The old adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder has never proven truer than in our hyper-glamorized society, where beauty over brain is the norm.

No longer do the beautiful people just get the best dates and enjoy the best social lives; they now have access to better housing, better jobs and higher salaries.

According to a study on appearance discrimination conducted by University of Texas economics professor Dr. Daniel Hamermesh, personal appearances count when it comes to success in the workplace. He found that good-looking people earned about 12 percent more than less-attractive people over the course of a lifetime. His findings were published as Beauty, Productivity and Discrimination: Lawyers’ Looks and Lucre.

This preference for attractive features has been coined "lookism" by psychologists and social science professionals. "Good-looking men and women are generally judged to be more talented, kind, honest and intelligent than their less-attractive counterparts," said Dr. Gordon Patzer, who has been studying physical attractiveness for several decades.

The same proved to be true for taller men versus shorter men. Taller men tended to earn more on the job and were considered more desirable by women. Andrea McGinty, founder of San Diego-based dating service It’s Just Lunch, admitted that "women will take just about any shortcoming in a man, except in the height department."

A survey of male graduates of the University of Pittsburgh found that the tallest students’ average starting salary was 12 percent higher than their shorter colleagues’. The London Guildhall study showed that overweight women are more likely to be unemployed and that those who are working earn, on average, five percent less than their trimmer peers.

Looks play an undeniable role in the way we perceive competence and talent, but some argue that looks alone don’t cut it. Rick Busby, vice president of Busby’s Heating and Air Conditioning, was quoted in a Phoenix magazine article, saying, "whether or not a person is good-looking is not important. However, professional appearance is important."

It is also a good thing to have confidence in yourself and your abilities. "It’s like being a college student," said Jim Duffy, human resources director at MAU, a large staffing firm in Augusta. "What good is a college education? It gets you in the door. But after that — just because you’re pretty, or you’re tall or you’re physically active — you’re not going to get a promotion if you flopped on the first job."

Hiring managers say it is the appearance of confidence they find attractive, not the presence of physical beauty. They also contend that attractiveness has more to do with how you carry yourself and the energy you exude. So, even if you are not what some would consider a "looker," you can still excel in the workplace.

User reviews

There are no user reviews for this item.

Add new review

Add new review

Your name:*

Your email address (it will not be published):*

Review title:


Ratings (the higher the better)

Overall Rating

Rate it 1 2 3 4 5

Comments:

    Please enter the security code.