I recently stumbled upon a heated debate online, in which author Catherine Hakim seemed to have thrown a stone in an hornets nest; I had not seen feminists and women so angry with an author. Hakim is the author of Honey Money; The Power of Erotic Capital, and boy, oh boy, does that book challenge our in-denial brains! I was just thinking of finding a copy for myself, when a friend gifted me one (thank you, Yusuf Serunkuma!) and just a few pages in, her thoughts on how to basically use what you have to get what you need, will cause you to scowl and chuckle in equal measure. Honey Money is about utilizing one’s sexuality and beauty to get ahead in life and the , just the way people use other forms of capital. And this goes for men and women. In fact, Hakim classifies capital forms into financial capital, cultural capital, social/political capital and erotic capital. “Attractive people stand out. People notice them, are drawn to them, are well disposed towards them,” Hakim writes. “President Barack Obama has many talents, is clever and highly educated, but it is likely that being handsome, slim, fit and smartly dressed contributed to his success in being the first black man to be elected president of the USA.” I do not fully understand why readers have been enraged by Hakim’s book; it puts in good English what we have all known and witnessed for centuries. Are you saying you have not seen the female executive who unapologetically uses her sexuality and beauty to scale the corporate ladder where others are depending on the social and cultural capital? Hakim calls that erotic capital. Haven’t you seen people treat a chubby, nice-smelling baby differently from the malnourished, dirty-nosed one of the same age? Erotic capital. Or in school, that clique of attractive students or pupils that everyone wishes they were a part of? Surely you remember the pretty girl who got all the lead roles in school plays and possibly went on to be crowned prom queen later in her secondary school. Erotic capital. What about the ‘slay queens’ in town, whose jobs and careers do not seem to align with the kind of money they have and lifestyles they lead? There. It is nothing new; Hakim, a senior research fellow of sociology at the London School of Economics, and an expert on the sociology of the labour market, just gave it a fancy title, and for some reason, readers are calling her names. “Investment in one’s erotic capital can start in childhood or early adolescence, when young people begin to realise the benefits of being physically and socially attractive. As a result, erotic capital can be a crucial asset throughout life for some people, while others invest all their efforts in education and careers,” Hakim argues. “Attractive people draw others to them as friends, lovers, colleagues, customers, clients, fans, followers, supporters and sponsors. This works for men as well as women,” she writes. “Indeed, the beauty premium … can add 10 to 20 per cent to earnings.” Hakim, however, argues that erotic capital is not always a guarantee, and can actually be a deterrent. “Laboratory experiments show that highly qualified attractive female applicants are rated as rather less suitable than highly qualified attractive male applicants for a job in management. However, highly qualified unattractive female applicants are rated as suitable for the job.” Clearly, the experiments found that age-old unfortunate stereotypes of ‘physical beauty not aligning with brains and strength’, still hold firm – erotic capital or no erotic capital. Anyway, let me settle down and read this interesting book properly. caronakazibwe@gmail.comThe post Sex Talk: Catherine Hakim makes strong points for erotic capital appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.