ABSTRACT
Yet undeserved advancement at work is not Geraldine's only asset, so to speak. As a beautiful woman, ironically, even as she has easier access to jobs and money, she has less need for them in that she can easily attract a well-off mate. Thus the beautiful Geraldine has access not only to better jobs but also to richer men. When Jemima finally loses weight, Geraldine takes her out for the canonical makeover moment, when she will finally own clothes that fit her 121-pound body and 5-foot-7-inch frame; when her mousy brown hair will be transformed by an i.iberswank hairdresser into golden blonde locks. This makeover, however, entails "reclassing" Jemima as much as it does redressing her. Although Jemima holds the same job and presumably makes the same paltry salary, Geraldine encourages her to break out the credit cards for designer clothes and the chi-chi hairdo. Once made over, Jemima and Geraldine walk down the high street as "two slim (slim!) blondes, laden down with fabulous goodies" (174). Not two paragraphs later, a rich man in his sportscar convertible stops to scope out the newly minted Jemima J.
