The well-known bias favoring the taller and more attractive amongst us has been once again reinforced by two studies. A University of Florida study found that "tall people beat short people on job evaluations and even fare better on seemingly objective measures, like sales performance." Tall people earn higher salaries as well. A University of Texas study found that "attractive professors consistently outscore their less comely colleaguesby a significant margin on student evaluations of teaching. The findings, they say, raise serious questions about the use of student evaluations as a valid measure of teaching quality." Professor of astronomy and astrophysics Rocky Kolb said that professors and students certainly are not exempt from biases favoring attractive people. He said that "teaching, like acting, is much like performance art." A friend of mine who also read the article wondered if the cultural background and facial attractiveness does not also affect manner and speaking ability; i.e. qualities common in better teachers. Like it or not, looks definitely play a part.
The article about attractive professors mentioned Dr. Judith Waters, a psychology professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University who studies the relationship of physical beauty to aging, income, and work. She is quoted in a 1992 article in Harper's Bazaar about the politics of make-up. It highlights the assumptions about attractiveness that plague us all, and often affect events in our lives.
..."wearing makeup is not just about attracting a mate; it's the political implications of the ritual that need serious consideration. So integrated is the wearing of makeup within our social system that it invites value judgments based solely on the way a woman is (or isn't) made up. In the workplace, failing to wear what is considered the "right" makeup can have serious ramifications. Take the case of Teresa Fischette, a Continental Airlines flight attendant who was recently fired for refusing to wear makeup on the job. Although the case never went to court, the Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union came out in her support. But this case is only the tip of the iceberg. One law school graduate describes how his top law firm interviewed for support staff and paralegals by determining whether they passed the so-called ha-ha test. "That quite literally means that if their appearance made you laugh when they came through the door, then they wouldn't get the job," says the graduate. And did makeup figure into this? "Yes, definitely."
"You have to look right for the job. If you look frivolous at a bank, then customers will think you'll be frivolous with their money; but if you're in advertising, then you have to look fashionable," says Judith Waters, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Wearing makeup and looking put-together can also indicate respect for your future employer or for the person with whom you are meeting. "When I interview someone and she looks nicely made up, I'm flattered and influenced by the fact that she took the time," says Evelyn Lauder, senior corporate vice president of Estee Lauder Companies."
formerly known as: Scent Of A Woman
