How to become Unreadable around Mean Girls

When you’re dealing with mean girl behavior, being expressive becomes a liability. Unreadable doesn’t mean cold, it means emotionally self-contained.

What “unreadable” actually means

Unreadable = predictable tone + limited emotional data.

You’re not hiding and you’re not broadcasting. This removes the material others use to:

• interpret

• distort

• or socially regulate against you

The 4 rules of staying unreadable

1. No inner world access

You stop sharing:

• confusion

• hurt

• disappointment

• social processing

Those conversations happen outside the group.

2. One beat responses

Short, neutral, and complete.

Examples:

• “That works for me.”

• “Got it.”

• “I’ll check my schedule.”

• “Sounds good.”

No qualifiers and no emotional padding.

3. Calm consistency

Same tone whether included or excluded. This signals emotional steadiness, which quietly shifts power.

4. No narrative correction

Unreadable people don’t rush to fix misunderstandings.Silence here is strength.

Back pocket scripts to try:

• “I’m good with whatever you decide.”

• “No worries at all.”

• “Hope it goes well.”

• “I’ve got a lot going on, I’ll circle back if needed.”

Why they work:

They close loops without opening emotional doors.

Unreadable isn’t avoidance, it’s selective access.

Dealing with a mean girl or mean girl herd? Head to The Lounge and ask away, I'll get back to you with tailored scripts and tips. Prefer a 1:1, head to the book a session tab above, members get 10% off with code: Member.

xo,

Dr. C