The impact of perfectionism and biased language on girls' creative self-confidence

The challenge of perfection: two-thirds of all girls are afraid of making mistakes. Gendered language and the pressure to be perfect are hampering girls' creative potential, a report has found new global research from the LEGO Group.

The study covered 36 countries and collected data from more than 61,500 children aged 5 to 12 years old and their parents. The results clearly showed that girls naturally feel very creative, but sometimes lack the confidence to express their creativity. It is striking that two-thirds of girls in this age category hesitate to share their ideas because they are afraid of making mistakes. Three in five girls feel societal pressure to be perfect. This was also noted by parents and they agreed that girls' desire not to make mistakes prevents them from developing and expressing their ideas. Many parents also claim that the impact of this pressure for perfection is less prevalent for boys.

Change our words, change girls' worlds

So how can we help foster creative confidence and break the barrier of perfectionism so that girls don't let anything or anyone hold them back when they play? Research shows that one solution could be our everyday language use.

Is our society more likely to say that girls' creative endeavors are "cool" or "cute"? Data has shown it to be the latter option. Our society is seven times more likely to label women's creative achievements as 'cute', 'sweet', 'beautiful' or 'gorgeous' and twice more likely to label men's creative achievements as 'brave', 'cool', 'genius' or 'innovative'.

Astonishingly, 58% of all parents agree that 'cute' is associated with girls' creations, while only 9% believe it is associated with boys' creations in our society. Also, 37% of all parents think that society associates 'brave' with creations by boys, while only 17% believe it is associated with creations by girls. It is suspected that this simple language difference increases girls' desire to strive for perfection and makes them hesitant to experiment when working on creative projects.

Instead of these stereotypical adjectives, we should strive to use compliments that encourage growth, such as "imaginative," "brave," and "inspirational," to uplift girls.

Every girl deserves the freedom to explore her creativity, without fear or pressure”

Harvard-trained parenting researcher Jennifer B. Wallace says, “What we say when children are young resonates deeply. Biased language reinforces traditional gender roles that can limit girls' creativity and perpetuate systemic inequality. It can push them into a box, for example by valuing aesthetics over innovation. This implicit bias can hinder girls' confidence and limit their opportunities in male-dominated fields. Breaking these prejudices is essential to promoting an inclusive society where girls can fully realize their creative potential. “Every girl deserves the freedom to explore her creativity, without fear or pressure.”

Research confirms that eight out of 10 girls say they would be less afraid to try new things if they knew their mistakes would be praised as learning opportunities. Furthermore, 89% of all girls would feel more confident showing their work and 90% believe their confidence would be boosted if adults focused on the creative process of their work rather than the end result.

The power of play

90% of all parents surveyed believe that play builds their child's self-confidence, encourages them to express themselves and provides a safe space to experiment without fear of failure. More than 80% of all children say they feel more confident expressing their creative ideas and worry less about getting things wrong while playing.

A great way to build girls' creative confidence? LEGO® fun. As many as 87% of all participants say that experimenting with LEGO bricks and building sets gives them more confidence in their creative skills. This study also showed that playing with LEGO helps children overcome the fear of making mistakes and value progress over perfection. Parents also confirm that playing with LEGO helps their children see mistakes as a natural part of being creative.

Dr. Anika Petrella, researcher and psychotherapist, agrees, saying, "Teaching girls that experimentation is better than perfection is important to strengthen their authentic, creative selves. And what better way to do this than through play?"

How parents can help promote creative self-confidence

To promote and nurture girls' creativity, we created Play! Who's stopping you? launched, an exciting campaign that puts girls and their creative worlds in the spotlight. This campaign, with free workshops on LEGO.com and in select LEGO Stores , will inspire builders aged 6 to 12 to unleash their creativity.

To help parents supplement this at home, we teamed up with Harvard-educated parenting researcher and best-selling author Jennifer B. Wallace to create a guide to “10 Steps to Foster Creative Confidence.” This guide offers parents and caregivers fun ways to support their children's creative development, from normalizing setbacks to introducing positive role models. You can find it here .