Should a smart and sexy woman use her physical attributes to help advance her career goals? Heck yes, I say. This doesn’t mean she should have an affair with the head of the company, wear itsy bitsy dresses or see-through blouses. It does mean flirting just enough to get the attention of the opposite—and sometimes very gullible–sex, wearing classy clothes that complement her great figure when she’s making a presentation to an important client and pretending her looks are sharper than her mind when she wants to obtain valuable information. Most businessmen think they’re smarter than women, which, in fact, is not the case. It’s pretty easy to outsmart many of them, at least emotionally.
Katie always showed off one of her greatest physical assets, her legs. So would I if I had legs like hers!
Katie always showed off one of her greatest physical assets, her legs. So would I if I had legs like hers!
A former boss–tall, sexy and quick–was so good at using her feminine wiles, she was repeatedly promoted. She wasn’t especially brilliant at her job but she was a great deal smarter than her boss, so she played it right. She also was sharp enough to surround herself with women who were brighter than she was so she’d look good.
One female TV personality constantly bats her eyelashes at her male co-host, practically sits on his lap during the show, shows off her long legs on air and gives male guests all kinds of coy glances. The only thing I fault her for is pretending she’s not using her looks to her advantage. Of course she is, as well she should.
Madonna recently moved into my neighborhood. She purchased a gigantic townhouse, on 81 Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, for about $40 million, which she gutted and renovated. It’s a stately brick home with a great many windows, a two-car garage and a big backyard. (These are rare commodities in Manhattan.) Since I walk down that street many times a month, I’ve watched the renovation process from the start. It’s always fun to look at the beautiful architecture of private residences on the Upper East Side.
A few days ago, I noticed an addition to Madonna’s new home: An imposing black metal gate in front of the place, with two official signs–a few feet from each other–that say exactly the same thing: Don’t park or your vehicle will be towed away, at your expense. In case you miss the two signs, our new neighbor has the words “NO PARKING” written in cement–TWICE–at the curb. I’m surprised Madonna didn’t memorialize her hand print while she was at it. Her private Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The gate is charmless; the twin signs add insult to injury. Many wealthy and well-known people live in private homes in the neighborhood (Al Roker and Katie Couric, for example) and they don’t barricade themselves inside like this. Sophisticated security systems provide plenty of protection. Multiple NO PARKING threats, all within feet of each other, are ridiculous.
If Madonna is so threatened by the people of New York, she should have moved elsewhere. Even the paparazzi aren’t hanging around. Who does she think she is: Lady Gaga?
Rusty, my witty and wonderful brother-in-law, was the master of ceremonies at his son Adam’s wedding this weekend. As he thanked me for helping to plan the big day, his devoted wife and my FOF sister, Shelley, came out from the wings of the tent. Everyone was in stitches when they saw the sign she held.
It read:“faboverfifty.com. Premium Memberships Available.”
Shelley, who retired last year as a dietician with the NYC Board of Ed, now is director of member relations and the Ask an FOF program. As mother of the groom, I’d say she went above and beyond the call of duty for her job. But I loved watching her prance around the room with her little billboard.
Love you, Shelley. Congratulations to Adam and his beautiful bride, Nicole.
