As a finance major, I’ve heard my professors drone on about how students must achieve one crucial thing. A student must be an effective team player who is always looking for a solution while maintaining one’s integrity. I’ve always suspected that this message wasn’t plausible and after watching NBC’s new show, “The Apprentice,” I’ve realized that the message is indeed a farce.

While I’m not usually a huge fan of reality shows, I’ve been transfixed with the show because it shows how people interact in relevant real world situations. The Conventional business world is thrown out the window and the gritty reality of the world is shown. So what have I learned? Sex still sells.

The female contestants are well educated and have found success in the business world. They clearly don’t need to use any sexual overtones to succeed, however, they’ve had to resort to blatantly using their sex appeal to ensure a victory.

Whether it’s wearing ultra-low skirts, giving out their phone number or bribing customers with a kiss, the female contestants on the show haven’t wasted an opportunity. It’s obvious that some of the women’s desperate actions are exaggerated for entertainment value, but I couldn’t help but ponder how much a woman’s exploitation of her sex appeal holds her back.

Corporations begrudgingly opened their doors to underrepresented groups during the ’70s and ’80s, which is when women made huge inroads throughout the corporate world. Although women are still advancing on the corporate ladder, the progression has slowed down because of sexuality in the work place.

While I would never go so far as to claim that every woman uses sex appeal in place of actual skills, enough women abuse it and end up creating a very hurtful stereotype. Katrina, one of the contestants on the show, has proclaimed that a woman who “doesn’t use her sex appeal to sell simply hasn’t learned how to use it to her advantage.”

We’ve all been in a clothing store where a saleswoman has cooed how nice we look in a particular shirt. Because most clothing saleswomen are young and still in college, they substitute their marketing skills with sex appeal.

This may create sales, but if they continue to follow Katrina’s advice, they’re hurting themselves in the long run.

The problem is that as a woman continues to mature, they, like many other people with certain advantages are often uncomfortable in letting go of their crutch. They can get away with this while they work short term or in lower-level jobs, but it will severely limit their ability to climb up in the business world.

All of my female friends have disagreed with me on this issue. I’m not sure whether my friends are in denial about the way things are or if they like to live in an idealistic bubble. The fact of the matter is the way people interact with one another and the way people are perceived has a huge part in how they are treated and the kinds of opportunities that come their way. While it may not be as obvious, sex still plays a role in decision making.

Focus in the workplace needs to be diverted away from such things and toward ability and ingenuity. Some people have seamlessly integrated their skills and sex appeal so well that their peers may have a hard time distinguishing the two. Unfortunately, people like Katrina who wallow in their intellectual insecurity only hold back the rightful progression of women in the workplace. They fail to realize that it’s a double-edge sword and that they will fail to continue their ascent in a corporation because higher management will not take them seriously.

It’s regrettable that smart young women are relying on sex appeal. It’ll burn them in the future because they’re selling themselves short. The glass ceiling never existed because of shortcomings in technical skills; it exists due to perception and bias. While some women find it liberating to flaunt their sexuality, they’re imposing a glass ceiling on their peers. Women are a fraction of the Fortune 500 CEOs, and it will continue to be like this if a line isn’t drawn between sex and skills.

Vijay Ramanavarapu is a junior in finance. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].