I like your post.
I want to add, that beauty is a more fleeting value and usually only benefits the individual.
Intelligence can benefit society as a whole.
I think that's why it's more respected.
There are a lot of sad, lonely women, who believed they 'earned' their way in the world, but have come to realise that they only had their looks work for them.
I totally disagree. Beauty does not only benefit the individual. Beauty is hugely important to society. A world with no beauty is desolate. A world of intelligence but no beauty is the world of the Borg.
There are a lot of sad, lonely professional athletes, or laborers, who believed they "earned" their way in the world, but have come to realize that they only had their now-failing physical capabilities work for them. There are a lot of sad, lonely intellectuals who believed they "earned" their way in the world, but have come to realize that they only had their now-failing brains work for them.
Well if you take my nuanced statements to the extreme of only intelligence and no beauty then of course you can strongly disagree with my 'borg' view.
The OP has a picture of a young beautiful girl in the header, mind you.
I didn't make this sexist.
The engineer, whos invention still works, long after his mental capabilities have faded, is more respected than a pretty young girl.
Telling young girls to not only rely on their beauty, but 'earn' their way is nothing to strongly disagree with.
The "young girl" in the picture was in her mid-40's when it was taken. I'm glad you still consider that young!
I agree that young girls should not only rely on their beauty, but nor should they fail to exploit it while they can. I just disagree that by pursuing other things (like an education, for instance) they are "earning" it anymore than otherwise. They didn't earn their beauty, but they can cultivate it and exploit it. And they likewise didn't earn their intellectual aptitude, but they can do the same with it. Both are wise and equally "worthy".
Well, she looks young in the picture - I didn't zoom in on it :)
I wouldn't advise a girl to exploit her beauty.
It creates a warped vision of reality.
It also affects men and their perception of women.
But that's just my opinion and I'm not telling anybody what to do, unless maybe if someone asked me.