"Tell them to come in," Nora said into the intercom. She wasn't looking forward to this meeting. She just couldn't see how hiring an influencer would be a good fit for her business. She ran a small Christian publishing firm, catering to the needs a niche market of religious folk who like reading but find a lot of contemporary literature too secular for their tastes. She had a captive market, with plenty of churches willing to push her product for free, in the name of encouraging Christian values.
But Sam from Marketing was insistent that it would be a good thing for them. She had her reservations about Sam, who didn't really fit her mental image of someone who might work at a Christian business. But Nora was always wary of judging people by the way they look, afraid of falling into the old stereotypes of middle-aged, white Christian women.
And so, even though the bright green asymmetrical haircut, the tattoos,and the piercings were all red flags to Nora, she convinced herself that it was better to be open minded. Sam's resumé was certainly the most impressive among the applicants for the position, and though Nora still felt a little antsy around the young marketer, and occasionally had to chide her for dressing inappropriately at the office, she had been satisfied with Sam's work thus far. She clearly had a talent for using social media to connect to younger audiences, and Nora couldn't deny the benefit to her business.
The door to her office opened, and Sam walked in, wearing tight black jeans and a red form-fitting sleeveless top that might pass for office wear if Sam didn't have full sleeve tattoos on both arms or at least wore a jacket. Her footsteps were heavy, clad in chunky leather boots. Nora suppressed an urge to criticize Sam's mode of dress, and instead put her focus on the attractive Asian woman following behind her employee.
"Nora," Sam said as she approached her desk. "This is Helena Akai, the influencer I was talking about."
Helena stepped forward with an outstretched hand and a smile that lit up the room. She seemed very put together, Nora thought as she met the influencer's hand and shook it. She was a light blazer over a cute floral print dress. Her hair and makeup were done up in that same manner, giving off equal waves of professionalism and playfulness.
It seemed...perfect, Nora thought. For a moment, she thought about her own clothing choices, and how she tends towards dull pant suits. She wondered if she could pull Helena's look off. Nora made a mental note to maybe go shopping after the meeting.
"It's nice to meet you," Helena said, breaking what must have been an awkward silence.
"Oh yes," Nora replied, gathering herself. "Let's just get right to it."
Sam and Helena took seats in front of Nora's imposing glass desk, and Nora took the initiative in the meeting right away.
"I have to be honest, Miss Akai, I'm not at all convinced that hiring influencers is the right thing for my company," Nora said.
"Yes, Sam did tell me that you were resistant to the idea," Helena replied. "But it's always worth taking a meeting, don't you think?"
"Let me set up my presentation," Sam said, pulling her laptop out of her bag.
"There's no need, Sam," Helena said. "I'm sure Nora has heard your pitch before, and would much rather just ask me questions directly."
Nora bristled. Helena seemed so sure of herself. Too sure.
"Tell me, then, Miss Akai," Nora said pointedly. "Why should we hire you?"
"Because it works," Helena said.
"How does it work?"
"It isn't complicated," Helena replied. "Companies have been hiring endorsers for as long as advertising has been around. The underlying psychology is pretty simple: people like beauty, and gravitate towards it. They see beautiful people doing things, and they want to do those things, too. Maybe if they do those things, they'll be beautiful, too. It doesn't even matter if they actually like the thing they're being sold. They'll convince themselves of their own enjoyment, because the implication is that if they don't like it, they can't be beautiful."
Nora frowned. "You have quite a high opinion of yourself, don't you?"
"Don't you think I'm beautiful?" Helena asked.
The question surprised Nora. It made her suddenly realize that she tended not to acknowledge other women being beautiful, even if she did think it. It just felt wrong, somehow. But now, confronted with the question, she had to admit to herself that she thought Helena was beautiful.
She wouldn't say it, though. Instead, she deflected. "We're not a beauty brand, Miss Akai. We sell books. Christian books."
"I can sell books," Helena said. "Here, look."
Helena reached into her bag, and pulled out a paperback. She held up the cover to Nora. In big block letters, the title read "Immodest Acts." Helena then made a show of opening up the book, and putting herself into a pose that suggested she was reading it. Helena's mouth curled into a slight smile that gave off the impression that she was enjoying herself.
And in that moment, Nora did find herself curious about the book that Helena was reading.
"May I know what book you're reading?" Nora asked.
Helena looked up from the page. "Immodest Acts. It's a historical non-fiction about this Italian nun caused a scandal in the Renaissance."
