If you're a woman in these times, you may be shortchanging yourself. You could be losing out on opportunities, career advancement, or even personal happiness right now. Why? Because our prevailing culture - as indicated by what we see on TV, on the big screen, and in some of our magazines - sends both men and women a clear message: the key factor of a woman's value is her physical appearance.

Think about that idea for a moment. As a woman, no matter how talented or intelligent you might be, your level of physical attractiveness determines much of your worth in our culture.

And if you accept the idea that your value in the world is due in large part to how attractive you are, you aren't doing yourself any favors. By not feeling worthy, too many women allow themselves to stay in low-paying jobs, unrewarding relationships, and dead-end situations. By comparing yourself to supermodels or celebrities instead of accomplished women in business, government, or science, you may be choosing the wrong role models for success.

The statistics tell the tale: there are too few women as CEOs of major corporations, too few women in congress, too few women running any important show, for that matter. The shortage of women in power cuts across the board, for just about any industry you could name. Unfortunately, this trend will continue until women come to the realization that they deserve just as much financial and career success as any man.

Just for the sake of argument, turn the tables for a second. Picture corporate America run almost exclusively by women - and because they hold the power, their level of attractiveness is considered a secondary issue in getting ahead. Now imagine a small number of men as window dressing at the top of the corporate heap. Because the men are in the minority, to reach their upper status they probably had to have pleasing physiques and handsome features, with their job acumen far less of a concern.

How would the women in power deal with these token men? The answer might be that they would treat the men as inferiors, akin to how the apes treated the human character in the film, The Planet of the Apes. An exaggeration, perhaps - but the allusion is clear.

The majority (men in power) seeks to keep the majority status. The best way to accomplish that aim is to keep the woman (minority) caught in a cultural quagmire, where she believes that her looks and sex appeal are her principal gifts to society - thus keeping her self-esteem in a continual state of flux.

The question then becomes, how does a woman achieve growth in her career and personal life when she's thwarted in getting the respect she deserves for her intellect and talents? Often, she'll jump on the bandwagon - using her physical charms to get ahead instead of developing her innate intellectual skills and reaching her full potential. Unfortunately, when you settle for much less than you can achieve, not only do you hold yourself back, but also the world doesn't get the opportunity to receive your best contribution.

It takes great strength to pull away from the masses and think for yourself. Ignoring cultural biases such as what a woman "should" look like or become and instead focusing on your individual capabilities for success will take your courage, dedication, and faith. The reward will be that you will set the example for future men and women to follow in your footsteps of leadership. Yes, you can break out of the cultural quagmire and make great strides for progress. Are you ready for the challenge?

© Kathy Sanborn
Life Channels Staff Writer
All Rights Reserved

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