Do you think a woman's social status truly depends on her beauty?

The whole assumption is wrong in the first place so the whole argument is moot.

Not all bullies are stereotypical beautiful, rich cheerleaders who spend tons on makeup and designer clothes. Not all victims of bullying are ugly or average looking, poor or not into makeup and designer clothes. This assumes that giving the kid a makeover and dressing them in fancy clothes will stop the bullying and turn them into one of the popular kids. That's a stereotype perpetuated by Amercian High School movies and has nothing to do with the reality of bullying.

Warning: long post ahead.

Interesting question. Reading your post, OP, I instantly thought of one particular woman who, to me, represents 'high status.' She's the head of a surgical department at the hospital where I work. Everybody there, and I mean EVERYBODY, trips over themselves for her approval: nurses, admin staff, allied health workers, junior doctors, colleagues from other specialties, even her most arrogant male surgeon counterparts. Just recently, I was in an auditorium where she was a panel member. When she voiced an opinion, every other panelist as well as the entire audience literally quietened down so they could hear what she had to say. I was also lucky enough to see her at a work-related party, where her husband was her plus one, and it could not be more evident how much he just *adored* her. Like, a full-on broad, slightly goofy smile (the kind where it's clear he didn't realise he was even smiling) every time she looked his way. At work, when she wants something completed, there's never any shortage of volunteers to help her get things done. Furthermore, I understand that she frequently rubs elbows with multiple politicians and prominent entrepreneurs and other 'high status' individuals in my country - I've seen her in photos of charity fundraisers and galas on occasion.

In light of the above, it feels irreverent and disgusting for me to even mention this about her, but given the topic of discussion: she is not a conventionally attractive woman. Slightly messy pixie cut, zero makeup, has some wrinkles and spots, let her hair go gray. I didn't even think of her physical attributes until I saw your post.

Beyond the above example, I can think of a few more women whom I consider 'high status:' one is a scholar for an ancient Asian language, one is a famous niche instrumentalist, another a writer. They all enjoy comparable acclaim and respect to my example above. Among this cohort, I feel like what makes me qualify them as high status are the following qualities:

1. Presence. They speak, and others listen.

2. Impact. When they want to undertake any venture, the relevant pathways open up for them. Someone in their networks will step up and at least offer them a useful roadmap or other advice, but more often, I get the sense they can demand quite substantial favours with no fears.

3. Staying power. The women I'm thinking of don't seem to ever be on the chopping block - they can't be replaced. They are desired company, always, even by the 'elite,' and it's like there's this implicit understanding that they are exempt from having to measure up to beauty standards.

4. Age. Yup, counter to anything social media culture might tell you, these women seemed to have achieved the majority of their success and acclaim after the age of 40. One of my examples is actually in her 70s now. None of the women I'm thinking of seem to care for their appearance in the slightest, and it shows.

Based on the above, there are several character traits I can see in these particular women who I consider truly 'high status.' They seem to all possess:

1. Discernment. This applies to both oneself as well as others. They hold themselves to high standards and strive to improve, but they hold other to the same standards. Many women have every other quality on this list, but they end up used and abused because they lack discernment - this is the fundamental quality that FDS preaches, IMO. The ability to vet others well, and to remember always that you are subject of your own life - you are looking to see if others (and yourself) are measuring up, not being an object for others to look at, play with, and dispose of.

2. Intention. They never give rushed, harried vibes, ever. They take up their space in the world with no apologies. They don't rush their speech, their actions, their mannerisms, anything. If they make mistakes, they are humble, and have a growth mindset towards learning from missteps...BUT they don't fall over themselves apologising or fawning.

3. Erudition. These women are always considered, and demonstrate excellent reasoning. In my examples, this is backed by a high standard of formal education, but professional degrees and high-paying careers are not enough (nor totally necessary) to ensure this IMO.

4. Skill. They produce something valuable, which contributes to their apparent irreplaceability. Something about the way they see their own field, and perhaps the world, is informed by a skill that makes them highly in demand.

5. Integrity. Goes hand-in-hand with discernment and erudition and skill, really - having a good reputation, being known for never cutting corners...allows you to develop yourself to better quality, but also, it lets others know that you are internally motivated, not dependent on their validation.

6. Wealth. It need not be displayed, but it's always there. Naturally, this is the result of the above qualities.

In the end, I think one of the big lies that social media has told, which women are so quick to believe and men to reinforce, is that women's worth is based on appearance. Thus, it creates the illusion that seeking to improve or maintain your appearance is in the same league as the hard work of self-development; yet, nothing could be further from the truth, as true self-development is an inside job through and through. This focus on appearance ultimately just causes women to sink their (already lesser) resources into an 'asset' (our looks, lol) that men gleefully tell us is depreciating from the instant we turn thirteen years old (🙄). Sadly, many young women in my generation have fallen for it, and it's going to hit them hard when they realise they've been lied to. Don't be like them. The rewards for being a good woman and prioritising beauty are simply not there. Conventionally beautiful women are just as likely as 'average' or 'ugly' women to be used, abused, raped, cheated on, violated and discarded...because the way others see and treat you is always going to be out of your control. Don't make the mistake of striving to be thought of as 'high status' by people who are anything but. A lot of the status that 'beautiful' women are afforded is just objectification dressed up slightly nicer to keep other women in their place - this is why men dial up their fawning over OnlyFans models and porn stars. It's a diversion tactic - don't debase yourself by participating in this competition. Beautiful women have very rarely parlayed their looks into lasting influence, and even when they seem to have succeeded, the fact that she used her looks to get by at one point is often wielded against her to minimise accomplishments.

In contrast, I've seen even the scrotiest of my colleagues go quiet with respect when they see my department head, and they *never* try to pull anything resembling weaponised incompetence around her. This is all incidental, of course - she, and the women like her, are on an altogether different plane of existence, and everyone else just falls in line around them.

I don't think that's true at all. There are countless high-status, well-regarded female scientists and writers who are not conventionally attractive physically, but are appreciated for their minds and contributions instead. We are more than just our looks.

I ended up teaching one of my better looking former bullies in a post-secondary institution, so I wouldn't say so. She also works at a bagel shop now and literally said "wow...I work here and you're my professor...funny how things turn out huh?". I do think a lot of the quality of women's romantic outcomes can depend a lot on her appearance, though, but I'm not very firm in that position (I know many RL counterexamples to that intuition).

I find that higher up jobs (i.e. high paying ones that require a lot of formal education) don't really give a shit about how you look. I like that I've had success in my field without ever having to wear makeup, remove body hair, dress particularly well outside of interviews, etc.

I do think your self esteem does impact your social and professional outcomes a lot and people often use their appearance as a means of establishing self esteem. There are plenty of other methods that can give you that though (unironically psychedelic mushrooms but I know I sound insane saying that, meditation, performing well academically, joining organizations or clubs involving some hobby you know you're good at, and glorious FDS).

Should social status even matter? Surely how a woman feels about herself and her life/lifestyle is the only barometer that counts. Success is quite subjective. You might be the leader of a nation, but have no free time, be stressed and unhappy. You might be a cat lady in a cabin, growing organic vegetables who is perfectly happy with her life. People that "society" holds in high regard are not always enviable and ultimately perfection is more about perception than reality.

Beauty of her complete personality - mostly yes

Mostly, because sometimes social circles can work against women who are beautiful inside out as well. Jealous elements are always happy to make that happen to an extent.

Something I haven’t seen mentioned is good personal hygiene. Regardless of how attractive you are, being well groomed and clean will always be beneficial.

Mehh there's no way to really know if those girls are "doing well".