Does acknowledging our failures, make us look strong or weak?

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During a recent reunion, one of classmate spoke about her failures in life. They were truly heartbreaking moments and life-threatening ones as well for her. It was tough what she went through. She was good with her academics and was doing great in personal life when I saw her last time. This was a shocker! There were some who openly appreciated her for her willingness to speak on the subject and the self-awareness. They even mentioned she is brave to confront her challenges and learn from them. She did not deflect the balm or hid her mistakes, rather came open on all her mistakes. She did earn respect from others. At the same time, I did see few mentioning this as a lack of ability and that she was incompetent. They see her openness as a sign of weakness. They were quick to point at the losses. Perhaps she opened up to the wrong audience? It got me thinking whether acknowledging our failures, make us look strong or weak? What do you think?