The Power of Beauty

I used to work for a financial services company and I remember vividly one of my most embarrassing moments as a new associate. I overheard a conversation about how one of our most attractive colleagues got preferential treatment because of her appearance. I thought it a lucky advantage and useful tactic to note. I mentioned my observation to one of the seniors who was not amused. Later that day, she walked past my desk and shouted, “I’m on my way to a meeting. I’ll be sure to put my lipstick on.” I could have died.  But, turns out, maybe she should have.  In her new book, Erotic Capital: The Power of Attraction in the Boardroom and the Bedroom, Catherine Hakim examines the power of beauty in the workplace.

While I have yet to read the book (it’s definitely on my list), Gill Corkindale wrote a great review for Harvard Business Review. Corkindale believes that the beauty premium, while it does exist with statistics to bear, is culturally specific. She notes that in many European countries its unspoken that beauty and grooming is a key part of your success arsenal. Meanwhile, Americans frown upon using sex appeal, I mean erotic capital, to advance despite the fact that we are quite obviously susceptible to it.  One only needs to look around the checkout line to see how much we love to consume hyper-sexed imagery. However, our inner Puritan just won’t let us fess up to how far that reaches.