Marissa Mayer, don't play dumb: you can be both pretty and smart Marissa Mayer's actions are, once again, under scrutiny. This time it's not about maternity leave, and it's not about banning Yahoo's employees from working from home. No, this time, it's all about the photo spread and 3000-word profile dedicated to the Yahoo CEO in this month's US Vogue. And sadly, it's sparked a nationwide debate across the pond in America. The main point of contention is that Mayer, chief executive of a global technology company, decided to be photographed in a glamorous fashion shoot. Some have even alleged it to be "sexed-up," provocative (if only I had also known being fully-clothed and holding an iPad with my face on it was enough to be 'sexy'). To many, Mayer appearing in Vogue, a fashion magazine, has simply undermined her intelligence. While fashion and beauty industries are often pegged as the enemies of feminism, these industries are hugely successful and dominated by women- having an interest in them doesn't demean other interests or attributes. Choosing to appear in a women's magazine when you are a successful woman in a sought after role, should be encouraged - never mind that it's in a fashion magazine. Like it or not Vogue's readership is largely female, so it seems like the perfect opportunity for a brilliant women to inspire others to be more ambitious, more aggressive and to have goals so that the next Mayer or Sandberg is not such a rarity. However, Mayer's description of herself in the article as a "shy" and an awkward girl who just "fell" into her job as CEO at Yahoo has all the characteristics of a six ft two model goddess discussing how they still see themselves as the ugly duckling at school, ostracised by their peers, who one day was spotted by a modelling agent. Essentially it is an obvious, if not annoying, attempt to relate to other women, to ensure women "don't hate me "cos I'm beautiful." Even the way Mayer talks about numbers in this childlike way at the beginning of the article - it's frustratingly kooky, and not the least bit contrived considering her colleagues describe her as "aggressive" and "extremely driven." Don't play dumb Mayer. It goes without saying that, in an ideal world, Mayer's appearance in anything from Management Weekly to OK! Magazine wouldn't be the cause of such debate. As long as Mayer is a rarity - a female in a high powered job - the way in which she chooses to portray herself will be scrutinised. However, the sooner she is willing to be more upfront about who she is, and her hard work in getting the top job at Yahoo, the closer we may come to making her high-level position less of an anomaly. Julia Oliphant, 23, lives and works in London.