In one of those holiday discussions, over a glass of wine or two in the evening, I learned that neither my 20-year old son nor his girlfriend have read Simone De Beauvoir’s [amazon_link id=”0140034633″ target=”_blank” ]The Second Sex.[/amazon_link] Perhaps not surprising, as it was first published in 1949, and I read it in 1979. More alarmingly, they had never heard of Simone De Beauvoir (although the name Jean Paul Sartre rang a bell), nor could they bring to mind any books which a young woman today would regard as an inspirational feminist text. I did a bit of searching on Amazon and found few recent feminist titles, and those there were did not seem to have made an impact. (If anyone knows of counter-examples, do let me know!) What a contrast to my late teens and early 20s when we had classics such as Germaine Greer’s [amazon_link id=”0007205015″ target=”_blank” ]The Female Eunuch[/amazon_link] (1970), Kate Millett’s [amazon_link id=”0252068890″ target=”_blank” ]Sexual Politics [/amazon_link](1970) and Marylin French’s [amazon_link id=”1860492827″ target=”_blank” ]The Women’s Room[/amazon_link] (1977) fairly recently off the presses.

This came to mind reading reviews in The Guardian – and an unsympathetic interview by Zoe Williams in the magazine  –  and also the FT today of a new book, [amazon_link id=”1846144191″ target=”_blank” ]Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital[/amazon_link], by LSE sociologist Catherine Hakim. As far as I can gather from the reviews, she adds to Bourdieu’s list of types of capital the idea of ‘erotic capital’ and argues that women should enhance their erotic capital by wearing nice clothes and staying slim. OK, I exaggerate a bit, but it doesn’t seem promising. On the one hand, it’s almost banal to say paying attention to how you present to other people will affect your success in employment. On the other, it’s depressing that the latest career advice for women seems to be about making sure to be attractive to men.

Any women reading who are seeking advice, I’d commend heartily instead [amazon_link id=”069108940X” target=”_blank” ]Women Don’t Ask[/amazon_link] by Linda Babcock and Sarah Laschever, who document the fact that the pay gap between male and female executives is largely attributable to the failure of women to ask for salary increases. (This is not to overlook the empirical evidence that there is also a big earnings penalty attached to career breaks in order to have children.) Also look at this fantastic post in the FT’s Women at the Top blog this week. It sums up a book I haven’t read, [amazon_link id=”111806254X” target=”_blank” ]Break Your Own Rules: How to Change the Patterns of Thinking That Block Women’s Paths to Power[/amazon_link] by Jill Flynn and others.

And meanwhile, consider Simone De Beauvoir’s warning:

“In so far as a woman wishes to be a woman, her independent status gives rise to an inferiority complex. … In consequence of this defeatism, woman is easily reconciled to moderate success; she does not dare aim too high.”

Consider it, and ask which needs more attention – female ambition, or female appearance? If we all pick the same answer, perhaps it’s time to revive feminism.

[amazon_image id=”0140034633″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The Second Sex (Penguin Modern Classics)[/amazon_image]

Update: Since writing this yesterday, I came across a review by Jessa Crispin (of bookslut.com) of a book called [amazon_link id=”074564757X” target=”_blank” ]The Future of Feminism[/amazon_link] by Sylvia Walby. The review doesn’t make it sound a rip-roaring read but, hey, it’s there and full of economics. I will have to take a look.

A further update: A friend has just pointed out to me this recent review of a new translation of [amazon_link id=”0307265560″ target=”_blank” ]The Second Sex[/amazon_link].