Pretty Privilege and its Effect on the Labour Market

“Beauty [Aristotle] declared [was] to be a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction”

(Laertius Diogenes and Mensch, 2018).

This sentiment runs just as true in the modern world as it did in the ancient; beauty or ‘pretty privilege’ allows individuals to have a superior social standing, form friendships and relationships effortlessly and, as studies show, live happier lives (Tuttle, 2011). However, what are the consequences of pretty privilege regarding the labour market and is it economically rational for people to pursue beauty? 

Pretty privilege or ‘lookism’ “operates on the principle that people who are more conventionally attractive, based on societal beauty standards, have more advantages and opportunities compared to people who are deemed less attractive” (O’Brien, 2022). Economist Daniel S Hamermesh recounts in ‘Beauty pays: why attractive people are more successful’, that conventionally attractive people are paid more in terms of salary, offered more employment opportunities and are able to secure financial loans more easily (Hamermesh, 2013). Furthermore, in the paper: ‘Beauty and the Labour Market’, Daniel s. Hamermesh and Jeff E. Biddle (1993), found that “holding constant demographic and labour-market characteristics, plain people earn less than people of average looks, who earn less than the good-looking”, and they suggested that “pure employer discrimination” and “customer discrimination/productivity” as main reasons for beauty premiums in the labour market. 

Instances of employer discrimination involve employers considering an individual’s application less favourably on account of their lack of attractiveness. Despite this not being protected in the Discrimination and Equality Act 2010, this prejudice hinders individuals from finding work or getting promotions. However, employer discrimination regarding pretty privilege is encouraged in our employment methods, considering online platforms, for example, LinkedIn, where users are encouraged to add a picture to their profile, it is intuitive for employers to click on the accounts of people they find attractive, subsequently considering their applications first. Furthermore, one study found “a positive correlation between perceived intelligence and perceived attractiveness: (r = 0.762, N=80, p<0.001) (Kleisner, Chvátalová, and Flegr, 2014). Therefore, employers could be convinced they’re hiring the best applicants for the role by appointing the most attractive people;

 because they’re perceived as intelligent. Despite this potentially being the case, the study “did not observe any significant correlation between measure IQ and attractiveness” (Kleisner, Chvátalová and Flegr, 2014), so judging people’s intellect based on how they look is not accurate and instead permits discrimination in recruitment. 

Secondly, they discuss customer discrimination/productivity and the extent to which it’s a factor in the preference to hire attractive people. An employer may want to employ more attractive individuals to provide a better ‘face’ for the company. In 2020, the Legal Firm Gordon and Slater released a study on Lookism regarding women during lockdown, the study found that “more than a third (34%) were asked to wear more make-up or do something with their hair” (Slater and Gordon UK Limited, 2020). These requests were most commonly justified by saying “it would ‘help to win new business’ (41%) [or] it would be ‘more pleasing to a client’ (38%)” (Slater and Gordon UK Limited, 2020). These statistics, whilst shocking, do align with the presumption that more attractive people are perceived as beneficial for companies as they bring in more business. Finally, the study I mentioned previously also found that “perceived intelligence correlates with perceived trustworthiness and happiness” (Kleisner, Chvátalová and Flegr, 2014), this gives grounds to the rationale of employing more attractive people for the customer, if they trust the employee (seller) they are likely to buy a product or invest in their business. 

Evidence suggests that there is a strong correlation between someone’s perceived attractiveness and their success in the labour market, this prejudice against those who are either employed or looking for employment not only disadvantages employees’ pay and promotion but also allows for unregulated discrimination within the workplace. It is undeniable that the pursuit of beauty is economically rational for individuals seeking employment or for those who want to progress at their current jobs. But steps taken to include Lookism in the Discrimination and Equality Act 2010 and prevent further biases are yet to be seen. 

Bibliography 

Fulwood, A. (2023). Can being thinner make women richer?. The Economist. Available at: https://www.economist.com/search?q=women+wight

Hamermesh, D. (2013). Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People are More Successful. Eastern Economic Journal, 39(2), pp.265–267. 

Hamermesh, D. and Biddle, J. (1993). Beauty and the Labour Market. Available at: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w4518/w4518.pdf

Kleisner, K., Chvátalová, V. and Flegr, J. (2014). Perceived Intelligence Is Associated with Measured Intelligence in Men but Not Women. PLoS ONE, 9(3), p.e81237. 

Laertius Diogenes and Mensch, P. (2018). Lives of the eminent philosophers. New York: Oxford University Press.

O’Brien, K. (2022). Pretty privilege is real – The Daily Free Press. The Daily Free Press. Available at: https://dailyfreepress.com/2022/03/02/pretty-privilege-is-real/ 

Slater and Gordon UK Limited (2020). Bosses Tell Women to be Sexier on Video Meetings | Slater + Gordon. www.slatergordon.co.uk. Available at: https://www.slatergordon.co.uk/newsroom/bosses-tell-women-to-be-sexier-on-video-meetings/.

The Independent (2023). It’s 2023 and we still defer to pretty people. Please make it stop. The Independent. 26 Sep. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/pretty-privilege-beauty-employment-b2418005.html.

Trafford-Owen, K. (2021). The Beauty Bias: when being pretty equals progress.Druthers Search. Available at: https://www.drutherssearch.com/insights/the-beauty-bias-when-being-pretty-equals-progress/#:~:text=The%20%27beauty%20bias%27%2C%20or.

Tuttle, B. (2011). Why Are Beautiful People Happier? Mainly Because Good Looks Help Them Get Rich. Time. Available at: https://business.time.com/2011/03/30/why-are-beautiful-people-happier-mainly-because-good-lucks-help-them-get-rich/