I haven't been able to shake the feeling I got when my daughter said "I think men are smarter than

[Honeycombe8]

45. Hmmm. You're not saying you equate nail polish with low intelligence?

You don't think smart women have mousy brown hair, thick glasses, wear old lady shoes, and no makeup, do you? Take a look at this list of sexy, beautiful women who fuss with shoes and nail polish and fashion, but are also smart. Intelligence has nothing to do with what you wear:

Judy Holliday - sexy actress. Mensa member.
Asia Carrera - porn star. High IQ.
Geena Davis - sexy movie star. High IQ.
Natalie Portman - sexy movie star. Psych degree from Harvard.
Jodi Foster - movie star. Yale degree.
Maggie Gyllenhaal - actress. Degree in Eastern Religion & lit from Columbia.
Rachel Weisz - actress. Degree from Cambridge.
Rashida Jones - Harvard grad.
Jennifer Beals - Actress. Yale grad.
Alicia Keys - musician. Graduated at age 16 as valedictorian from Performing Arts School, Manhatten.
Emma Thompson - actress, writer. Cambridge grad. Oscar for screenwriting.
Nora Efron - writer.
Sharon Stone - actress. High IQ.
Kate Beckinsale - actress. Oxford.
Jennifer Connelly - actress. Yale/Stanford.
Elizabeth Shue - Harvard grad.
(the list goes on and on, if you search for it)

Then there are stat studies:

The author of the study, James Flynn, a New Zealand-based researcher known as an IQ testing expert, said that over the past century, women have lagged slightly behind men in IQ testing scores, at times by as much as five points. But now, Flynn said women have closed the gap and even inched ahead in this battle of the intelligent sexes.

“Over the last 100 years, everyone in the developing world has been gaining about three IQ points, but women have been gaining faster,” Flynn told ABC News. “This is the result of modernity. In every country where women have an equal chance of modernity, women have caught men [in IQ testing].”

Flynn has not yet published the results of his study, saving that for a book he will publish in September. But he told ABC News that he collected data from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Estonia and Argentina on scores on a standard IQ test, called the Raven test. Each country tested at least 500 men and 500 women, most between the ages of 15 and 18, Flynn said.

“In all of those samples, women are the equal of men, perhaps scoring a half point or a point higher,” Flynn said.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/07/16/women-beat-men-on-iq-tests-for-first-time/

Finally, I would point out to her that in the end, it matters more what you DO with what intelligence you have, than what intelligence you were born with, assuming you have at least average intelligence. There are many highly intelligent people who don't reach their fulfillment level for various reasons...they don't want to study, or work too hard, or spend years in school, or whatever. There are also many people of average intelligence who rose to the height in their chosen profession because of hard work and determination.

Also, men's and women's brains are proportionately the same size, compared to their body size.

Finally, if the goal in life is to be happy, what matters most is to find what you want to do with your life, do it to your best ability, reach your potential, and have a balanced life that is financially secure and filled with love. A higher IQ doesn't necessarily equate with more happiness (although having sufficient intelligence helps a lot, so that you are better equipped to provide for yourself, have a choice of vocations and professions, etc.).

But it's okay to have wild nail polish AND be smart, too!