[no subject]

This posting responds to the analogy about sexy women.

<sigh> Jennie, you were right... people completely ignoring the point and
some
>95% of the actual text of the message and spewing about one little analogy.

>>I think he was merely trying for an analogy for the idea that
>>confidence must come from within a person rather than from
>>external accouterments. It may not have been a very politically
>>correct analogy, but it was an analogy nonetheless.

>Precisely.  Thank you, Beverly.

I think we all understood the point about confidence. However, people can
get the point of a message AND object to an analogy.  These are not
mutually exclusive.  Clearly, the examples and analogies we use communicate
as much to our audience as the main idea of our text.

As writers we are responsible--at least in part--for the way people
perceive the things we write. Every word and every idea we choose, we
choose deliberately.

>>> Consider that the sexiest women are not those that look and dress
>>> (or don't dress) a certain way, but those who have high self-esteem
>>> and see THEMSELVES as sexy. <<<<

Certainly the person who posted this knows that many of us are not
appraisers of what makes a woman sexy.  The analogy (although we are all
capable of understanding it) did not have a wide range of appeal and
therefore did not clarify the point (which is what an analogy is supposed
to do). Whether or not the post was "politically correct" is irrelevant;
"sexy woman" is a powerful phrase that conjures up distracting images more
than it supports the idea of the posting.

>>>    what the hell does sexy women have to
>>>    do with anything?

Out of respect to the writer of the posting, I'm sure the analogy was
intended to be flattering to confident women, rather than judgmental of
women in general.

Sincerely,
Tammy
tammyh -at- fgm -dot- com