Pretty privelage is soemthing most of us have heard of or even been accused of having. Pretty priveldge is when you recieve unfair advantages becuase of your attractieness, but is this real? is there any science to behind it? Pretty priveledge is a thing we see a lot in todays society. One specific area where I have noticed this is at the bars when attractive women already do not bring their cards becasue they know men are going to buy them drinks. This is just one example of pretty priveledge.
Pretty privledge may seem like something that may be made up or seomtheing that may just seem like coincidence like someone paying for your meal while oyu are out. But there is actual science behing this. In the textbook theysummerize a study that was done where an employer was handed two resumes. One was from someone while the other was not. They usually tend to pick hte attractive resume due to the physical attractiveness sterotype where they are percieved to be better wokers ( Hamermesh & Biddle, 1994).
This has also been shown in research looking at political aspects. They have seen that voters who know little to nothing about hte canidates vote based off of attraction ( Stockemer & Priano, 2015). This in turn can also cause the contraty that unatractive people get passed u on jobs and also may be thought to take part in criminal behavior ( e.g, Efran, 1974; Esses & Webster, 1998; Hatfiels & Spreacher, 1986).
Athough, we may see this a lot in our lifetime it actually isnt accurate. Pretty priveldge is nothing but a bias. Research has shown that more attractie people are neither better or worse workers than others who are not attractive or have average looks (Miller & Perlman, 2009). So, next time your making a decision or having to choose between two people in any situation make sure to look past physical apperance theres more to a person and their apperance. Theres science behind it to support that although pretty priveldge is athink it is not accurate when it comes to decison making.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.
Hamermesh, D. S., & Biddle, J. E. (1994). Beauty and the labor market. American Economic Review, 84, 1174-1195.
Stockemer, D., & Praino, R. (2015). Blinded by beauty? Physical attractiveness and candidate selection in the U.S. House of Representatives. Social Science Quarterly, 96, 430-443.
Efran, M. G. (1974). The effects of physical appearance on the judgment of guilt, interpersonal attraction, and severity of recommended punishment in a simulated jury task. Journal of Research in Personality, 8, 45-54.
Miller, R. S., & Perlman, D. (2009). Intimate relationships (Sth ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
While pretty privilege can provide advantages, it also comes with complexities. People deemed attractive might face assumptions about their capabilities or character (“She’s only successful because she’s pretty”). Moreover, societal standards of beauty are subjective and culturally specific, meaning the experience of “pretty privilege” can vary widely depending on the context. In short, pretty privilege is a real phenomenon with psychological and societal underpinnings. While it often provides tangible benefits, it also reflects deeper biases and cultural values that prioritize appearance.