It's one of those facts of life that almost everyone knows but not many want to admit--physical appearance matters. But how much does it matter? Do attractive people get better treatment than others?
According to Dr. Mona Phillips, a professor of sociology at Spelman College in Atlanta, studies have been conducted to prove that attractive people are favored more.
"There is research [pioneered by
Dion, Berscheid and Walster] that talks about the `Halo Effect,'" says Dr. Phillips. "This is when people assume that if someone is attractive, then they have other good qualities. It's a clustering of good attributes that are assumed based on one's appearance.
"For example, `attractive' people are smarter and the people who are `unattractive' by society's standards are dumb. Therefore a clustering of their personal attributes get connected to physical `attractiveness' or `unattractiveness."
Dr. Phillips says that attractive people are treated differently because we live in a culture that places a high premium on external appearance.
"There are so many forces that make us think that this is important. A multi-billion-dollar global industry exists that centers on appearance (the fitness industry, the cosmetic industry, the fashion industry). These industries are all built on notions of attractiveness."
Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston, believes that generally people like to be around attractive people because they are more appealing.
"Most people don't want to identify with, or become attracted to, something called `ugly,'" says Dr. Poussaint. "Those kinds of standards are determined by society, and our society is certainly geared toward emphasizing beauty."
Dr. Poussaint explains that even as children we are taught to differentiate between what is considered to be attractive and unattractive from the fairy tales that were read to us.
"People tend to think that those who have attractive looks are more trustworthy or honest than people who are not attractive. That's kind of indoctrinated in our heads," he states.
"In our society they try to project into our heads as little children that people who are crooks and dishonest look like thugs and that the fairy tale character who is a prince or a princess adorable qualities. Think of all the images of people who are attractive and who are also considered to be virtuous; they're all beautiful people."
Even though having good looks does have its advantages, it can have some drawbacks as well, contends Dr. Poussaint.
"Some people who are found very attractive can stir up jealousies in other people who then may reject them," he says.
"If it is felt that the attractive person is in some way coming across as conceited or overemphasizing their good looks, then many people may turn against them. In this case being attractive may not work in their favor," he explains.
Dr. Poussaint notes that in the workplace being attractive may backfire, especially if you are a woman.
He says, "Sometimes if a woman is very pretty and co-workers feel that she's really highlighting her beauty, she may not be seen as being too bright. That will not help her get a promotion."
Dr. Fredrick Work, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon from Atlanta, agrees that attractive people get better treatment than others.
"No question about it," states Dr. Work. "Our society is very much fixated on physical appearance. Attractive people do receive special treatment, and there are more opportunities available to them."
Dr. Work, whose most common procedures among Blacks include breast reductions, tummy tucks, liposuction and
keloid removal, says that many people feel pressure to be attractive.
"Before you can even open your mouth to express yourself, people have already formed an opinion about who you are based on your looks," reveals Dr. Work.
"I think many patients who have cosmetic surgery have an increase in their self-esteem and carry themselves with a greater sense of confidence," he says. "When you look good, it makes you feel better, which is picked up by all those with whom they interact. This in turn helps to improve their interpersonal relations with others."
Dr. Work points out that because attractiveness is looked upon so highly in our society, chances are that more people will be undergoing plastic surgery.
"Plastic surgery now is even more affordable," he says. "Everybody is having [it done] from all socioeconomic levels and ethnic backgrounds."
According to Margaret Hunter, an assistant professor of sociology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, there are other things that need to be taken into consideration when it comes to physical appearance.
"I don't think you can discuss attractiveness without talking about race because it is so essential in what's considered to be attractive," she says.
Hunter, who is currently researching how skin color and physical beauty affects the lives of women of color, asserts that our culture plays a large role in our classification of beauty.
"What we think of as attractiveness is culturally specific, and in the U.S. what we think of as attractive tends to be associated with White or at least with people who look more White," she asserts. "That whole thing about lighter-skinned people getting more breaks and being more likely to get the job is related to attractiveness because it's all about what we consider to be the most desirable characteristics."
Hunter feels that the difference between the way attractive people and others are treated isn't made more apparent during one time or another. The difference, however, is noticed in important situations.
"It's kind of how racism works because it's happening all the time, even in the most minuscule way, but it becomes most important on big things like job interviews and housing," she states.
Hunter firmly believes that each person's perception of attractiveness is strongly influenced by his or her surroundings.
"Beauty isn't actually in the eye of the beholder. In the sense that there is a pretty high level of agreement among people of what is considered beautiful by society," says Hunter. "That goes to show that beauty is not an individual taste kind of thing, it's a cultural construction. I think when people say that beauty is in the eye of the individual, I just happen to prefer, fill in the blank, that's a cop out in a way of dealing with a real societal problem of bias. Just look through the leading magazines. The people look pretty similar."
Hunter stresses that this biased way of thinking is not human nature but something that we can change. She says that for this to happen we would need to make an effort as a society to think differently.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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