Are girls today more concerned about being pretty or being smart? Has that changed in the past three decades?

"A lot of girls I know are more concerned with appearance rather than intelligence, and it scares me. Even when I was growing up admittedly not that long ago and not long enough to cover the scope of the past three decades it seemed that girls would try to dumb themselves down in order to appear cooler or to become more socially accepted. Give me brains over beauty any day of the week, thanks."
--Caitlin Seida, 21, a freelance writer from Nelsonville

"It goes both ways. I'd rather be around the ones who are more concerned about being smart, but who still practice good hygiene. As far as that changing in the last three decades, I don't believe I'm qualified to answer, not yet having three decades under my belt."
--Erin Hyman, 28, an office manager/delivery driver from Athens

"Unfortunately, I believe girls today are more concerned about being pretty, mostly because of how women are portrayed in the media and advertisements (magazines, billboards, etc). I'm honestly not sure if this has changed or not."
--Catherine Maynard, 22, graduate student at Nelsonville

"I think college girls are more concerned with being pretty, though of course I know many girls who are concerned with both. I think it's probably about the same as three decades ago."
--Natalie Knoth, 21, a student/journalism major from Athens

"With great disappointment I am going to have to say being pretty. I believe it has changed in the past three decades, for the worse. Materialism and status are what drive our economy and unfortunately we have bought into it more and more."
--Amanda Sharrai, 33, a community organizer from Athens

"I have listened to my youngest daughter and her friends talking about this boy and that boy and what clothes fit them best. The other little girl said she was not going to eat that day because she was getting fat. These are 7- to 9-year-old girls! I hate to say it, but the little girl in question is getting that directly from her mother, who is gorgeous and she knows it. On the other hand, my own child knows the value of being smart and works hard to excel in class."
--Amie Nogrady, 42, a freelance writer from Glouster

"I don't think there has been much change. Some are more concerned to be pretty; others are more concerned to be smart. But often the pretty ones think they aren't 'pretty enough.' (Think of the store shelves full of hair colorings, cosmetics, etc.) Some smart girls fear they will be seen as too smart and thereby lose out romantically. You should make the best of your good points, whatever they are, and not obsess about your weak points. Such looks as a person has will inevitably succumb to old age. At 78, I know this is true."
--Lois D. Whealey, 78, a citizen activist/independent humanities scholar from Athens

"I think girls will always be worried about being pretty. I think girls will always want to prove themselves to others. I think nowadays girls are realizing they can be smart and look good. This is thanks to strong mothers who are working, raising a family, and learning to take better care of themselves in the process. Thanks to strong woman on television discussing the good and bad of 'having it all.' Why should woman compromise?"
--Jennifer Cooper, 42, with a non-profit from Stewart

"I know through my experience of growing up in Athens, there is a lot of mixing of these two. If you were not pretty, you were expected to be smart; if you were not, you would be placed in another sub-clique. If you were pretty, you would have to strive for academic excellence and you were popular. Although if you were not smart, you would make do with an exaggerated social scene. I think now that I am in college these distinctions are still noticeable, but not as potent."
--Kari Lowery, 18, a student from Athens

"Being pretty, I think, more than anything. When I was a young woman, it was the same way, and we were encouraged to not 'be smarter' or 'be better' than the boys, because we 'wouldn't get a husband that way'. Even as a young woman, though, I always said that brains came in gray, not pink and blue. For a while, we actually were making progress as women, but it seems to have devolved again."
--Anne Whitman, 60, an adjunct instructor from Athens

"I try to encourage my 11-year-old daughter (who happens to be blessed with both characteristics) that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and brains are what gets you places!"
--Tomma Shuler, 37, in health-care management from Athens

"I think that the honest answer to this question would be both. Peer pressure is definitely out there. Being attractive is always a pressure for women. At the same time there are plenty of women who would rather be known for their intelligence and what they can achieve. I say, why can't you have and work towards both?"
--Kate, Nelsonville, 24, a cook/dietary aide from Nelsonville

"I do not have any children but the young girls I have been around seem to be pretty well-rounded; they are interested in both their appearance and their education."
--Missy Brown, 40, an RN clinical manager from The Plains

"While a lot of girls realize they have to be smart, I still think a lot of girls put a lot of focus on being pretty."
--Amber Skorpenske, 20, a student from Pittsburgh

