Marissa Mayer is a reluctant heroine. Not only is the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, she also happens to be a woman. Who also happened to be pregnant in the same year that she climbed to the highest echelons of the corporate world.
Although she got a lot of flak for curtailing her maternity leave to a mere two weeks, Mayer is under further scrutiny for dodging an opportunity to further the plight of the professional woman.
According to an article in Mommyish, Mayer first graced the cover of Fortune in a "svelte black dress without any visible signs of her pregnancy." Apparently when asked to pose for the new "50 most powerful women" cover, she declined. Seems she didn't want to be pictured for the magazine's new issue while pregnant.
So while she had the chance to show the world that a woman can be a powerful corporate presence while simultaneously being a mother, she chose to flout that opportunity, leaving us with those highly sexualized, strategically posed bump shots.
Instead of cracking open the glass ceiling, it seems the Yahoo CEO was content to keep her head down. Disappointing that someone in such a groundbreaking position refused to give us the snapshot that "would have been a very influential and resounding portrait for not just women, but those who employ them."
Not everyone is cut out for the limelight, and I can't totally blame her for being media shy. Having said that, she is a role model to many professional women, whether she likes it or not. She does us all a real disservice by ostensibly sacrificing her maternity leave, and outright denying that she is a feminist (as if the mere suggestion is an insult).
It's great that she has climbed the slippery ladder, but Mayer isn't necessarily making it any easier for those who would follow her example.
It may be synonymous with flat-packed, impossible-to-assemble furniture. But according to an article in the BBC, Swedish manufacturer Ikea is now known for Photoshopping women out of its catalogues.
In a Saudi Arabian version of its catalogue, women are clearly missing from various frames as pictured in the corresponding English-language catalogue—a deletion Ikea regrets and blames on a franchisee gaffe.
The firm claimed the Saudi version of the catalogue "is in conflict with the Ikea Group values," and is reviewing its promotional procedures.
"We support the fundamental human rights of all people and we do not accept any kind of discrimination," a spokesperson for Ikea told the BBC.
Under Islamic Sharia law, applicable in Saudi Arabia, women are clearly kept under wraps: forbidden to drive or leave the home without sufficient cover or esco.
Although Saudi leader King Abdullah has promised to set about reforms to women's right, including the right to vote, the changes can't come soon enough.
Apparently Ikea, whose profits are in the billions, has three stores in Saudi Arabia.
Does Bruce Willis get you going? What about the 'tough on dirt' face of Mister Clean?
An article in the Huffington Post draws on a study published in the Journal of Social Psychological and Personality Science which claims society views shaven headed men as "more manly."
Participants in the University of Pennsylvania study consistently ranked skinheads higher in terms of "masculinity, strength, dominance and leadership potential."
“The shaved look is more attractive than the visibly balding look," said researcher—and proud baldy—Alfred Mannes. "So men suffering natural hair loss may enhance both their dominance and attractiveness by shaving."
Then there's the whole myth of virility... Or wait, is it a myth?
Do men with shaved heads do it for you? Why? Spill it.
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