17th June, 2025
Artwork by Taylorlani Housman
Introduction: What is Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS)?
For people who live in Australia and New Zealand, Tall Poppy Syndrome is no mystery term. It’s a cultural phenomenon so ever-present that even if you don’t recognise it by name, you learned from a young age how socially displeasing it is to be considered ‘up yourself’. By the time you’re grown, you come to understand that you can only have so much ambition, pride and growth before you’re the tallest, most arrogant poppy in your field, taking up all of the nutrients and sunlight. Someone’s got to snip you down, and if it’s not your peers, it just might be you. It makes you cringe to celebrate your wins as much as it does to hear someone else boast about theirs.
Is this cultural aversion to self-promotion a bad thing? Not necessarily. For the sake of this post – I’m going to talk about TPS in the Australian context. Here, some argue that Tall Poppy Syndrome is part of a cultural ideal of Australia as ‘the lucky country’ – one full of equal opportunity for Jimmy Barnes’ Working Class Man and the classic Aussie Battler to succeed at work and relax at the end of the day. Isn’t that what we all want? Probably. But how might our place in the poppy field affect our chances? Let’s discuss.
Roots and Cultural Context
Tall Poppy Syndrome may have taken roots as part of Australia’s convict history. Most of the early settlers in Australia were convicted of petty crimes committed from poverty, and sent over from England. In fact, 80% of transportees were mere thieves, sent away for getting the five-finger discount on bread back home. Naturally, a cultural disdain for England’s class system among this convict population began to form part of Australia’s national identity.
Early settlers saw their unjust sentence and longed for a more egalitarian society – where everyone gets a ‘fair go’. Sometimes, this value manifests in beautiful ways – the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the willingness to lend a helping hand to a neighbour. Other times, treating everyone equally means undercutting anyone who is seen to take more than their fair share and denying marginalised people of due equity.
Bert Peeters (Griffith University) published a paper in 2003, studying TPS through an ethnolinguistic lens. Testimonies from visitors to Australia reveal a noticed Aussie adversity to business-related boastfulness, and an appreciation of humility.
We want to be chill – we want to be humble, laid back. We don’t want to come off like we care too much. We have a tendency to root for the underdog and to ridicule our millionaires and politicians. While we aspire to live the good life – with health and ‘wealth for toil’, it’s best to be naturally gifted, and worst to be a try-hard.
How TPS Manifests and Its Effects
Giving everyone a fair go sometimes means holding others back. Sometimes, it means holding ourselves back. Imposter syndrome creeps in as Tall Poppy Syndrome internalises, and we take the snippers to our own stem preemptively.
Tall Poppy Syndrome affects us in any number of ways – it may limit success in our careers, hinder one’s ability to advocate for themselves, and caution us not to take worthy risks for fear of social repercussions. It certainly influences self-image, which, of course, ripples out beyond your career, leaking into your social life and familial relationships. It might play a part in the decisions you do and do not make, even regarding your hobbies and interests. Research out of New Zealand shows that Tall Poppy Syndrome affects overall wellbeing, from an emotional, social and financial perspective.
It’s unsurprising from this research that TPS is a more common barrier in the lives of women, gender-diverse people, people of colour and other marginalised groups. This does not suggest that diverse identities are more often show-offs, but that their achievements are sooner scrutinised.
The larrikin doesn’t take himself too seriously, because a male poppy mightn’t worry about the space he takes up, 3 inches above the rest. He can share his achievements just a tad longer before he’s snipped. His female counterparts, however, must worry she is too big for her britches a mere millimetre above her mates.
Some Reddit discourse on the topic suggests that for some Australians, Tall Poppy Syndrome is sometimes seen as something that exists socially, but is not “enough of a thing that someone would deny themselves work opportunities.” I wonder about the demographics behind the anonymous user names, but I consider the idea.
Other commenters propose TPS may be more apparent in rural areas than major cities. On a personal level, I’d have to agree. In my gap year, I worked to save money for a move to Wollongong (marginally bigger city), where I would study Media & Journalism. I was told a countless number of times that it was hard to work in the field. I was most notably told this by people with labour-intensive jobs. I thought it must be harder to work in their field. It just depends on what you value.
Australians from rural areas may not value wealth and institutional education as much as hard work, with a direct benefit to the community. I can’t fault that – but it is a notable difference. With only a few exceptions, I didn’t receive an overwhelming amount of encouragement in rural Australia. The friends I made at university and in arts-related spaces are a lot more willing to discuss our work, ideas and achievements.
It makes me wonder, however, how arts degrees warrant poppy-related criticism – since I’m sure we are all familiar with the starving artist and struggling writer. It certainly doesn’t read as ‘upperclassman’ to me. A rich doctor, business executive or celebrity seem like better targets for the snip in the class system. Perhaps journalists keep our politicians company in the chopped poppy heap, and perhaps that’s fair – a perspective I’m sure can be changed with a heavy-handed investment in local, community-based journalism. A post for another time, perhaps!
Strategies for Navigating and Countering TPS
If you’ve read this far, it’s safe to assume that you’re not a TPS-denier. You’re someone who feels impacted by Tall Poppy Syndrome personally, or someone who acknowledges that it does not always serve the collective well. You’re someone who could agree that perhaps, by chopping down the strongest, healthiest poppies in the garden, we’re not strengthening the remaining crops. Perhaps we are guaranteeing a damaged flower bed full of unremarkable poppies.
So, what can we do about it?
The way out is bragging. So let’s learn some ways to brag effectively and considerately, and how to micro-pitch your rebellion against TPS.
Resist the urge to snip your own stem
I’m someone who is really prone to self-criticism and pre-emptive embarrassment. In starting my photography business and having been interested in writing and creating different things from a young age, I understand having to overcome the idea that not everyone will cheer for you when you self-promote. It can be hard, but the main thing is – do it, anyway.
You’ll find out who is willing to cheer you on and who is not. Realistically, the people who you think might judge you probably won’t even care, and if they do, it’ll be a passing comment ‘Did you see what so-and-so did?’. You can survive that. Plus, the comments they might make realistically won’t change your life at all. Their negativity is about them, not you, so don’t make it your business. This is all easier said than done, but small brave moments add up, and it’ll feel less scary, in time, to ‘brag’ a little.
Don’t snip any other poppies
A great way to minimise the burden of TPS on your life is to reject it outwardly, by being a proud friend.
If you make a habit of lifting others up instead of cutting them down, you boost their confidence and your own. If you can have honest, open conversations about your insecurities, learn from each other and cheer each other on, that’s almost the problem solved. My friends, Taylorlani (who created the feature image for this post) and Kai (who recently got his dream job before even finishing uni) have been particularly good friends to me in this way. We aren’t all doing the same thing. I feel understood and encouraged by them – I know that they sometimes feel a strange shame about achieving the things they set out to do, and so do it. A simple ‘hey, this thing you made is cool’ does wonders to reassure me. It’s important to be genuinely into what your friends do and what it means to them. Don’t set up ingenuine friendships, and you’re right as rain.
Focus on not undermining others’ achievements, and address your own from a place of gratitude. It doesn’t need to be “Look at me, how cool am I!”, it’s much easier to say “I had this wonderful experience and I like the outcome, thanks to those who support me.” Also, say nice things about people when they’re not there. You can lead by example – the people you’re talking to might get in the habit of appreciating achievement. Most people aren’t cutting poppies down out of genuine malice – it’s just the norm. If you call attention to it, you could help.
Anyway, I’ve run out of things to say now. If you’ve read this far, well done and thank you! Let me know if you have any thoughts or tips, and have a great day.
