I've Noticed Something: On Women and Institutional Fluency
by Silvia Passiflora, Editor | Scriptaluna
May 26, 2026
I’ve noticed something.
People are very comfortable with women being “creative.” They are comfortable with women writing poems, singing songs, posting beautiful photographs, telling emotional stories, and speaking openly about inspiration, heartbreak, longing, or healing. There is a familiar cultural script for that, and most people know how to respond to it.
The atmosphere changes when a woman begins speaking fluently about infrastructure.
Metadata engineering, rights clearances, contracts, publishing systems, archival permanence. The reactions become noticeably different, especially when that expertise is demonstrated publicly and with confidence.
I’ve noticed that moments where I speak visibly about expertise are often met with caution, skepticism, unsolicited guidance, or subtle reframing. I announce a milestone and, instead of acknowledgment, the conversation shifts toward someone else establishing their own expertise in the same area. I mention a professional achievement and someone asks whether I was scammed. I speak clearly about systems and someone insists on “warning” me about something vague and undefined.
What fascinates me is that I don’t even think most people realize they are doing it.
A woman saying “I made art” is often welcomed warmly. A woman saying “I understand how the systems work” seems to alter the emotional temperature of the room in a way I’ve begun to find genuinely fascinating.
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