Donald Trump may be hogging the limelight, but I find Carly Fiorina the most interesting of the Republican candidates. She recently made a comment about being called “a bimbo and worse,” which is something most women can relate to (I certainly do)!
Before I was a blogger, I used to work as a realtor. Socializing was a big part of the job and we were encouraged to attend numerous events. The most coveted invitation was to an extravagant annual party hosted by a star agent. All of his parties were infamous for having good looking women. Anyone who wasn’t invited felt like a loser and those who were invited and attended often experienced and/or witnessed inappropriate advances/attention/behavior.
Though many will deny it, I think this is the rule rather than the exception. A woman’s appearance often matters more than her intelligence, even in a professional setting. And the women who strive to be both pretty and smart are often ridiculed viciously.
On a daily basis, we are scrutinized in a way men never are. Everyone is so concerned with skirt length, heel height, “tasteful” jewelry, the “appropriate” shade of lipstick and other mind-boggling nonsense that has nothing to do with business ability.
Clearly being a CEO of Hewlett-Packard is a tough job and not something that can be accomplished by a “bimbo,” yet Carly Fiorina still has to convince many people that she’s competent. Instead of being a negative, she insists that being underestimated has worked for her rather than against, which is a great attitude to have!
Are there inequalities in the work place? YES! Should there be? NO! But life isn’t perfect and we have to do the best with what we’ve got. If you’ve ever been denigrated and patronized, it’s hard to suck it up and carry on. But we can’t allow others to marginalize our efforts. Maybe you’re currently stuck in a job without wage parity. Maybe you’re bombarded daily with snide, superficial remarks about being “just a girl.” Maybe you’re the most qualified but were passed over for a promotion.
Take heart: None of it is permanent. There is always another company, another job, another way. Carly started as a secretary and now she’s running for president. That sure sounds like revenge of the “bimbo” to me…
It’s sad, but true. Most women are still judged based on their appearance and I am not sure if we will ever see that go away.
It’s so sad that women are still being judged on their appearance. I was very impressed by Carly Fiorina when I watched her in the early debate last week. She’s smart and qualified to oversee any company and/or our country.
Sometimes unfortunately it is candidates that are well known, such as Donald Trump. I also watched the debate and I was inpressed by Carly Fiorna. It is the first time I really had seen her speak and debate. People should not be judged on appearance.
I misses watching her and I really wanted to see her. I feel a lot of the time there is double standard, but all we can do is leave an impression and go from there.
So wish we could see more of her and less of Trump. Unfortunately you are right with how the world works. She will have to fight for every minute of screen time and will be judged on how she looks on camera.
It drives me insane that women are still judged by their appearance. Have you SEEN some of the male CEOs?! We could have a field day with them.
You would think this day in time the world would be past belittling women. I’ve been to several events recently and got chills observing exactly what you described at your realtor parties. It’s like high school all over again. Pretty girls get attention, hoping they put on enough ritz to get an advancement while being surrounded by pigs with no chance of getting promoted, (in the way they hoped). Will the male being head of the world ever change for us hard working women!?!
It is so sad that women are still getting judged based on their appearances!! Isn’t it about time that we move on and focus on the quality of our work?!?
I love it when Bimbos – I mean women prove the men wrong 😉
When I was in high school I worked for a boss that was very sexiest. Eventually I refused to work with him. It’s always sad when women are made to feel less than.
I think that girls need to stick with girls, instead of putting them down! Beauty doesn’t make you smart or stupid. One has nothing to do with another.
I’ve never heard of this woman before but I hate that women are automatically judged on their appearance and never their smarts.
I’ve seen her on TV and I don’t think she deserves that negative publicity. I just hate it when women are degraded this way.
We need more women candidates. I hate how Donald Trump is dominating the headlines.
I never heard of this woman before but i think we need more women candidates . Donald Trump is doing extremely well , at least on social media
Revenge, indeed! And I couldn’t be happier for her success, I know she’ll continue to be judged on her appearance. Sad but true.
Sounds like all of the challenges she has faced over the years have really turned her into a stronger, more competent individual. It’s nice to see women continuing to pursue that office also.
It is incredible to me how these things still happen and how it is easy for men to belittle successful women! But even more surprising it’s that women often are so harsh to other accomplished women. Why is that, I have no idea. But to all the “bimbos” out there – YOU GO GIRL!
Unfortunately women will be judged in everything because there will always be that one person who doesn’t believe women can do what men do. But we will continue to fight our way through and prove we are just as good (if not better) than men!
I truly agree with you in all of these. I also think that she would be a good candidate or the best candidate against Hilary.
I thought Carly Fiorina did a great job during the debates too! If she sticks to the issues and doesn’t start with the “hate talk” that many do, she’ll soar! Imagine if there were two women running for presidency. Pretty awesome!
Appearance does make a big difference. I think that’s true no matter what anyone says. 🙂
Yes it can be hard. If that is what she is striving for, then she should also have known this would happen. She can’t change society, instead she needs to ignore the negative comments and prove herself.
I’ve never heard of this woman before but agree that women should not be judged on just their appearance. Such a shame.
I actually never heard of her, but I have zero interest in politics. I do agree that women are judged much more harshly than men, especially when it comes to physical appearance. It is sad, but that’s the world we live in, and I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon. 🙁
It’s unfortunate that it seems women will forever be judged for how they look and rarely seen as equals to men. That’s why it’s so important for women to stick together and not be against each other.
It’s unfortunate but true that women are most often judged by their appearance. I hope that someday that will change.
I have heard some pretty amazing things about her. Let’s see what happens. I really enjoyed reading this post. Thank you!