Stephanie Pelley 2/20/13 P.

Lookism Research
Lookism: How It Affects Us by Sharon Cullars http://www.oocities.org/~cullars/lookism.htm According to university researchers in Texas and Michigan, an attractive worker is paid 10 percent more than his or her unattractive counterpart, even where they perform the same work and have similar levels of experience. This is true even in positions where looks should play little or no part. This type of discrimination, termed lookism is also a factor in areas other than employment. In her book Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, Dr. Nancy Etkoff points out other areas where pulchritude or the lack thereof can enhance your chances or hinder your prospects: in school, in the judicial system, and sometimes even in the place where one should expect refuge from this mess: in the home. According to studies and Dr. Etkoffs book, teachers often give better grades to good-looking children, police officers go easier on attractive people (ever wonder how many tickets beautiful female motorists actually avoid?), good-looking defendants get more favorable verdicts or sentences, and cute-as-button children receive more attention from their mothers than unattractive children get from theirs. Granted, these may only be theories and no one wants to believe that the extent of a mothers love is predicated on the attractiveness of her child. But how many of us have heard mothers call their children something akin to you ugly (fill in blank). And how many of us remember teachers choosing the pretty girl to stand in the front of the line when the class was led out for recess?

Lookism: Should We Ban Discrimination Based on Bad Looks? http://www.policymic.com/articles/2260/lookism-should-we-ban-discrimination-based-on-bad-looks Throughout their lifetimes, attractive people are assumed to be more friendly, intelligent, and productive than their less comely counterparts, regardless of their actual traits. Physical attractiveness bears more impact on earnings than education, resulting in, as tallied by one economist, $230,000 more in lifetime income. Better-looking criminals even get more lenient sentences. This hardly seems fair. Is legislation a possible remedy? However, studies show that peoples attractiveness is not as subjective as the old adage beauty is in the eye of the beholder suggests. Moreover, those fearing a slew of frivolous lawsuits may be comforted to know that Michigan, which banned appearance-based discrimination in the 1970s, sees only about one lawsuit a year on the subject. Six cities also have laws against discrimination based on looks.

However, some may be concerned that, even when practicable, providing legal remedies for those suffering from lookism starts down a slippery slope towards a creepy level of egalitarianism. Society rewards people for all sorts of unearned attributes. Just as a person may be blessed with great looks, he/she may also be bestowed with higher than average intelligence or an aptitude for developing a particular skill. We want our doctors to be intelligent and our opera stars to have good voices at some point, we need to allow natural differences to shape real world outcomes. If we protect against discrimination based on appearance, must we also eliminate differences emanating from other natural gifts?

Lookism: Why we don't want to be perceived as "ugly" or "different" http://www.antropologi.info/blog/anthropology/2011/lookism When we consider the disparity in what we spend our money on, we find the depressing fact that, in the US, more money is spent on beauty than on education or social services. This fact shows the vacuousness of our society, but also may explain why we persist in the mainly pointless behaviors of buying beautifying products and services. If we are not educated, we may believe that physical appearance is more important than being learned, and we may rely on looks to accrue power instead of using our brains (p.69).

'Lookism' Is The New Racism http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/marie-claire/features/society-celeb/article/-/10188949/lookismis-the-new-racism/ People who appear to be conventionally beautiful have fewer barriers to workplace success, he said. However, protecting conventionally ugly people or offensively linking that condition to a disability would take society in the wrong direction. In a most recent case, Shirley Ivey, 61, is suing her former employer for 'lookism'. Ivey, left her job after her supervisor told her that he would like her more if she was prettier. More often than not it seems qualities outrank skill, intelligence or character pay off. Here's an example. Anna Kournikova is ranked 37th in women's tennis, and has never won a major singles championship. So, why is it that Kournikova makes millions more dollars from endorsements than players ranked higher? You decide.

