Stick to the books or hit the gym

By Laura Van De Pette
March 30, 2006

The mind may be a terrible thing to waste, but the waist is also a terrible thing to mind. In fact, most women would rather have a thinner waist than a higher I.Q., according to the results of a recent nationwide woman’s survey.

According to the survey, when asked if women would prefer a slimmer waist or a higher I.Q., 56 percent of the women questioned chose the slimmer waist.

As a woman, I am embarrassed that more than half of the surveyed women would opt to be lighter than brighter! Has society diluted our brains with botox, liposuction and Hollywood starlets so much that women believe their waistline is more important than their mind?

After reading this survey and several similar studies, it appears that women’s beauty and value in our society has long been judged through the eyes, not the ears. I am very much discouraged by the findings of this survey.

The fact that a majority of the women surveyed said that they would rather be thinner than smarter demonstrates society’s preference for looks over brains in women. Society has been injecting more than botox into American women; it has been injecting our minds with the incredulous idea that beauty is power.

Whatever happened to the phrase, “knowledge is power?” It appears that that notion has been swallowed up by the no-carbohydrate dieters and South Beach diet junkies.

I believe the troubling results of this survey are directly correlated to American culture. We live in a visually focused culture that rewards and worships the slim and beautiful, but pays little or no attention to those that fall short in these areas. With that in mind, it is no wonder that women strive to have Jessica Simpson’s abs and butt rather than the amazingly bright, Harvard-educated mind of Natalie Portman.

What is even more discouraging to a female college student like myself is another statistic that proves that looking good pays well. Women who are slimmer than a better qualified, chubbier co-worker will make 30 percent more money each year, according to another national survey.

As I read the results to these credible surveys, I couldn’t help but wonder if my time was better spent at the gym trimming my waistline or in the classroom earning the almighty college diploma?

In the end, this research shows that smart women finish last, just behind the woman with the nice butt.

Judging by the grim outlook of such survey results, it seems a woman’s knowledge is overlooked for her body. For those of us who try to make up for our less-than-perfect bodies by becoming intellectual thinkers, our best attempts may just prove futile when you realize the Angelina Jolie look-alike in the cubicle next to you is bringing home a bigger paycheck and attracting more attention than your framed college diploma.

I have never been more disappointed in our society, and for that matter in myself, for actually having to think twice when given the choice between a slimmer waistline and a higher I.Q. But, the results do not lie, and it seems the only way to beat society’s shallow system is to have beauty and brains, but then of course, you will intimidate all the men you meet and will still be searching for more. My solution is to keep your head in the books and your diploma framed.

We all know everything will come back in style, maybe even slightly chubbier celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, in which case we college graduates will have the entire package.

Posted to the web by Tim Hague

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Laura Van De Pette

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