Ever heard of tall poppy syndrome?
I’d never heard of the term until today. According to Wikipedia:
Tall poppy syndrome is a term which originated in Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s that refers to people with notable public success, who excessively promote their own achievements and opinions. Intense scrutiny and criticism of such a person is termed as “cutting down the tall poppy”.
I was introduced to the term by a young Canadian woman. Wikipedia states: “In Canada, the term ‘tall poppy syndrome’ is used in particular to refer to successful women being criticised for their success.”
In fact, I think that my companion felt that the term had a wider connotation in Canada where she sees people reluctant to have pride in themselves because they might be subject to this tall poppy syndrome.