Should beauty be substituted for brains?

Every woman has her own strengths and weaknesses. A beautiful lady may have a terrible character, unlike her counterpart who could have commendable attributes that are not physical. Life Xtra finds out if indeed beauty should be substituted for non-physical qualities. In this modern world, both men and women strive to be enlightened and knowledgeable […]

Every woman has her own strengths and weaknesses. A beautiful lady may have a terrible character, unlike her counterpart who could have commendable attributes that are not physical. Life Xtra finds out if indeed beauty should be substituted for non-physical qualities.
In this modern world, both men and women strive to be enlightened and knowledgeable in their chosen fields of endeavour. Gone are the days when women were made to believe that the kitchen was where they belonged. Though they are still faced with gender stereotyping, women have become more zealous in attaining academic and professional heights. But, even with that, some still don’t utilise their brains and fall back on what they could benefit using their beauty.
During the week, a friend related the story of a colleague who attended the same bank training school with him. She was one of those who had studied accounting and so a lot was expected from her, but to his greatest disappointment and that of others, she could not attempt the easiest tasks. However, she was very beautiful, dressed well and took extra care with her make-up and was ultimately the centre of attraction for most of the men present.

Nwoke Ezechimere, who is in his 30s, believes that beauty and brains are a formidable combination, but that “only a fool will substitute beauty for brains.” For him, where beauty stops, the brain begins its work, stressing that beauty is ephemeral while the brain is long lasting.
After Mrs. Michelle Obama put up a brilliant speech for her husband during his presidential campaign, and a hot debate ensued where she was compared with Kim Kardashian, a television reality show star admired for her beauty, Sanmi Owoturo explained. The issue went viral on social media, but the fact that the choice was Michelle Obama was obvious.
He said that for those who believe that beauty is everything, they need to think again because it’s not always about beauty, adding that as a woman, beauty is important, but what most ladies forget nowadays is that looks cannot put food on the table. “Besides, no man wants to marry any lady who has no brains except, of course, she is from the village. And even the ones in the village are becoming more enlightened,” Ezechimere added.
However, Ahmed Meto, a laboratory scientist in his mid-30s has a different opinion. He notes that the two complement each other, although beauty is superior. Beauty can still be patched up, when it matters, considering that all eyes get attracted to a lady because of her beauty, he argues, adding that even in most Nigerian companies, the latter is put ahead of brains.
Yetunde T. Gold, a married woman in her late 20s, opines that beauty and brains are two different things: “Beauty has its place in life but the product of the brain is more essential. It cannot take the place of the brain.”
Adzer Terfa Felix, however, says: “The physical outlook is merely peripheral. So, what someone thinks or does is very important. If it is good, it will serve a family right and vis-visa.”
Tina Saleh, a 25-year-old undergraduate, argues that the brain has an upper hand over beauty: “The external looks alone cannot help one to excel in life. The brain, undoubtedly, rules the world.”
She adds that: Some girls still believe that the kitchen is the right place for the woman. I have hears some say that when they are through with school, they’ll just go ahead and marry because their husbands own them and their degrees. They don’t see the need to work because they are of the opinion that since they are beautiful, they don’t need to do anything. And this leaves us with the thought that they are not intelligent.”