Ms. Mayer's photo is beautiful. Make no mistake, she shows that a powerful woman is also capable of being a sexy woman. Kudos to her for being willing to take the risk and jump out there and keep her name, as well as the name of her company out there in the spotlight. She is doing an excellent job of getting Yahoo! In the press. Honestly, when was the last time you heard this much about Yahoo!? The company has been around for a long time, but has been largely out of mind of most Internet users. Marissa has changed that in a big way in her tenure as CEO.
But, there is a concern that I have, and it relates to my age. I am 48. I grew up in an era when women were fighting hard to be taken seriously in the work place. Smart women were fighting hard to he seen as anything other than sex objects. The women who are just 10 years older than I am fought pitched battles to be seen as the equal of any man. Heck, I am good friends with one of the first 10 women EVER to be admitted to the Naval Academy. The stories she tells about her fight for equality between the sexes in an institution of higher education are unbelievable. I'd like to think the world has changed since then.
But, has it changed that much?
Do men truly see us as their intellectual equals? Have we progressed to the point where we can be successful without having to resort to sex appeal to get ahead?
Lets look at the hugely successful, innovative men out there in the business world. Men like Dean Kamen, Bill Gates, and Donald Trump. I've never seen any of them in a seductive photo spread in any magazine. I've met Dean Kamen several times. Every time, he's been dressed in hiking boots, blue jeans, and a denim shirt. Very rarely do you see him in a magazine, period.
Wait, there was that one young congressman, Aaron Schock, who posed for a photo spread in Men's Health, showing off his very fine physique. I can't tell you anything about his politics, don't even know where he's from, or whether he's a democrat or republican, but I do know that he has rock hard abs and a fine looking...umm, wait, I digress.
I guess it boils down to one core question:
Do you want to be known as a sex object first, or do you want to be known for your business acumen first?
Only time will tell if this was the right decision for them at this point in their careers.
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