Hottest (Straight) Guys in Publishing Contest

Yesterday marked the day Gawker revealed their poll: Hottest Straight Guys in Book Publishing 2008, the cutthroat finals of this glorious competition. Only one will win; and their fates are in your hands.

This post comes as a bit of a personal note. I work in book publishing and in my office area I can count on one hand the amount of guys on our floor--when you narrow it down to my department, I can make a peace sign. Why is it that book publishing has become less attractive to men and more of an ideal career for the ladies?

I started thinking about how teachers had to cram science and math down girls’ throats throughout middle school to try and convince us it was okay to be interested in their subjects, that they weren’t just for boys. Are we doing enough to promote Literature classes for boys? Do we still promote science and math based careers as more honorable professions? Sure, they make more money, but what about professions that inspire people into action?

I can’t decide if we still live in a society that still says it’s okay for a girl to keep her nose in a book, while a boy is supposed to go play outside, or if it’s just me looking a little too closely at the fishbowl. Nonetheless, there hasn’t been a Hottest Girls in Book Publishing because most likely it wouldn’t be nearly as charming or funny---or easy to narrow down.