Beauty and the Brain…
If you had to make a choice between beauty or brains, which would you choose? The answer seems almost obvious, doesn’t it? In a world where women govern large corporations and have the same voting rights as men, the question sounds somewhat outdated and sexist.
But according to a study of young women in the United Kingdom, more than half of the women polled would prefer to have bigger breasts than a bigger IQ.
It’s important to note, however, that the women surveyed fell into the age group 18 to 25 years – a period when many of us are still finding ourselves and just about emerging from our teens.
Is it so alarming then that 40% of the study participants would rather be thin than clever when we are constantly bombarded with advertisements showing skinny models living the “good life”? The subliminal message being sent out is that outer, physical beauty will guarantee happiness and success.
So what then of the not-so-skinny female CEOs and university professors? Are they not as happy as their more attractive counterparts? Of course they are, but that image is not as sexy to promote.
The worrying part about this is that, not only is physical beauty being marketed as the ultimate ideal and recipe for happiness, but intellectual ability is seen as undesirable.In effect, promoting only beautiful, perfect women as the feminine ideal is doing more harm for the younger generation than ever before. What they are seeing is a modern-day Stepford wife, only happy if she looks good and marries well.
Add to this the fact that the working mother is often portrayed as a stressed-out, frazzled mess in the media. The message that this sends out is that a good career (and good brain) will lead to an unhappy personal life. It’s no wonder then that younger women are preferring to go with the easier look-pretty option.
Of course, this debate is far from over. But the difference that we can make is to inspire and share our stories with one another. Those of us who successfully manage both professional and personal lives (while looking fabulous along the way) know that there is no need to sacrifice one part of your life for another. Why can’t we be both beautiful and smart? If there is one thing that women’s lib has taught us, it’s that we are capable of anything.
Let’s make a point of it to motivate and encourage our younger sisters, friends, colleagues and family members. They too can be strong, independent, financially independent and beautiful. Life may not all come in a pretty, perfectly wrapped parcel, but if you’re happy, who cares?
Janelle xoxo