Lookism & it's Effects on Job Prospects http://lookism.weebly.com/lookism--its-affects-on-jobs.html Lookism, discrimination based on a persons physical appearance is becoming common and recently many people have been a victim of it. Being a lookist is basic human nature but we need to stop doing it. It has a negative impact on whosoever has to face it; its another form of bullying. Off lately, Lookism has been the reason why many people are unemployed, and not because they are not qualified enough but by the way they look. Several studies and research affirmed the fact that employers do not always look for the most qualified person but look for the good looking well groomed candidates. Catherine Hakim, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies concludes that attractive people earn up to 7-13% more than their less attractive colleagues. Hakim further says that Physical and social attractiveness deliver substantial in all social interactions-making a person more persuasive, able to secure the cooperation of colleagues, attracts customers and sell products. This explains how people judge each other by the way they look, more than their personality. The expression Dont judge a book by its cover has no value in todays society. Another study says that obese women are more likely to be discriminated when applying for jobs and receive a lower starting salary compared to their physically fit colleagues. Even though our world is advancing so rapidly in other fields, we are falling behind in our integrity and values. The Employment Law Alliance (ELA) found out that 16% of Americans believed that they had been discriminated by the way they look and 33% believe physically attractive people are likely to get promoted faster. Though Lookism does not pertain to only one gender, women are more likely to be a victim of it. For example, Nancy Etcoff, a Harvard Medical School Researcher selected adult participants from different ethnic groups to rate three women wearing different styles of makeup. One woman was wearing no makeup, another was wearing natural looking makeup and the third one had glamorous look. All the womens ages ranged from 20 to 50 years old. Unsurprisingly, the lady that had the "glamorous" makeup was rated highest in competence and the one wearing no makeup was rated the lowest. After, reading about the results of many studies on the same topic, I wasnt particularly surprised by the results of Etcoffs study. Another study done by a psychologist suggests that just 3 minutes spent looking at models makes 70% of women feel depressed, guilty or shameful of themselves which brings them to Debra Jaliman, a known dermatologist and author. She says that several patients come in wanting some sort of cosmetic surgery to look better or younger because they feel it affects their job prospects. Recently, the well known T.V anchor Jennifer Livingston was a victim of Lookism only a few days ago. A viewer wrote her a letter saying that "Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain. I leave you this note hoping that you'll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle," Jennifer responded to that email by saying that it did hurt her and wanted to

raise awarness that October is a month to promote anti-bullying that people should be more conscious of the words they use.

Plastic Surgery: Beauty or Beast http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep05/surgery.aspx

What effect does plastic surgery have on children and teenagers? In 2004, about 240,682 cosmetic procedures were performed on patients 18 years old or younger, and the top surgical procedures were nose reshaping, breast lifts, breast augmentation, liposuction and tummy tucks. However, very few studies have been conducted to examine the safety and long-term risks of these procedures on adolescents--an age in which teenagers are still developing mentally and physically, Zuckerman says.

When Teen Bullying Leads To Plastic Surgery

http://www.hamptons.com/Outdoors-And-Fitness/For-Your-Health/13576/When-TeenBullying-Leads-To-Plastic-Surgery.html
Manhasset - A disturbing incident in gym class led one Long Island teenage boy who was hiding his abnormal pecks to an extreme medical procedure. Bullying caused serious problems in the classroom and the home. Pediatricians and psychologists couldn't help. One plastic surgeon could. Dr. Frederick Lukash of Manhasset tells this story and others in his controversial new book, "The Safe & Sane Guide to Teenage Plastic Surgery." At one time or another, 75 percent of students are subjected to harassment by bullies or Cyber-Bullies and experience physical, psychological and/or emotional abuse. Most teenagers face deep self-esteem issues when it comes to their appearance. In 2009, over 200,000 children had medical aesthetic procedures. The two statistics may be connected. Plastic surgery is hardly ever the solution - but Dr. Lukash's extensive art therapy collection from the children he has helped indicates that sometimes it may be the best option.