It's a double-edged sword sometimes, too. Yesterday on Twitter I watched a supposedly progressive influencer rip into a conservative woman lawmaker by calling her a bimbo.

This woman has repulsive political viewpoints. She's an open racist and sneeringly transphobic and homophobic. So I don't have any problems seeing people rip into her for her positions.

But ... she's a very conventionally attractive young woman. I'm totally gay, but even I can recognize that she's very sexy. I'm sure that look is on purpose. I'm sure she feels the need to present herself that way in order to be taken seriously. (Not that I want her to be taken seriously, just saying.)

So anyway, instead of attacking her noxious positions on things, this pretty progressive (man) thought leader on Twitter attacked by calling her a bimbo, mocking her attractive appearance.

You can't win, can you, sometimes? You dress to the nines, present yourself attractively so people will take you seriously, and somebody –no matter your political persuasion– will mock you in sexist terms by calling you a bimbo or something similar.

But if you don't present yourself as attractively as possible? Then you get dismissed as unworthy of attention, often in equally sexist terms.

Men aren't free from being judged by their looks, and you only have to look at the heights of elected politicians and successful business men to understand that, but women have it far far worse — not least because the appearance game they have to play is often a no-win situation.