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Does appearance matter? Can you really get better benefits if you’re one of life’s beautiful people? The evidence says “Yes, you can!”.
They say beauty is only skin deep, but ugly cuts to the bone. It’s been statistically proven that pretty people get more pay and quicker promotion – and generally an easier time of it in life.
You can’t change the rules – or people’s perception – so put down that hamburger, get to the gym and revise your wardrobe.
For men, two big things count when it comes to appearance: height and hair. The pretty premium for tall men is an extra 25% in the pay cheque, while short colleagues are left on the bottom shelf. Tall men earn an extra $1000 for every $10,000 their munchkin peers take home, and $500 for every $10,000 their average-sized colleagues earn.
And the ugly penalty for men who are mingers? They will earn 15% less than their beautiful colleagues.
What’s more, height also has a say in a man’s marriage prospects: by the age of 33, short men are less likely to be married. However, weight makes no difference for men: an obese man is as likely to find love as a slim man.
Women experience the opposite in several ways; an obese woman is more likely to be single; a tall woman is less likely to get married; and fat women earn five per cent less than their slim colleagues. And beware the sexy secretary: women who are deemed unattractive earn 15% less than pretty girls.
BEAUTY BEGINS
It all begins when we’re just babies. At two years’ old, we can recognise our image in the mirror; just a few years later, girls begin to dislike what they see. Studies suggest that babies will look for longer and more intently at prettier faces; human beings are simply “wired” to respond better to attractive people.
As students, attractive kids get more attention from their teachers and better marks; they are more likely to be picked for sports teams and honours at high school.
Later in life, pretty patients will get better treatment and more care and attention from their doctors and attractive criminals will get lighter sentences than ugly convicts. Would the world be fighting so hard for Schapelle Corby if she weren’t so sweet? Perhaps not.
Researchers Hamermesh and Biddle investigated workers in the law profession and found the time delay in a male getting made partner depends on his physical attractiveness.
Studies consistently show that good-looking people are thought to be harder working, more talented, more intelligent, kinder and more honest than ugly or plain people. Moreover, people will go out of their way to help pretty people, but the plainer among us are left stranded on the roadside.
The flip side of the coin is that occasionally pretty people will lose out on jobs because they are thought to be “bimbos” or “lightweights”.
SELLING YOUR SOUL
Hayden (22) is a salesman and spends most of his days signing people up at shopping malls and event sites and doing direct sales. In a typical day, he would have contact with around 400 people. Hamish is good-looking and claims it helps him in his job, but insists that confidence also plays a part.
“For example, by flirting with older ladies, because they haven’t had a 20-something flirt with them for a long time, [I have success]. I abuse that privilege. I use the fact that I’m slightly older and more mature with younger girls, to sway them into a decision, so they’ll buy whatever I’m selling. I charm them!
‘When it comes to interviewing, it’s good to be the front face of the business if you look sharp. If your appearance is clean and neat, people are more likely to have a good first impression and a level of respect. People will listen to you right away.”
On the other hand, says Hayden, if you worked in food retail, for example, and you had pimples and greasy hair people buying food would not feel comfortable with the purchase. “They look unhealthy and you don’t want to be around them. If the person is attractive or at least clean, you enjoy the experience of whatever you’ve just bought.”
Hayden also believes that height helps men if they are in a position of authority.
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