Elizabeth Smart Warns Against Over-Emphasis on Politeness for Women

Kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, 38, is cautioning women against prioritizing politeness above their own safety, particularly when it involves heeding their instincts.

Smart, who was abducted at age 14 from her Salt Lake City home and held captive for nine months, shared in a recent podcast that the societal expectation to be courteous can put women at risk. "I was raised to be polite and respectful and courteous…I would say that the idea that it was more important to be nice than it was to listen to my gut feeling was wrong," Smart told People. She is now a mother of three and advocates for teaching young women to recognize and respond to danger by trusting their intuition.

In her podcast, "The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart," she speaks with other survivors about their experiences and healing journeys. Reflecting on her own ordeal, Smart emphasized the importance of prioritizing personal safety over others' feelings. "There’s this saying: you will never see a gazelle getting into an elevator with a lion. But as women, we typically stifle our intuitions. And even if there is someone questionable or that makes you feel uncomfortable, we think, ‘Oh, I don’t wanna offend them,'" she stated.

Smart stressed that trusting one's gut should always supersede another person's comfort. "In reality, I would hope that my daughters, if they felt something was wrong, would just say, nope, I’m waiting for the next elevator," she said.

Since her abduction in 2003, Smart has become an advocate for child safety. She founded Smart Defense, a program focused on teaching self-defense skills to women. More recently, she gained attention for her success in bodybuilding, winning first place in a competition in April after revealing a significant physical transformation. Her journey has garnered widespread support, with many followers hailing her as a role model for her courage and determination.