rant
I have always convinved myself that although I may not be the prettiest, the thinnest or have the nicest arse; I do have a chance at being the politest, the funniest and the most hard working. I'd hoped that "sex sells" was a myth, and that people were chosen for aspects of their personality rather than for how much customers want to shag them and how good they look in a short skirt. I was shocked and appauled then, when my (new) manager at the Student Union announced during a conversation we were having that should he be faced with an interview situation where there was one girl who was more pleasing to his eye than the other, he would automatically employ the prettier girl. I pressed him further, trying to explain my point of view - that there should be another way to decide who would be better suited to the job even if the very rare situation arose that they were both equal in personality and qualifications. He sighed, rather mockingly in a "you've got a lot to learn" kind of way and said "the fact of the matter is, sex sells, it's the way the world works". I argued with him that when you receive attention for being attractive on the bar it actually hinders work. I recounted a conversation I had had with a rather drunk customer who, after being rude and demanding, told me I should smile more because I was pretty when I smiled. But apparently not when I didn't force myself and was gritting my teeth trying to deal with his annoying and insulting attitude. I told the customer that I shouldn't need to be pretty for him. My manager then said that I was incredibly rude for treating the customer in that way and that I should have smiled and said thank you, not caring at all about the rudeness of the customer. I am not a prostitute. How toned my body is does not have a bearing on how I pull pints or mop up sick. I am polite (unless pressed), I provide good customer service and I like to believe that I am generally well liked by both my colleagues and the customers for my personality, not for anything else. What's next, bloody weigh-ins at interviews? And I certainly won't be wearing a short skirt as he requested all female staff do...