"I think so, and I think it's getting worse. The media have been a huge part of how girls should be ever since the media have been around, and now the media are omnipresent. With smart phones, Wi-Fi, and 24-7 everything, we're all bombarded constantly. You can't get away if you try. Now, the media are just a reflection of us, so we're doing it to ourselves."
--Jessie Daniel, 38, a realtor from Glouster

"Unfortunately, I believe that girls today are still more concerned with being attractive than they are smart. Images of women in the media perpetuate this problem. Newsflash: Most women are NOT a size 0 with bleached teeth and perfect hair."
--Billie Handa, 29, director of development, NBIA, from Nelsonville

"It's hard to say because I know a lot of intelligent girls in college who are primarily concerned with their education. However, I would say by and large appearances take precedence in many girls' lives. I think priorities change from generation to generation. Three decades ago women were more concerned with getting an education because they were finally able to live independently and get jobs that had previously only been available to men. But now that we can get these jobs and there is not such a struggle for equality, many girls think that appearances are all that matter. This was probably a trend in our grandparents' generation because women weren't expected to get jobs, so beauty was emphasized so they could marry well."
--Daniella Limoli, 20, a student from Athens

"More concerned about being pretty. Actually, there is probably more pressure to be pretty and to be smart. Being average is not a good way to be in our celebrity-driven society. A girl's sense of beauty seems to be fundamental to being female. It is the media that define beauty so narrowly that make it harder than ever for girls to feel they measure up. I think it is much harder to be a girl today than 30 years ago. Images of sex and beauty and "ideal" body types are everywhere. The images are edited by graphic designers and do not reflect realistic or typical proportions. It was not this way in the '60s and '70s."
--Janice Phelps Williams, 54, a publisher, writer, illustrator from Athens

"I think the honest answer would be that it's about being both. I think once you reach a certain point in your life you stop being concerned about 'being pretty' and you just be you instead. But what is pretty? To me, a pretty person is someone who is pretty because they are beautiful inside and it radiates on the outside. They are always there for others, but always there for themselves as well. Doesn't this also make you smart? I would say yes. I think girls today are learning to balance both of these quite well, and I think the biggest way this has changed is the way we look at the definition of pretty especially in Athens, Ohio. We are a community who is always there for each other, and I think that makes us pretty and smart."
--Shana Snyder, 22, graduate student/substitute teacher from Athens

"This depends. Most of the young women I know are concerned with both to some degree. I do think that we could do with a little less concern over how we look on the outside and instead spend more time on who we are on the inside. But I'm not sure that this has changed in any major degree over the past 30 years."
--Marisa Welch, 23, a sales associate and student library assistant from Athens

"Girls always have been, and unless society changes at any point in the future, always will be more concerned with being pretty. Women in American society are expected to be the perfect, ideal beauty no bigger than a size four, with luscious hair, perfect skin (or the perfect makeup job), and look like the models in all the magazines. I feel like this is one of the biggest problems with American society, because it's causing so many young girls and grown women to have self-esteem issues, which can lead to eating disorders, depression and sometimes even suicide. Societal pressures make this the number one issue for most females; those who are lucky enough to have the ability to ignore these pressures and be whoever they want without fear are extremely lucky and brave individuals."
--Ellen Lambert, 27, a full-time aunt from Albany

"Looks come first. I can understand people who were unhappy or bullied in school wanting to home-school their own. I have looked at my education as socialization in democracy. Children know what's fair and 'no fair.' And the class was a kind of group mind. But discipline has become a big issue. I substitute taught in the inner cities... The kids came from chaotic households, the schools were old, the attitude of teachers not encouraging and that was 30 years ago! Peer pressure is sadly more powerful than teacher pressure so I am not optimistic."
--Alexa Ross, Nelsonville, 63, a retired motel manager/actress from Nelsonville

"Girls today are more image conscious than ever. It is not acceptable to be intelligent in this time. It is more acceptable to be above-average looking than have a high intelligence. This is a complete reversal than 30 years ago."
--Tabitha Bond, 40, a business owner from Coolville

"I have no idea. Ask a younger woman. I wasn't so concerned about being smart until I got older, when I realized it really does count."
--Debbie Williams, 60, a paralegal from Millfield

"Definitely looks. Being a 'big girl' myself, when I look at magazines, watch TV, etc., it is nothing but thin, tall girls with perfect skin and perfect hair, etc."
--Darcie Hartley, 36, office assistant -- ABH, from Albany