Post #25

English says in her book Gender on Trial that the dynamics of the workplace have drastically changed. Before, women were only present in the workplace in small numbers and usually as support staff, so when sexual harassment occurred women were punished. Now, women are professional peers, and sexual harassment is actually punished.

I think that the heightened response to sexual harassment has forced both men and women to be more conscious and aware of how they use their sexuality in the workplace.

However, it is almost accepted that women are innately more sexual than men and use their sexuality as “a weapon in the arsenal” to gain an edge.

There are pros and cons to this.

On one hand, women can use their sexuality as a means of power over individuals. Women can dress in a way to emphasize their attractiveness and in a way that flatters them so they seem more confident and professional. Women can also use their sexuality in front of men to gain favor, telling them that they like their tie or suit. So, women can use their sexuality to gain power. One of the lawyers in English’s study said she wore short skirts on the days when she knew she was in front of a particular judge because if she did, she normally got what she wanted.

However, when women overly use their sexuality, it can be seen as they are using it just to get ahead in the workplace or a way of sending incorrect messages to clients. One lawyer said that there are women who get ahead by being overtly sexual at work, but that it is not a longterm career strategy and makes it so that some women are not taken as seriously. Another lawyer said that there was a bad type of flirting that women were engaging in to compensate for shortcomings and that it was used to get to the top without showing that a woman could get there substantively. She also pointed out that there is this image out there of women who use flirtation and sexuality to get where they want to be.

I think this whole sexualized image of a female lawyer is definitely played up in the media. Just look at the movie Legally Blonde. Elle Woods is given her internship by a professor who is working a high profile case because the professor thinks she is sexy and he makes sexual advances on her. When one of her peers sees this, Elle’s credibility is automatically questioned. Another media portrayal of women being overly sexualized I think comes into play in the show Law and Order. Have you ever noticed that the woman who works for the District attorney is a tall, slim, blonde-haired woman?