Ladies, are your ovaries dictating your shopping decisions? A new research study shows that women who are ovulating are more likely to buy sexy clothing after being shown a picture of an attractive woman. The general interpretation being this: women are hardwired with the biological need to out-sexify their female competition for a male provider.
Great, just what we need: more research confirming petty female competition.
Can we be ushering in a scary brave world where, as one Salon writer puts it, mass advertising orchestrated towards the ups and downs of your menstrual cycle? Will women start receiving advertising deals for lingerie, clingy clothing and stripper heels at the peak of their ovulation? Scary.
Certainly, there is nothing wrong with wanting to look and feel sexy. Caring for your personal appearance is a form of self-love. But when sexy turns into a pointed strategy for making other women feel insecure or a never-ending quest to live up to the impossibly high beauty standards of airbrushed models, then that’s sexy turning into an ugly beast.
What are some ways to genuinely look and feel sexy from the inside-out without having to bring other women down?
- Sexy intelligence. Read challenging books, learn new hobbies, keep up-to-date on current events. Nothing says sexy like a worldly, well-informed individual capable of creative and critical thinking. As a starting point, here’s a list of non-celeb blogs that make for good brain food.
- Sexy health. Do you exercise? Eat you vegetables? Drink 8 glasses of water daily? Meditate? Doing all of the above on a regular basis keeps your skin beautiful, your body slim, and your energy level high. Now that’s sexy.
- Sexy passion for something. Living for your very unique life passions–whether it is traveling, making art, cooking, or helping the homeless–gives you instant charisma, poise, and confidence. Roughing it out on a hiking trail in an old T-shirt and dirt-caked boots for your love of nature? Sexy.
- Sexy strong relationships. My loving and amazing boyfriend makes me feel sexy even if I’ve just rolled out of bed with no make-up on. My amazing friends make me feel sexy for the warmth, energy and creativity that they share with me. Being surrounded by good people on a regular basis is the best way to feel sexy, attractive, and happy. Beats getting hit on by creepy men in shady bars, no?
- Sexy giving. Whether you volunteer for a cause you feel strongly for or simply give your time of the day for friends who need a good listener, a giving heart spreads joy and happiness to others. Rather than needing to feel more beautiful than others on a superficial level, you are making others feel beautiful inside-out.
The lipstick and the heels–just icing on the cake, my dear.
PHOTO (cc): Flickr / bass_nroll
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