Discrimination based on looks...
So, assume same race, same sex. whether a person's looks give
him/her an advantage in life: in the workplace, and society at
large.
My two cents: Looks are part of the packaging of a person, and
people are attracted to good packaging. It applies to almost all
social settings, so yup, even in a job which does not require one
to be handsome or pretty, it helps if you look presentable. It is
about presentation. Natural good looks naturally enhances the
presentation, ceteris paribus.
i rem in one edition of the show 20/20, they examined this issue.
How a person's looks affects his lot in life. A few scenarios were
featured.
One was the job interview. They had 2 women attend interviews for
the same position in the company. They had both of them similarly
well-dressed, with similar resumes and they both responded to
questions with the same demeanor, etc. Turns out, right from the
start when the interviewer first sees the either of the ladies, his
attitude was different already. No points for guessing who was
treated with more respect. To the better looking lady, the
interviewer was more polite, friendlier. He inquired about how her
day had been and was generally more inclined to make small talk.
When it came to interview proper, the ques he asked were either
borderline unrelated to work, or embarassingly simple ques that she
would find difficult to cock up. To the less pretty lady, his whole
disposition changed. Tone was different, more gruff. When they sat
down, he cut to the chase, no small talk, no asking about weather
etc. Totally no effort spent to make the interviewee comfortable,
unlike with the better looking lady. Mid-way through the interview,
he described the job as a tough one, and that anyone hoping to land
the position better be prepared for hard times. Wahkaoz, like
discouraging people from taking the job like that.
Okay, this scenario involved two women interviewee and and male
interviewer. So naturally he was more inclined to give the job to
the chioer one. Normal what, for a man. But guess what, the
scenario was replayed with 2 MEN. One had a better looking facial
features and a full head of hair, and the other was a baldling chap
with sunken eyes. To the former, this interviewer was definitely
alot more cordial. Same rules apply in this case as in the former
bw 2 women.
I think we can just look around us to see that people who are
better looking tend to be accepted more readily than those who
appear less impressive. From there, they gain more confidence and
in turn appear to be more attractive. People are drawn to
confidence. So there, the cycle continues. To anyone: how many
times have we, ourselves, judged a person based on his/her
looks?
