New York, New York, February 6, 2024, It is not often that artwork sparks such a huge debate amongst the genders as happened recently with the showing of a multi-color painting entitled The 80/20 Club, it captures a vibrant bar scene featuring a man in a brown suit grinning as he basks in the attention of five women, seemingly at the expense of other single men. Posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by relationship expert and content creator @rpmastro2.
The artwork prompted discussion with a caption saying the character in the brown suit, whom he assumes is a high-value individual, has three women sitting at his table and two more waiting in line while other single men appear to be overlooked and somewhat irritated. He concluded by saying the artist did a great job depicting the modern dating scene in America, where 80% of modern women are only attracted to the top 20% of men.
The post quickly went viral, amassing more than 19 million views and over 4,000 retweets. One user, in agreement with the post, expressed concern about the bottom 80% of men feeling overlooked. Another respondent claimed that 100% of straight women only pursue the top 1% of men, choosing to compete rather than giving the average Joe a chance.
However, some users countered the post, emphasizing that the 80/20 rule applies to men as well. They pointed out that there are smart, funny, and successful women who may also get overlooked by men seeking only physical attractiveness.
The ensuing gender debate spilled into other social media platforms like Facebook and Quora, with both genders continuing to express their perspectives. Some turned the painting into funny or inspirational memes and shared them in private chat groups.
YouTube content creator and founder of Fascinating Womanhood, Dixie Andelin Forsyth, joined the conversation with an interesting take in her reaction video posted on her YouTube channel. She argued that just because a woman is attracted to financial security doesn’t mean she’s shallow. “One of women’s basic needs is to have financial security, just like it is for men to have an attractive partner,” she exclaimed. “When a man is financially secure, he probably has better self-esteem and better social skills, which are qualities women find attractive.”
Is it true that 80% of modern women only want the top 20% of men? And where did this argument come from? A 2019 study entitled “Are Men Intimidated by Highly Educated Women?” found that men swiped right on 61.9% of women on Tinder, but women on average only swiped right on 4.5% of men. Adding further fuel to the fire is the result of a study posted on Medium entitled “Tinder Experiments II: Guys, Unless You Are Really Hot, You Are Probably Better Off Not Wasting Your Time on Tinder—A Quantitative Socio-Economic Study.” This study reports that “the bottom 80% of men (in terms of attractiveness) are competing for the bottom 22% of women, and the top 78% of women are competing for the top 20% of men.” This again aligns perfectly with the 80/20 rule, and it may seem hard to argue with considering all this.
Art critic Edgar Singleton weighed in on the technical execution of the work, stating, “The artwork stands out for its narrative depth. The use of color is not only bold but also meticulously crafted. I can almost hear the subdued murmurs of the crowd, the distinct clinking of glasses, and the gentle notes of a soft jazz melody that saturates the environment. This painting transcends mere realism by virtue of the atmospheric quality it exudes.”
