about being autistic, and I was met with respect and support from everyone. However, this one lady responded with, "But you're so pretty!" I don't remember if I even responded to her at all. I didn't think too much of it at first, but now it shocks me that neurotypicals (non-autistic people) still believe that autism is supposed to have a certain look. I mean, what was that lady expecting me to look like? The only good thing about the encounter is that she didn't immediately accuse me of lying simply because of my gender.

One of the most common myths that people sadly still believe about autism is that only males can be autistic. Most AFAB (Assigned Female At Birth) people don't get diagnosed as early as AMAB (Assigned Male At Birth) people do, and some might never get official diagnosed at all. Other reasons why some autistic people self-diagnose rather than receive a proper diagnosis is because they don't have the time or money for it, they have ableist (showing discrimination against disabled people) parents who refuse to believe that anything could possibly be wrong with them, or they could lose certain benefits thanks to a doctor's diagnosis. Most AFAB autistics have no choice but to self-diagnose in a world that refuses to believe that they exist.

As I mentioned earlier, women have been forced to look and act a certain way for years. Because of this, AFAB autistics are better at masking than AMAB autistics. "Masking" is the act of pretending to be neurotypical in order to blend in with everyone. The reason why you're less likely to find females who "look autistic" than males is because females have been forced to look and act a certain way more than males. Female autistics have practically mastered the art of appearing normal in public by studying how other people act and by copying fashion and beauty trends. Although pretty girls normally get all the attention, pretty autistic girls are often ignored because "they're too pretty to be autistic". NEWS FLASH! Some autistics are capable of taking care of themselves and can be attractive if they wish to be.

If you ever come in contact with an autistic girl or any autistic AFAB person, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1.) Not all autistics are born male, so please don't assume that they're lying.

2.) Never tell them that they don't look autistic. Not all autistics look and act the same.

3.) Treat them like their age. If the person in front of you is clearly an adult, then please treat them like one unless they specifically ask you to treat them like a child.

4.) Don't tell them to "stop acting autistic". It's extremely degrading. How would you like it if someone told you that you weren't allowed to be yourself?

5.) If they wish to mask for personal reasons, let them do so. Give them advice on how to look and act differently in a way that wouldn't shame them for being on the spectrum.

6.) If the autistic person happens to be trans or non-binary, don't assume that they're confused simply because they're autistic. Contrary to rumor, autism doesn't equal a lack of intelligence. These folks know who they are.

As it turns out, no woman is "too pretty" for anything.