<i>First, I disagree with the premise anecdotally: most girls I find attractive are smart.</i> This is the typical nerd male response. It's all about you :P In

<i>First, I disagree with the premise anecdotally: most girls I find attractive are smart.</i> This is the typical nerd male response. It's all about you :P In reality social pressure comes from so many sources. <i>popularity is typically an extrinsic measure, relative to your peers (i.e. it wouldn't make sense for everyone in your high school to be considered one of the popular kids) while attractiveness is an intrinsic measure </i> The whole point of my piece was that we are told attractiveness is an intrinsic measure whereas, in many ways for women, it is much more arbitrary and akin to popularity. Women in the states above all want to be thin. But if we can invent a pill tomorrow that will make everybody thin, is everyone suddenly going to be hot? For a while maybe, but soon a new arbitrary standard that excludes the majority of the population will emerge. <i> clear that being smart is a cause/excuse for being unattractive </i> My other main point is that being a conventionally attractive woman is hard work! Think about it this way...Katherine Heigl had to lose 10 pounds to play opposite Seth Rogan in Knocked Up. <i>I think it's abhorrent to tell smart kids being anti-social in general or smart girls rejecting their femininity in particular that their behavior is some sort of badge of honor.</i> I'm a girly-girl. There's nothing I love more than to put on some makeup and look hot at a party. There's a difference between enjoying something when it's fun for you and having it be an obligation. <i>If there's something you'd like to change about yourself, change it. If you're happy with yourself as you are, even better. People should accept themselves, flaws and strengths alike, </i> That is exactly as I would like the world to be. But right now, if you are a woman and you don't diet and you don't wear makeup and you don't spend a lot of money on grooming products and cloths and frankly a lot of other bullshit guys don't even know...you are at a distinct disadvantage. I'm just a regular girl who is tired of the bullshit. I haven't cut back on personal hygiene or anything. But I will not go on a diet or obsess about my weight unless it is for health reasons. I haven't read a fashion magazine for year, and while I do have nice cloths for special occasions, my wardrobe and spending on beauty is a fraction that of my peers.