Are we leading with our boobs or our brains?

A few days ago, I received a Facebook message from a former college classmate regarding his thoughts after reading an MSN article that suggests every woman has a “Victoria’s Secret model strut” – a peculiar gate where we “lead with our boobs”.  According to the article, most of us do this subconsciously when we are in the most fertile part of our cycle.

He writes:

Hey Gretchen, I hope you are well. I was thinking about you today…

As the father of a blossoming young girl (she’s 9,) I find myself tuned into the evidence of sexism and do my very best to see things as objectively as possible. I want to raise a strong young woman with a strong opinion of right and wrong, with morals and values that I can be proud of, and the ability to disagree when confronted with opposition (even if it comes from her father.)

I saw this article today on MSN: The Walk That Drives Men Wild

This article reminds me of two anecdotal points, summarized by the statement that in the arena of equality for women: women are often their own worst enemy. This article is written by a woman and it places emphasis on position of the “boobs.” You can read the article and form your own opinion. This article reminds me of another instance from our Millikin days. One of Aymie’s roommates had a bumper sticker on her door that was entitled “The Evolution of Human Intelligence.” This bumper sticker was based on the classic evolution of man scene: a monkey silhouette on the left progressing through Australopithecus, Homo-erectus, Homo-sapiens, to a man clad in a modern suit. However, this sticker was a focus on the silhouette of the foot. Again the progression was from the monkey foot, to the bare and stubby hominid foot, to the modern bare foot, to leather boot foot, to a man’s business shoe, to a woman’s heel. Now, I am not so dense as to not realize the spirit of this sticker; i.e. it was a tongue in cheek method of displaying a woman’s superior intellect to a man’s. However, that sticker missed the mark.

Are classic high heeled shoes worn because they are practical or comfortable? Before any woman answers “yes,” I would caution that women are conditioned to think so. I would posit that high (or even low) heeled shoes/boots are worn to gain the attention and/or interest of men. They accentuate the leg by the way they force a woman to stand and make a woman appear taller and thus more attractive. The fashion of the modern woman is so accustomed to the use of the “heel” that society has all but forgotten the “why.” The sticker on the door misses the mark, because that woman’s shoe print was not exactly the evidence of intelligence, as much as it was a symbol of a cultural demand that women must be attractive to succeed.

Sexism is everywhere. On behalf of my young daughter I encourage you to continue your efforts with my support.

His comments and the article have me thinking. First of all, I don’t even own a pair of heels. The closest I can get is a pair of black boots that I wear in the winter when it’s too impractical to wear flats or tennis shoes. So on the “heels” question, I would say “heck yeah they are uncomfortable”. I have friends, however, who would disagree and then of course, Lux is known for drumming while wearing heels.

The walk?  Ummm, no.  I don’t think “most” woman subconsciously do that at certain times of the month. Yes, there are different ways to walk and there is a certain stride that models use, but is there is a difference in walking confidently versus advertising fertility?

So what do you all think about this idea…  Are we women our own worst enemy? Do we buy into articles like this?  Are we bowing to a symbol of cultural demand that women must be attractive to succeed, as my friend mentioned?  We say we don’t listen to the media or follow the hype, but are we still putting the wrong stereotype out there? Are we leading with our boobs or our brains?

Would love to hear your thoughts…