“Do you think this is appropriate?” I asked, opening my jacket to reveal
the dress I was thinking about buying. I had just gotten my first paycheck,
and I was determined to bolster my wardrobe. To that end, I’d dragged
Zoe along.

“Tt’s nice,” she said. “Super flirty. One little breeze, and you’re going to
give everyone a nice show. But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?”

“What? No!” I said. “I don’t want to give anyone a show!”

“Yeah, you kind of do,” she said. “It’s part of your job. Or did you forget
why you were hired in the first place?”

My face fell. I hated being reminded that, at work, I was just a piece of eye
candy. I wanted people to know me for my hard work, but no matter how
well I did my job, it didn’t seem like I was going to escape the perception
that I wasn’t anything more than a pretty face. Or a pair of boobs, as my
boss’s wandering eyes kept reminding me.

“There’s no shame in using the talents you’ve been given, Jess,” Zoe went
on. “You have to do whatever you can do to get ahead. If that means
shaking your ass a little, then by all means, you do it. It can even be
empowering.”

“What? How?” I asked.

“Think about it,” she said. “Take that boss of yours, for instance. So long
as you flirt with him a little and give him something to look at, he’s willing

to let just about anything slide, right? After all, you’re just an airheaded
bimbo, right?”

“Uh...”

“Perception, Jess,” she said. “That’s what I’m talking about. But
remember what happened that day when you wore that frumpy pantsuit?”

“Tt wasn’t frumpy!”

“Tt totally was,” she said. “But you came home crying because he treated
you like shit, right? Use what you have, Jess. That’s all I’m saying. He
wants you to be a bimbo, then be a goddamn bimbo. And while you're at
it, get what you can get.”