Nice Undergarment, Kitty
Frederick’s of Hollywood, the lingerie merchant that has been upgrading its image of late, has licensed its name for an appropriately tame product--a gray, stuffed cat called Kitty by Frederick’s of Hollywood. She will sport a lacy pink, one-piece undergarment, complete with padded bra.
The toy, the first product to carry the Frederick’s name other than its lingerie and other apparel, will retail for $20 when it hits Frederick’s stores this month. Company Chairman George Townson also hopes that other merchants will carry Kitty.
Efforts to make a much larger version for a display model have so far proven futile. The big feline looks more like a bear, which wasn’t the idea even if she is wearing a teddy.
It Pays To Be Attractive
Looks matter in business, as in other walks of life, and some researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School think they have figured out just how much.
A team of graduate students and a business consultant looked at head and shoulders photos of 737 MBA graduates and rated facial attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 5.
The research team then looked at the starting salaries of the group, crunched some numbers, and concluded that each increase in a man’s attractiveness rating increased his starting salary by about $1,000 a year.
Good-looking women gained no immediate advantages, according to the study, but once they were on the job each attractiveness point was worth more than $2,000 a year.
Researcher Josephine Olson noted: “An attractive man will make more than an attractive woman, but a very attractive woman might earn more than an unattractive man.”
And if you’re now feeling powerless and annoyed, consider this: A previous study by the same group concluded that tall men made more money then short men, and overweight men earned less then men of normal weight. The rich get richer . . .
New Citizens in Blue Jeans
Levi Strauss & Co., maker of the All-American 501 blue jeans, helped hundreds of its El Paso employees gain a piece of the (apple) pie. In the largest employer swearing-in ceremony ever, 650 Levi’s employees and their families became U.S. citizens last Friday.
The company, which employs 4,300 in the El Paso area, set up classes in English and civics to help prepare employees for the Immigration and Naturalization Service examinations and brought in fingerprint technicians and photographers to help with amnesty applications. In addition, employees were offered Levi’s-guaranteed loans of up to $1,000 to help defray application costs.
“We’re happy to work with the INS to help so many of our employees become U.S. citizens,” said Max Cowan, vice president of field operations. “We’re delighted to welcome our employees and their families to their new status as citizens of this great nation.”
