Unfortunately, Looks do Matter in Life

in people •  6 years ago 


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Humans are afraid of being shallow. In the absence of war, moral superiority takes center stage. Humans are supposed be intelligent, and compassionate, able to see past the superficial and evaluate others by the contents of their character. Anything less than that would make us no better than a child or an animal.

So when it comes to looks, most people would say that looks do not matter in life. It is the morally superior answer that is only befitting of a mature adult. But is that the real answer?

Obviously from the title, I do not believe so. Humans as much as we don't want to admit it, are animals, just smarter ones. We have the same biological impulses to survive, eat , sleep, and reproduce. And like animals, we also very visual creatures. We make judgements on people based on their appearance. When we see a person with unkempt hair, tattoos, bad teeth, acne, a ripped t-shirt with stains on it, we draw negative impression of that person even before that person opens his or her mouth. We might believe that this person is a drug addict, a criminal, or just basically a creep. The ramifications are enormous.

This isn't just a theory. It's just real life. See the excerpt and link to a study below where individuals were asked to infer the lives of people in photographs.

http://faculty.uncfsu.edu/tvancantfort/Syllabi/Gresearch/Readings/17Dion.pdf

"The results suggest that a physical attractiveness stereotype exists and that its content is perfectly compatible with the "What is beautiful is good" thesis. Not only are physically attractive persons assumed to possess more socially desirable personalities than those of lesser attractiveness, but it is presumed that their lives will be happier and more successful. "

Or this study that shows discrimination in facially flawed individuals in interviews.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51724523_Discrimination_Against_Facially_Stigmatized_Applicants_in_Interviews_An_Eye-Tracking_and_Face-to-Face_Investigation

" Results revealed that the participants with facially stigmatized applicants attended more to the cheek (i.e., where the stigma was placed), which led participants to recall fewer interview facts, which in turn led to lower applicant ratings. In addition, the participants with the stigmatized (vs. nonstigmatized) applicant depleted more regulatory resources. In Study 2, 38 managers conducted face-to-face interviews with either a facially stigmatized or nonstigmatized applicant, and then rated the applicant. Results revealed that managers who interviewed a facially stigmatized applicant (vs. a nonstigmatized applicant) rated the applicant lower, recalled less information about the interview, and depleted more self-regulatory resources."

Discrimination based on looks are subtle and many times we do not even know it. And it extends far beyond our dating prospects. It can extend to our intelligence and our social skills as well.

https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/attractive-people-are-smarter-science-says-but-maybe-thats-due-to-how-we-treat-them.html

We call this the halo effect. When it comes to physical attractiveness, because that person is hot, we make several assumptions about that person. We may also assume that the person is intelligent, healthy, rich, socially adept, and athletic. Sometimes, this positive reinforcement can turn these assumptions into self fulfilling prophecies.

Now think about the opposite effect. If you not that attractive, people will make negative judgements about you. They will assume that you are not very smart, are not socially adept i.e. they will make you uncomfortable and not laugh at your jokes, not healthy etc. This negative reinforcement can turn such assumptions into self fulfilling prophecies as well.

Sometimes this can work in reverse. Some people are intimidated by beautiful people. Take for example a beautiful woman in a high position. Some people will assume that she slept her way to the position and she didn't earn with her hard work. Or even an attractive man might be seen as domineering and thus he might be kicked out of some circles due to fear.

We live in superficial world and it sucks.

This post isn't to make you insecure about your looks, I just wanted to point the realities of the world. Me personally have noticed shifts in other people's behavior, good and bad, when I began to exercise and wear better clothes (I just felt like it).

Still, most of use including myself will never reach the level of a supermodel. And that's okay. Because even though looks matter, you do not have to make it the only thing that matters. Do not put yourself in a position where people can make snap judgements about you. Avoid fast paced environments where your looks will work against you. Try expressing yourself in places such as a classroom or a plane where things slow down and you can actually build something worthwhile.

I'll write more about this later but that all I have for now.

Thanks for reading!

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I am a trial lawyer with over 150 jury trials to my credit. Your premise is absolutely correct. When in front of a jury panel I have thirty minutes to connect with a room full of strangers. They make decisions about everyone involved based on purely superficial observations. Then, when you add race into this toxic mixture, well you can just imagine the complexity of it all. When I have a client who is unattractive I do what I can to help them. Appropriate dress and improved grooming always helps. For my clients who are racial minorities, half our time is spent trying to ensure we can weed out the racists during jury selection. They are angry people who cannot wait for a chance to get even for all their imagined wrongs done to them by “those people.” I wish I had easy answers and solutions to all this, but I do not. I try to be aware of my own biases so I do not engage in this behavior. My wife and I raised our five children to also have an open mind as they approach the world. Good luck everybody and I wish you well.

It is easier said than done. TV and media perpetuate these stereotypes that ends up dividing us instead of bringing us together.

I am completely agree with the looks of people really do matter in life because i am aboserved that people today do really care about their look. A person with good look always be first selected from work social and secceed with their bussiness, on the other hand a person with bad look would be ignored and failed with their career. People will first jugde how their look not their work potentail. For this reason in my country i see many people paying alot money to make them have a good look like going to beauty clinic and also do surgury.

Surgery can be dangerous or even deadly. It isn't worth it. There are millions of other people out there. We can never be the most handsome or the most beautiful. This will result in an endless cycle of depression, anxiety, dangerous surgeries, and expensive cosmetics.

I wonder how much money the makeup industry takes in per year? I am sure that this is quite easy to access information. I was reading a book the other day that said that people work out to look good, the want to look good to be attractive for a potential partner and they want to find that partner because they want love. I have never really thought about it that way but i think this is probably why when you know a happy couple they have a tendency to care less about what they look like in public for the most part. I'm rambling now :)

  1. In 2017, the makeup industry was 532 billion, in 2024 it is expected to be around 860 billion. Not a good sign for the future.

  2. I agree. Couples tend to care less about their looks. They have been with each other long enough to build an emotional connection so they can drop the makeup, high heels, abs, and muscles.

Yes, Looks do matter in life, I am the live example, I got rejected from many jobs on the base of my look, I have Many pimples on my face and taken treatment from no. of doctors but nothing cures it. I lost my morale and value in my eyes. So, i decided to open my own business and earn what god wants.

Looks frequently draw the first impression of someone but if you have the opportunity to know them better, sometimes it turns out that the "inner person" is quite attractive ... or the opposite.

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Hmm. interesting

cuanta razón hay en este post!!!, lo superficial es lo que mueve todo en este mundo, importa mas una secretaria sexi que una inteligente . asco dan.

i look like shit, this article is so truth lol

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