Academically gifted girls often see unrealized and unfulfilled potential as a result of societal pressures to make the choice between being smart and fitting in. Gifted girls face many social issues in their lives that impact their education and interests from a young age. Gender stereotypes may be perpetuated by teachers, who have been shown to more frequently call on boys in class, at times provide girls less rigorous tasks than their male peers, and even overtly appear to like smart girls less than other students. Social norms against girls are pervasive and prevalent. Parents of gifted girls should empower their daughters to feel they can succeed in any field. Parents can help level the playing field by: (1) Encouraging their gifted daughters to take higher-level classes, especially in the STEM field; (2) Finding a mentor; (3) Seeking out peers; and (4) Using bibliotherapy to model positive influences.