Do Attractive People Earn More?

After months of searching, I finally landed a job as a research analyst in a BPO/KPO at Ayala, Makati. It was all very exciting and a whole new different ballgame for me. And because of that, I haven't had the time to do much blogging. 

And I was reminded of THIS: a feature story I wrote for my former college paper.

Read it here:

                                

Two women sit in a reception room. They patiently wait as the boss in his inner office finish studying their resumes.

One woman is plain-looking in her neat blouse and slacks, confident in her excellent experience and education. The other is pretty, all sweet and polished in a slick ruffled dress. When the intercom buzzes finally to reveal, “You’re hired”, who do you think gets the job?

Surprise, surprise. According to research, the prettier woman most likely gets it.

It’s called ‘Beauty Premium’.

It’s not fair that there are some people who were just born screaming out of the womb with perfect looks. They look cool in clothes and without. And we’re…well, maybe we should just keep our stretch marks to ourselves. It’s genetics; we can’t do anything about it.

“Good-looking men and women are generally judged to be more talented, kind, honest and intelligent than their less attractive counterparts,” says Dr. Gordon Patzer in an article for CareerBuilder.com. He spent more than three decades studying and writing about physical attractiveness.

“Controlled studies show people go out of their way to help attractive people of the same and opposite sex because they want to be liked and accepted by good-looking people,” Dr. Patzer added.

It seems that less attractive people have to prove themselves more capable, and better—a hard and ugly (excuse the pun) truth that may be too much to handle for people who looked like a gorilla with a bad hair day. Maybe when God rained down beauty to humans, most of us were carrying umbrellas.

Economic professors Daniel Hammermesh of the University of Texas and Jeff Biddle of Michigan State University have also found out that plain people earn 5 to 10 percent less than people with average looks, who in turn earn 3 to 8 percent less than those deemed good-looking.

There are those of us who are about to graduate in a few months and looking for a job is hard enough. But worrying if we won’t get that corner office because of the way we look, well… that’s harder.

“Looks do count,” agrees Ralph Revelar Sarza, 20, a Bicol University graduate. “Good-looking people get paid more. People react more to them.”

But it’s not just on looks though, height and weight matter too. If you’re taller, you get an added edge. According to two professors from universities in Florida and North Carolina, tall people acquire considerably more money in their careers than their shorter co-workers.

And if you’re one to enjoy 3 extra rice, chocolate cake and ice cream desserts, and large breakfast fries, you may want to rethink that. A London Guildhall study on beauty premium explains that people who are overweight will probably be unemployed.

This is from an online article by Kathleen Hauser: “Certain characteristics have been found to be more sought after by employers than others. Among women, obesity is the most limiting physical trait when it comes to employment opportunities and wages. Studies conducted in 1981 and 1988 found that women who were obese earned up to 17 percent less than their slimmer counterparts. For men, height is the most valued trait, with research showing an 18 percent increase in pay for every inch of height above the national average.”

Unfortunately, that’s not all. Studies also show that prettier and handsomer students get a lot more attention and good evaluation from their teachers. Doctors will provide more personalized care to good-looking patients, and attractive convicts receive lighter sentences than his butt-ugly fellow murderers, thieves, druggies and rapists.

All these facts almost make us average people book an appointment to the nearest upscale salon to work up some magic. Maybe even sign up to those makeover reality shows on TV.

Believe it or not, there were average people who actually called up a lawyer to file a suit for “Ugly Discrimination”—an entirely legal suit in the U.S. that is almost always a losing battle.

But there is hope yet. Despite all these facts and research, some of the most successful people are ordinary-looking people at best. I mean, look at TV host Mike Enriquez; behind his pockmarked face, colossal nose and disturbingly weird way of talking, everybody knows him and respects him; he gets paid well and a regular feature every night in our living rooms. Oprah Winfrey looks like an average black woman behind all the hair and makeup, but she has her own studio, magazine, talk show and all that.

“I don’t think good-looking people earn more,” says Joana Sodsod, 25. She once worked at a high-end cosmetics store. “It’s more on the person’s ability. At work, it’s not always about looks. When I was employed at a cosmetics store, height doesn’t matter—we were all given a chance.”

Confidence can be all you need. As long as you know you can do your job better and doesn’t have to apologize for it, you’ll be walking tall. A confident outlook makes you feel good about yourself, and when you feel good you’ll look good. “When beautiful people are not pulling their weight, their looks count against them and it is the unattractive who come out winners,” this from Beth Hale of Mail Online.

Adding to these facts, Roshawn Watson, Pharm. D says that 20 percent of attractiveness is confidence. “Better looks do not translate to better productivity,” she explained. “Appearances may get you into the door but productivity will decide whether you stay.”

So how do you beat this beauty premium?

Career advice blogger Penelope Trunk advises job seekers to dress to impress—a neat, organized physical appearance that is in line with contemporary standards can go a long way towards impressing potential employers.”

Another tip from Kathleen Hauser: “Improve your image. While physical traits such as beauty and stature may be beyond your grasp, the way you present yourself to employers and the rest of the world is absolutely within your control.”

She added: “Though a more attractive employee may initially make more money, if he or she cannot perform at the level of plainer-looking but better qualified workers, the benefits of beauty may be short-lived. An employee who is honest and confident in his or her own abilities is much more of an asset than one who intends to float by solely on the merit of good looks. A confident, well-qualified, and well-presented employee is truly an asset to be sought after.”

And that sound you hear is a multitude of average-looking people around the world sighing with relief. Comforted. ■

(I just have to put Ugly Betty in this post. She looks cute here. lol) XD