We’ve all heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”, and while that may be true, it’s often difficult to ignore physical characteristics when meeting new people. The first piece of information that we receive when meeting someone new is his or her looks, which is why we are prone to be influenced by physical attractiveness. This notion is called primacy effect (Schneider et. al., 2012). Try to think back to a social event that you attended recently where you were introduced to new people, and think about your initial impressions of them. I think it would be difficult for us to have based a first impression on somebody’s personality rather than his/her looks.
When you thought back on a particular social event, did you feel like you favored some people over others? Were these favored people more attractive? I think we all would like to believe that we don’t care about looks, or that we don’t make conclusions about a person based on their looks. But unfortunately, this phenomenon is quite a regular response. People tend to associate good looks with other good qualities about the person (Schneider et. al., 2012). A study found that attractive people are expected to be better people – more sensitive, sexually responsive, interesting, and sociable. These common beliefs underlie what’s called the physical attractiveness stereotype. This is good news for individuals who are ‘better looking’, but not so much for others who do not fit this category. When two individuals, one good-looking and the other not, with similar resumes apply for a position, employers generally prefer the more attractive applicant, since they perceive that they will be better employees.
Even though this often seems to be the case for more attractive individuals, I have had experiences that are just the opposite of this stereotype. This is not to say that I’m calling myself America’s (or Armenia’s) next top model – but I feel I am on the more attractive spectrum. I like pampering myself, dressing nicely and applying makeup, not to please anyone else, but because that’s how I like to see myself. When I attend public seminars or talks and meet people there, I always get talked down to and feel like they dumb down their conversation when I am being addressed. When I tell them that I study at Penn State, or when I start talking about a topic passionately and knowledgably, I see a perplexed expression on their faces. I think this is a prevalent opinion in this part of the world – that pretty women, or women who look like they’ve taken some time to look presentable, are usually ‘dumb blondes’, or only care about their looks. This has particularly been an issue for me in the workplace. A couple of years ago when I applied for a job at an online based news agency in Armenia (Civilnet), my interviewer was not taking me seriously, and thought that the only reason I was there was to be on TV, when in fact I was applying to be a writer for their column on political issues in Syria. When I gave him my portfolio of my writing, I recognized that same perplexed visage.
Although I think that the physical attractiveness stereotype is in fact a phenomenon that does occur, I feel like it should take into consideration how attractive women are perceived in society sometimes. What do you think?
Thank you for reading!
Hilda Yacoubian
References:
Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
Tags: #AppliedSocialPsychology, #physicalattractiveness, #socialpsychology, stereotype
Interesting topic!
Interestingly perception of attractiveness varies from person to person. I’m sure across many cultures there are a few characteristics that many would agree make a person attractive however, ratings of attractiveness vary based on many factors. These factors can include ethnic orientation, personal prejudices and past experiences.
Perceptions of attractiveness can also be influenced by the ethnic majority of the geographical area. One study (Coetzee, Greeff, Stephen, Perrett, 2014) found that there was a preference for Scottish faces when a group of white Scottish participants and black South African participants. This means that the black South American participants found white Scottish faces to be more attractive than their own ethnic group. Researcher hypothesized that this effect happens because both groups are familiar with white European facial features (TV, Magazines etc.). Within both groups women were perceived to be more attractive than men.
Perception of attractiveness may also be tied to sexual orientation. Another study (Lick, Johnson, 2014) Found that lesbian women with a feminine appearance were rated as more attractive than those who did not fit gender norms in regards to appearance. Women who appeared to be lesbian were categorized as gender-atypical which was associated with lower attractiveness ratings. This effect was not found for gay men. This led the researchers to hypothesize that these perceptions of attractiveness for lesbian women have a foundation in general prejudice against women.
Simply being female was also found to be a factor in attractiveness ratings among children ages three to eleven. Preference for female targets was found to transcend preference for the child’s own race or gender. The older children however did have a stronger bias towards their own race and gender although female preference still dominated (Rennels, Langlois, 2014).
As you mentioned, physical attractiveness stereotype, the “halo effect” is a type of conformation bias where highly desirable traits (intelligence, good worker etc) are attributed to attractive people. Women are often perceived as more attractive than men. Women who have facial features that are closer to perceived gender norms are more likely to be perceived as attractive. I do agree that there does seem to be a persistent cultural attitude that those who are highly attractive are not intelligent. For example the “dumb blonde” or “dumb model” stereotype. However, from reading the above studies, especially the one referring to antigay prejudice, it seems that this effect may have more to do with the fact that there is often negative bias towards women in general. i.e. Women are perceived as more attractive and more attractive people are perceived to have more desirable traits but discrimination against women sometimes negates those perceptions.
Coetzee, V., Greeff, J. M., Stephen, I. D., & Perrett, D. I. (2014). Cross-Cultural Agreement in Facial Attractiveness Preferences: The Role of Ethnicity and Gender. PLoS ONE, 9(7). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099629
Lick, D. J., & Johnson, K. L. (2014). Perceptual Underpinnings of Antigay Prejudice. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(9), 1178-1192. doi:10.1177/0146167214538288
Rennels, J. L., & Langlois, J. H. (2014). Children’s Attractiveness, Gender, and Race Biases: A Comparison of Their Strength and Generality. Child Development, 85(4), 1401-1418. doi:10.1111/cdev.12226
Hilda,
I liked reading your post. I’m not sure what exactly you’re asking at the end, but I can give you my two cents on the matter of physical attractiveness and stereotyping from my perspective.
First, I recently had a small fall-out with a friend because I didn’t want to take my two daughters to a “fashion show” at a local mall. She was taking her kids and didn’t understand why I refused to come along. I explained that I don’t want to teach my girls that their looks are what is important– that it’s okay that they are being judged on their outward appearance. In my home we encourage growth in all aspects of personhood, and although we talk about a healthy lifestyle and good choices for a healthy physical body, we don’t push anything related to what we consider attractiveness. When I was reflecting back on the tiff with my friend, I realized that as a person who is considered attractive, I have a lot of privilege. It’s easy for me to say “looks don’t matter” because I am pretty and I’m fairly confident that others find me attractive as well. I wondered how I would feel if my daughters did not grow into their looks and were not as naturally good looking– would I encourage them to “pretty” themselves up to make the team or get the job? Looks don’t matter…when you already look good. For those individuals who are not considered as attractive as others, looks DO matter.
However, maybe being a plain-looking person is a benefit as well. Like you mentioned, being attractive brings along the stereotype of being stupid, high maintenance, and/or aloof. Maybe my daughters will stick out more because their looks do not overshadow their intelligence or talents.
I would hope that as our society evolves, looks become less of an asset as well as an obstacle, and we can celebrate women (and men) for all that they bring to the table, regardless of physical attractiveness.