Found in The Economist yesterday and was inspired to share some of it with you as well as my comments.
Physically attractive women and men earn more than average-looking ones, and very plain people earn less. In the labor market as a whole (though not, for example, in astrophysics), looks have a bigger impact on earnings than education, though intelligence—mercifully enough— is valued more highly still.
In this article: The Line of Beauty the author is examining three books on beauty, its leveraging ability and the desire of some to shut its power down. Its an interesting study and in examining the case for legal protection for the ugly, Mr Hamermesh relies to a degree on the work of Deborah Rhode, a law professor at Stanford University and author of “The Beauty Bias”. Ms Rhode clearly struggles to see why any woman would willingly embrace fashion (particularly high heels). She is outraged that virtually all females consider their looks as key to their self-image…..
Rhodes is blind to the fact that humans assess each other constantly. Beauty is associated with health and vitality. It has survival written all over it and that is a powerful attraction no matter your age or sex. In my own studies, I’ve found health and vitality to overpower empty beauty, just as intelligence kicks it into high gear. The combination can be so powerful its frightening to some. When the balance is off, buyers are wary and they fall into the category of Rhodes where beauty can detract from getting hired. I’ve often been asked if it is a problem and told my looks are distracting. On the other hand, when that same person takes the time to hear my message, the bond is irrevocable!
“Honey Money”, [not the title] Catherine Hakim’s provocative book, is a different kettle of fish. Where Mr Hamermesh and Ms Rhode see discrimination, she sees an opportunity for women to enhance their power “in the bedroom and the boardroom”. She argues that “erotic capital” is an underrated class of personal asset, to set beside economic capital (what you have), human capital (what you know) and social capital (who you know). Ms Hakim attempts to quantify a complex mix of physical and social assets, consisting of beauty, sex appeal, self-presentation, social skills, liveliness and sexual competence. Like other sorts of capital, the erotic kind is important for success; but unlike others it is largely independent of birth and class. It is especially valuable for poor people, young people, the newly arrived and the otherwise unqualified. In heterosexual settings it belongs primarily to women.
I love the term “Erotic Capital” – Hakim nails it. She nails it because of the combination of factors she describes. She differentiates Erotic Capital from economic, human and social capital. She is dead-on and Rhodes is delusional to think it’s possible to capture and prohibit humans from a natural process with laws and regulation. A healthy unattractive person will have more success than an unhealthy attractive one.
Ms Hakim suggests that women have more erotic capital than men to start with, mainly because they have had to work at it for centuries. But women have the erotic upper hand for another reason: the male “sexual deficit”. It is the woman’s main bargaining chip, as most still earn less than their partners. Feminists who want women to throw away their femininity are overlooking a powerful asset, Ms Hakim argues.
This may raise the hackles on some, but frankly its exciting to see someone has finally has the guts to call it for what it is, write a book on it and tell women to not overlook the powerful asset of their looks and essentially their feminity. Better yet, use it in the board room and the bedroom for the benefit of everyone, to create engagement and better communication. It takes all the skills, the obvious and covert, and lays them on the table as tools for business success.
Whether I’m walking through the door or in negotiations selling a product, this comes up all the time. Particularly lately. Perhaps I’ve reached an age where the gloves come off and the combination of intelligence and attraction are finally able to work together? There is an attitude that makes it work, which is to keep playfulness at bay and use focused energy to move mountains. And they will move when you apply pressure and skill. So use all your assets with the class of a professional.
