Introduction: Erotic Capital and the Politics of Desire
Anna lost her well-paid job in financial services, so she had to work hard at fi nding
a new job. She ate less, exercised, lost weight and looked ten years younger. She went to
the hairdresser, had her hair coloured and cut into a new shorter, flattering style, that
made her seem younger and more lively. She went shopping, invested in an expensive suit
that showed off her new trim figure and made her look attractive as well as professional –
and wore the suit to all her job interviews. Anna felt confident wearing it. Three months
later she had won a new job in consultancy paying 50 per cent more than the old one.
Anna works in the private sector, where appearances count rather more than in the
public sector. But anybody could do the same. Why would anyone not invest in and deploy an
asset that supplements intelligence, specialist knowledge and experience? People looking
for a new job are often advised to rely on their social network, to exploit their social
capital. But updating your appearance and style can be equally effective.
I coined the term ‘erotic capital’ to refer to a nebulous but crucial combination of
beauty, sex appeal, skills of self-presentation and social skills – a combination of
physical and social attractiveness which makes some men and women agreeable company and
colleagues, attractive to all members of their society and especially to the opposite sex.
We are used to valuing human capital – qualifications, training and work experience. More
recently, we have begun to recognize the importance of networking and social capital – who
you know instead of what you know. This book presents the evidence for, and impact of, a
talent so completely ignored until now that there has never been a label for it: erotic
capital.
Erotic capital is just as important as human and social capital for understanding
social and economic processes, social interaction and upward social mobility. It is
essential for making sense of sexuality and sexual relationships. In sexualized,
individualized modern societies, erotic capital is becoming more important and more
valorized, for men and women. However, women have a longer tradition of developing and
exploiting it, and I found that studies regularly find women to have greater erotic appeal
than men. Artists have perceived this for centuries.
Counsellors who advise on job-hunting remind us that you never get a second chance to
make a good first impression. People who are short-listed for interviews are all suitably
qualified and have appropriate work experience. Interviews can bring to light any extra
talents – such as erotic capital – which help to make a winner. Anna already had the
certificates and experience, so she invested in this other asset that is so often
overlooked. For people who have few or no qualifications, erotic capital can be their
most important personal asset.
Like intelligence, erotic capital has value in all areas of life, from the boardroom to
the bedroom. Attractive people draw others to them, as friends, lovers, colleagues,
customers, clients, fans, followers, voters, supporters and sponsors. They are more
successful in private life (with a greater choice of partners and friends) but also in
politics, sport, the arts and business life. In Honey Money I want to explore the social
processes that help attractive people to achieve more, faster. At what age does being
attractive start to matter? Are the most beautiful and handsome people aware of their
advantage? Is there any link between beauty and brains, so that a lucky few have a double
advantage? If you are not born beautiful, can you develop attractiveness anyway?
At an early stage, my study threw up a puzzle. Research shows that men benefit
financially even more than women from high erotic capital! As I expected, women score
higher on levels of social and physical attractiveness – probably because they invest more
effort in looking good and being agreeable – but men are rewarded more highly for their
lesser efforts. In effect, women’s erotic capital seems to be less well rewarded than
men’s – most demonstrably in the workforce.