chargirlgenius: (Default)
chargirlgenius ([personal profile] chargirlgenius) wrote2008-09-05 12:39 pm

A Sexism Post that’s NOT About Sarah Palin

If you think that sexism is dead in America, I’d like to tell you what I heard yesterday. I was sitting, working in a coffeeshop, and there were a couple of guys at the next table. The one was pitching to another an idea for event planning, telling him all of the services that they were going to provide. I was mildly amused, because the younger guy (the pitcher) was very enthusiastic, but the older fellow (the pitchee) was largely silent, and his body language made him look like he wanted to escape the conversation. Because of my amusement, I sat with my iPod headphones in, but the music turned off. (Ues, I’m bad).

As the younger guy is explaining how the day goes, he says, “And we’re going to have an attractive female at the door greeting attendees…”

I’m 95% certain that’s what he said. Had I been 100% I likely would have said something, but even with my iPod phones in, I don’t really doubt that he would have said that.

Not that it’s a surprise, but yes, female looks ARE more important than brains in getting some jobs in corporate America*. Lest I ever feel too confident in how far society has come, I’m quickly reminded how far we have yet to go.


(*I completely understand that for many jobs, a well-groomed appearance is a must, but I consider good grooming something that anybody can do, rather than inherently being “an attractive female.”)

[identity profile] spikywheel.livejournal.com 2008-09-05 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
I remember watching some program that had a woman give exactly the same presentation dressed 2 ways:
one in a suit, hair in a bun, glasses, no makeup.
the 2nd time she wore a low blouse (red), short skirt, hair down, makeup.

She was selling cell phones. Guess which focus group responded that they would be more willing to buy the product.

[identity profile] ichseke.livejournal.com 2008-09-05 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd be interested to know how much information each group retained about product features ...