Although people laugh at the idea of a babe in the office being as maddening as Tantalus’s out-of-reach fruit, women do get penalized this way sometimes.

A male friend once told me he was looking for an unattractive personal assistant so he wouldn’t be tempted. And when I was hiring a Grace Kelly blonde as a researcher a few years ago, a male colleague asked me not to because it would be “too distracting” to him; two girlfriends cautioned me not to because it would be depressing — and therefore, distracting — for me to work with someone so good looking. (It wasn’t.)

- "Dressed to Distract"