The Ethics of Using Feminine Wiles in the WorkplaceI graduated from an all women’s college in 1977. In those days, everyone leftthe commencement ceremony with a diploma clenched in one hand and a copyof
MS. Magazine
clenched in the other. My classmates and I went out into theuniverse feeling fully empowered to achieve success based on intellectual meritand individual resourcefulness. These days, when the alumnae magazinearrives, I always flip to the back of the journal and affectionately review theaccomplishments of my contemporaries. Most have achieved significantsuccess; they are educators, hospital administrators, environmentalists,musicians, business owners, corporate VPs and, a small handful, CEOs andCFOs.Not until very recently have I entertained the notion that any of the women Iesteemed from my college days might have achieved her status by flirting,manipulating, behaving provocatively, dressing sensually or otherwise using hersexuality to win a ticket up the ladder of workplace success. Nevertheless, as weobserve U.S. culture in 2004, professional women need to stop and re-definewhether we are moving ahead legitimately or if we are employing femininewiles to edge ahead of our competition—and, if we are, is that an ethicalstrategy to employ?The trendy new reality show, “The Apprentice,” offers us a weekly glimpse of the
dog eat dog
truth of how colossally sharp, smart, savvy, innovative,groomed, articulate and indefatigable one must be to obtain a plum spot on theTrump directory. Each week a select group of Trump executive “Wanna bees”must prove their worthiness, skill, charm and drive to Donald Trump and histeam, and, each week, some poor brilliant soul is “fired” from this pursuit onnational TV. Yet, if you watch carefully, the women competitors seem to havean innate advantage over the men seeking Trump’s approval. They’re sexy andthey aren’t shy about it. Whether selling lemonade in flirty little mini-skirts oroffering to knock back a few shots with male clientele at trendy restaurants todouble the revenues at the bar, these women are “players.”But wait-- what about feminist rhetoric about being taken seriously,-- of nottolerating being viewed as sex objects? Where do women draw the line betweenpreserving their dignity and risking demeaning their reputations to achieve agoal? And, if we endorse the notion of using sex appeal as just one more tool inthe workplace arsenal—where does that leave our plain Jane sisters insolidarity? Not all of us can wear stiletto heels and flounce into a conferenceroom with a mane of cascading hair and a size 6 suit. Is it sour grapes for lessattractive women to be resentful of their glamorous colleagues or should weembrace their ability to “work their assets?”
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