I pursue beauty with dogged determination equal to my intellectual pursuits. I want the benefits of being a beautiful woman, despite the liabilities attached to the privilege of my appearance. In my estimation, there is more to win than there is to lose.
I am a senior technology consultant, working primarily as a quality assurance data architect. My product in large part is my appearance. It shows that I am a capable person consistent with my bill rate.
The first thing my prospective clients see is me. Not my professional reputation. Not my technical skills, certifications, and experience. No, my appearance is the only thing that shows my capability in delivering to them a product they are willing to pay for.
When I present myself well, they rightfully assume that I present my product just as well. I do. Although my product is data, something as impersonal as it gets.
Yet, they way I present the data must be consistent with the way I present myself. Doing so is a vote of confidence. The alternative is unemployment. My job affords my lifestyle, and so it is everything to me.
The beauty standards for consultants are the highest in corporate America. We represent the best in the business and must look it. We have the most experience, knowledge, and influence in our chosen industry. As a result, we get paid the most.
People expect that those with the most credentials and highest income look the part. So it is, the most successful consultants are also the most attractive. Everything from hairstyle and clothing to cars and computers is scrutinized endlessly by bitter rivals, otherwise known as FTEs (Full Time Employees).
We dress to impress, yes, but we must also deliver. Otherwise it is a demotion to full-time work, if we can get it. Not getting the job is our comeuppance. In a word: schadenfreude.
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