Should Women Flaunt Their Sexuality To Achieve Progress In Their Career?
It is no news that women have always been repressed in workplaces. Be it a distasteful comment about their appearance by a male colleague or a company’s preference of a man in a managerial position rather than a woman, despite the difference in their intellectual and managerial abilities. Even though women now make up approximately 47.7% of the global workforce, only 27.1% are managers or leaders. Furthermore, about 42% of women face discrimination at work on a daily basis.
Is it really progress if it’s crippled?
I recently came across an article by Business Insider called, “Sexiest Scientists Alive” and boy, did I have some thoughts about it.
While it was inclusive of them to compose a list of scientists and celebrate their accomplishments, some of the remarks on scientists, in general, that they had made were quite disturbing to me. Here are a few of them:
These aren’t your typical lab coat-wearing, messy-haired brainiacs.
We thought this was important, to highlight the brains along with the beauty. But, they’re not bad to look at, either.
Throughout the article, they have time and again implied that scientists are usually chaotic, disorganized people, levitating the notion that they need good looks along with their intelligence to be recognized for their achievements. There is nothing wrong with being both beautiful and smart but all Business Insider did was accentuate the “beauty with brain” stereotype.
It is necessary to appear presentable at work, no matter your gender. Psychology Today says, “Every woman should care about how she looks if she wants to realize a comfortable level of success and self-sufficiency,” and that goes both ways. But when a woman’s talents seem to get her nowhere in her career (mostly because of the patriarchal onset in a lot of workspaces), should she resort to flaunting her sex appeal in order to get ahead?
Back in 2011 (seems like an eternity ago), the British sociologist, Catherine Hakim, wrote a book called “Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital,” in which she talks about a term she coined: ‘Erotic Capital.’ She defines it as “a combination of beauty, social skills, good dress sense, physical fitness, liveliness, sex appeal, and sexual competence.”
What she basically tried to put forward is that one’s attractiveness and sexual appeal outweigh their educational qualifications. In an article titled “Attractive wins and ugly loses in today’s rat race” in the Evening Standard, Hakim states, “Many young women now think beauty is just as important as education. Those who possess erotic capital have a big advantage. These people smile at the world and find that the world smiles back and remembers them.”
While it is absolutely acceptable to invest in one’s beauty as well as education, Hakim proposes that the former is more important for women than a college degree. She has put forth the examples of Barack and Michelle Obama in her book. They are fortunate enough to have the financial resources to have nurtured their beauty and intellect. Does everyone have those privileges?
Not to mention that ‘Erotic Capital’ doesn’t really guarantee actual capital. One’s genius and capabilities tend to remain constant, unlike one’s sex appeal.
I highly recommend watching David Pakman’s interview with Catherine Hakim (Start at 1:12) to get a comprehensive look at what Hakim really means when she advises women to exploit their looks to succeed in life.
So, do women need or needn’t use their appearance to achieve success? I feel that as long as a woman trusts her own capacities, she shouldn’t really have to flaunt her looks. That being said, a lot of times, the sexist environment at workplaces might leave her no other choice.
As a society, it is time we begin applauding them and giving them equal opportunities in order to prosper!
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think ‘Erotic Capital’ is empowering or degrading for women? Would flaunting one’s looks at their workplace do more bad than good? Let me know in the comments below!
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Until then, take care!
