BY MARY PEACOCK


  Pre-reading Discussion

Most of the people tend to judge a person based on their looks, whether in a good or bad way. Mention the traits of a person and explain what that trait says about the person, based on general perception.

 

We're not supposed to judge  people by their looks, but we do it every day. Many Americans use appearance as a measure of worth. Numerous studies have shown  that looks influence job opportunities, salaries, the perception of one's intelligence, kindness, fitness as a parent, talent as a lover -- even the chances of  getting acquitted by a jury. But  enough about O.J. Simpson. 

We all know there's a double standard for looks and age: silver-haired men "mature," women just get old ("She must  have been really pretty"). And as  psychologist and body image specialist Dr. Debbie Then tells us,  societal pressures are now worse than ever because many women think they're supposed to be successful professionals and look  like Barbie. Park Avenue plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Kane says, "It's just another acquisition that  successful people look for somewhere along the ladder." 

It's not a pretty picture but, statistically, more and more women are buying into it. 

Effects of Good Looks: Last year, researchers at Michigan State University looked at 68 studies, conducted over 40 years and involving 5,000 subjects, which related attractiveness to intellectual competence.1  Across the board, good-looking people were rated more capable that their less-attractive peers. 

In school: Fifth-grade teachers were given identical files on children: academic record, attitudes, work habits. Half the files had photos of attractive kids, the rest, photos of plain ones. Teachers assumed the cuties were more intelligent, more likely to get  advanced degrees, and that their parents were more interested in their education. 

In the job market: Attractiveness is linked to both higher income  and higher prestige. For jobs that don't require specific skills, a majority of personnel managers considered "good appearance" to be more important than a college education or being innovative, loyal to the firm or sensitive to others. 

In court: Criminologists have shown that good-looking defendants are less likely to get caught because they are less likely to be suspects.2  If caught, they are less likely to be reported. And if a trial does take place, they are treated more leniently by judges and juries. 

Like Your Looks? 
The facts: Psychological studies indicate that today 48% of American women feel "wholesale displeasure" with their bodies. A decade ago the figure was 30%. Even then, women were  "considerably more dissatisfied" with their bodies than in a similar survey taken in 1972. 

The "figures": Some U.S. national averages for common cosmetic procedures performed by qualified plastic surgeons:3

  • forehead lift: $2,130 
  • facelift: $4,293 
  • eyelid surgery (both eyes, upper/lower lids) : $2,739 
  • cheek implants: $1,800 
  • chin implant: $1,216 
  • nose reshaping: $2,643 - $3,152 
  • breast augmentation: $2,697 
  • breast reduction: $4,741 
  • breast reduction in men: $2,298 
  • upper arm lift: $2,471 
  • liposuction per site: $1,639 
  • tummy tucks: $3,776 

    • thigh lift: $3,177 

After reading discussion

1) When do you think the general misconception of good-looking people will fade? Do you think it will ever fade?
2) Mention the different assumptions made by people when they see an attractive person. Do you think the assumptions have evolved through time?

 Source: American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 1994.
For the original text, please visit
 http://www.womenswire.com/image/plasticsurgery.html.