Women Are Conflicted Between Brains And Beauty

Would You Prefer Brains Or Beauty Or Friendship?

Posted by: Annika Harris Filed in: news
10:30AM, Wednesday March 25th 2009

Last week, we asked you whether you’d want to be called a slut or fat. More of you picked slut over fat (1,573 vs. 689). Obviously, perceived promiscuity is a less hurtful label to Frisky readers than assaults on our appearance, even if we’re playing into archaic ideals. But when it’s a choice of brains versus beauty, women are still conflicted, according to a an Oxygen network poll of more than 2,000 women aged 18 to 34.

Three quarters of the women interviewed said they’d rather win “America’s Next Top Model” than the Nobel Peace Prize. Putting up with Tyra would be a lot easier than dedicating your life to world peace, but Nobel winners experience a lifetime of notoriety, whereas ANTM winners are hardly remembered after the season finale. Even as an avid watcher, I can’t name all 12 ANTM winners.

Seventy-five percent of the women said they would shave their heads to save a stranger.

More than 25 percent said they’d make their best friend fat for life if it meant they’d remain skinny. It’s interesting that women would be willing to alter their appearance to save a stranger, but would doom a friend to a lifetime of body image issues so that their appearance would be accepted by society.

But when asked whether they’d give up their cell phone, jewelry, and makeup to keep a friendship, 88 percent said they happily would. I think it depends on the friend, but then again I have a tendency to be vain.

Half of the 18- to 24-year-olds said they would marry an ugly man as long as he was a multimillionaire. So the question of wealth versus beauty really isn’t an age-old dilemma.

This study points out that women today can be a mixture of “altruistic and materialistic, vain and insecure, loyal and self-serving,” said Dr. Jenn Berman, a psychotherapist and judge of Oxygen’s “Pretty Wicked.” Basically, we’re complex. [Reuters]

comments

CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 10:42 am: [report]

I’d rather have the nobel, because I think I look horrible in heels (Being a guy) and the Prize pays a million bucks anyway.

retro chic
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 11:07 am: [report]

As a girl who wants it all, I say: “Why choose?” It makes sense that the study says we can be blendy too, even if contradictory.

^Ooooh, CheeeeEEEEse, you’re on fire today… the Friction Undies article really got you hot.

cattgirl813
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 11:15 am: [report]

I’d take friendship hands down. The right friends can make you smarter and more attractive. Being smart and lonely or beautiful and lonely is no way to go through life.

reebsdc
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 01:36 pm: [report]

Broadsheet on salon.com said the statistic about the Nobel Peace prize the exact opposite way. They said 75% would rather win the Peace Prize. I’m inclined to believe that statistic more since no one over the age of 21 wants to win ANTM. Can someone link to the actual study?

Tarvold
wrote on March 25 2009 @ 05:18 pm: [report]

Is it too much to ask for all three?

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