I kind of felt the same reading that. She's mentions the singularity as a way out of her situation. Exercise, proper diet, taking a shower, and washing her face are all strangely absent. I know those things aren't easy, and I don't want to come off as insensitive... but those things can and will produce results a hell of a lot sooner than the singularity.
It's not insensitive at all to remark that. The reality is that the vast majority of people can look acceptable/neutral if groomed and dressed well. With confidence/personality, even a homely person can present as "attractive" (if not aesthetically so). The thing is, you can have both/either. You can be a stunningly sexy scientist with a wonderfully happy home life and cure cancer. But you can also be a brilliant, hideously ugly mathematician with an adoring partner and a mind-blowing sex life. Creating a dichotomy of salivatable body vs meaningful contribution just isn't accurate or helpful.It would be far more useful to promote the idea that people can contribute to the world in a variety of interesting and fulfilling ways besides making others salivate over their bodies. You can make original scientific breakthroughs! You can regale people with tales of heroic conquest! You can build products that make people’s lives easier! But I guess changing the world wouldn’t make for an effective beauty products campaign.
Good point. Of course, she may very well not be in that vast majority. I get the sense that some people who have traditionally "ugly" faces or features just can't see the point in controlling their weight, skin, hygiene, etc, because they'll never hit some sort of Platonic ideal no matter how hard they work so why bother. That's where the selling herself short thing comes in.