Is there discrimination against attractive looking people?

Question

I used to work with a boss (not mine) that had a very peculiar opinion when hiring people. She always said that she didn't like hiring really attractive or good looking people. For instance when she was looking for an admin assistant she told us that she purposely took the "plain" looking lady over the more qualified "good looking" lady. Someone asked why and she explained that good looking people were to difficult to control, vain, and spent way too much time socializing and flirting (or being the object of affection). Myself, I find this almost against the law these days, and quite questionable. Do you think what she said had any grounds in reality???? Do others have this opinion? I'm was almost afraid of dressing too nice or looking too sharp after hearing her rant

Answer 1

There's discrimination against ugly and fat people, it is a proven fact good looking people are more prone to get the job..among other things.

Answer 2

I believe good looking people are discriminated against by both sides. You have the jealous haters and the people who honestly do believe that good looking people get by on their looks. I'll tell you one thing, beauty certainly is in the eye of the beholder. I've been told that I'm an attractive person, and I've been told that I'm kinda on the ugly side. It doesn't really matter what a person looks like. All anyone can do is do the best with what they were given. It makes no sense to discriminate based on looks.

Answer 3

There is a lot of preferential treatment in FAVOR of hiring attractive looking people... whether or not it relates to the business or not. However, there is discrimination against as well.

I worked at a place where the small department I worked in (about 8 workers total, including supervisor) would have 2 people working on shift at any one time. All of us were male. There was a lot of heavy lifting and moving involved, but it wasn't like a woman couldn't do it if she was in decent shape. That was the "official" rationale behind not hiring women to work in our dept.

However, I had a good working relationship with the manager and asked him at one point about that issue, when I found out that the head of the same type of dept. in another city was a woman (managers had to do the same regular work on shift). He responded that the "hidden" reason behind him not hiring a woman was that he thought it would be too much of a distraction for the male workers. I told him he was on dangerous ground with that rationale and was lucky that they hired internally and there was very little interest from women in other dept's in wanting to transfer to us.

I was listening to a sports radio show a couple of years back, and this issue came up and sparked a good debate amongst the callers reacting to it. I believe it got started with a news report about a successful woman coach's season, and the host threw the question out there- would you hire her as a men's team coach. There was a businessman who responded saying that he wouldn't, not because of lack of qualifications, but because of her looks. He went on to relate a story where he had a woman apply for a job whose resume and history blew all the other applicants out of the water. However, when she came in for the interview, he saw that most of the male workers in the area had stopped what they were doing to look at her, since she was very attractive. After the interview, they proceeded to tell the boss that "Oh, you really need to hire her..." etc etc. He didn't, and selected a male applicant that was less qualified, because he didn't want to deal with his workers being distracted if she was working with them in the office.

Another side note about dressing sharp... in my graduate psychology program, we had a female student that was simply "model material". One of our professors actually started asking other professors what she wore to her other classes because he felt she was dressing too provacatively for class.

And what was this provactive outfit? Business attire. Suit and slacks. She was easily the sharpest dressed student of all of us, and would not be out of place at all walking into a corporate meeting or giving a sales presentation. The "problem" was simply that because of her petiteness and curves, she really couldn't hide it no matter what she wore. It's not her fault, but here she has a professor who thinks she is dressing provacatively when she's better dressed than he is.

To me, if a boss thinks an attractive worker in the workplace is going to be a distraction, that tells me the boss is rather worthless in a leadership position. If the boss can't keep the workers in line and focused on work, then the boss really has no leadership nor control of the workers. If the boss isn't interested in hiring the best qualified candidate to fill a position, then the boss isn't working toward improving a department, company, etc. They could say that any gains would be eaten up by distracted workers, but again, an effective boss can ameliorate that.

Unfortunately, unless you are in management yourself, or know someone in the loop as far as hiring/ promotions go... it's hard to find out if there are any forms of discrimination going on behind the scenes. Good thing to do is just pay attention to what people who have worked with a boss before say about their experiences working for that person, get to know the boss yourself, and come up with the best informed idea you can as far as if the boss is the type who is influenced by such things as appearance or not.

Answer 4

That's total discrimination. You should always dress nice at a job. It just looks professional. I have also been disseminated against, not by my boss, but by my co workers. It is hard to get along with many people because people hate pretty people, they're just jealous and don't want pretty people around them.

Answer 5

I regularly experience that females turn on me without the want of a lot of an excuse. people do not assume that i'm stupid although that, easily lots of the time they seem to entice close that i'm wise without even understanding me nicely. many people can't deal with their jealousy in healthful approaches, so at the same time as they see someone who's attractive, wise and proficient they experience a favor to target to carry them down with a view to experience a lot less threatened. It not often works although that. i'm not conceited or boastful, i move out of my thanks to do people favours and be kind to finish strangers, yet people nonetheless experience a favor to ***** about me! a lady pal of mine grew to develop into the total crew on me in simple terms because i became talking to the guy she fancies (who's likewise in our friendship crew). We were not flirting, i have been with my spouse for 3 years and am very unswerving. yet another guy contained in the gang informed me that the lady had develop into very bitter at the same time as each and every of the adult men suggested that i became attractive at the same time as I wasn't there. She even were given up-tight at the same time as her love pastime talked to different women people.

Answer 6

yes its true. my boss hates me because i am sexy! i make more money than him and because i get alot of action with the teenage waitresses.

so ive got money, pun-tang, and my health. the tragety is that my boss hates me and is looking for some stupid reason to get me fired. this situation has played itself out time after time again.

I hope that he gets into a car accident and is crippled for life! Also he is fat!

Answer 7

of course there is. if someone is attractive looking there is often the pre-conceived notion that the attractive person isn't as "smart" as others.

there is also a huge amount of jealously that is focused on attractive looking people. It is assumed they got what they get based soley on their looks.

damn if they do, damn if they dont...

Answer 8

Yes it is called being a jealous hater.

Answer 9

Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder.

Answer 10

a lot of people perceive really good looking people as being less intelligent.