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Well, look at the highest paying jobs at GE. None of these people are what I would consider good-looking. They are average to ugly. Is it any surprise that the only good looking one is over the marketing dept?
They had the best cameras and airbrushing that money can buy, and this is the the best they could do.
How about Walmart? Do you really think these are the best looking people in their staff? Take them out of their fancy suits, they don't look models. They don't even look like models in $1,000 suits.
Well, look at the highest paying jobs at GE. None of these people are what I would consider good-looking. They are average to ugly. Is it any surprise that the only good looking one is over the marketing dept?
They had the best cameras and airbrushing that money can buy, and this is the the best they could do.
How about Walmart? Do you really think these are the best looking people in their staff? Take them out of their fancy suits, they don't look models. They don't even look like models in $1,000 suits.
And that right there is exactly my experience, albeit at different companies. I think people just find excuses to justify why they didn't get a promotion instead of looking to change something within themselves in order to reach their goals. Business etiquette goes a long way, you have to be presentable, but not a super model.
Well, look at the highest paying jobs at GE. None of these people are what I would consider good-looking. They are average to ugly. Is it any surprise that the only good looking one is over the marketing dept?
They had the best cameras and airbrushing that money can buy, and this is the the best they could do.
How about Walmart? Do you really think these are the best looking people in their staff? Take them out of their fancy suits, they don't look models. They don't even look like models in $1,000 suits.
All of those pictures only show a headshot, so it's not possible to tell how tall they are. Even if they are ugly, I'm sure that all of the men are over 6' tall. It seems that men have to be tall, even if ugly, in order to get higher level jobs. I'm short, and, unfortunately, height is the one thing that we have zero control over.
I believe certain physical attributes can help propel a person up the ladder, and sometimes wrongfully so, but at some point having only a desirable appearance will result in one hitting a brick wall in terms of progression. At least for the majority.
Another quantifiable characteristic is weight, either by BMI or body fat percentage. Being tall (for men) equals increased income. Being overweight equals decreased income.
But why these correlations exist is something no one seems to know. Are tall men more successful because they're generally more confident and actively seek out career advancement, or is it discrimination against short men? Do overweight people generally seek out career advancement less than fit people, or is that also discrimination?
It depends on the top-tier job, IMHO. Consider - if you're hiring folks and you have two candidates very similar in skill and schooling and one is attractive and one isn't, which one would YOU choose?
I would hire the less attractive employee, since I know that he/she likely had to work harder to get to where he/she is, and that the more attractive employee probably had things handed to him/her. Unfortunately, short men like myself don't ever get to management positions, so I never will be able to exercise that preference, so we end up in a vicious cycle where short men are discriminated against more and more.
Another quantifiable characteristic is weight, either by BMI or body fat percentage. Being tall (for men) equals increased income. Being overweight equals decreased income.
But why these correlations exist is something no one seems to know. Are tall men more successful because they're generally more confident and actively seek out career advancement, or is it discrimination against short men? Do overweight people generally seek out career advancement less than fit people, or is that also discrimination?
I don't think anyone will ever know.
Probably a combination of both. I've also heard that the correlation is even stronger (for men) between childhood height and income, rater than adult height and income. A likely reason is because elementary school teachers discriminate against short boys, so perhaps we don't become as confident from an early age.
And that right there is exactly my experience, albeit at different companies. I think people just find excuses to justify why they didn't get a promotion instead of looking to change something within themselves in order to reach their goals. Business etiquette goes a long way, you have to be presentable, but not a super model.
I agree with you there.
While studies indicate taller, more attractive, fit people get more opportunities, higher pay, etc., it doesn't mean that the rest of the population will not get any opportunities or decent pay. Using it as an excuse, as you state, is just one more way to blame external factors, and as long as people do that, they're not doing anything to improve their chances at succeeding.
On another note - unless people are willing to post pictures of all the executives in F500's, cherry picking is meaningless. And I'm not suggesting anyone do that just to try and prove a point that studies have already proven.
I don't think the studies are wrong. There is far too much evidence that being attractive looking and having a personality that projects self-assurance are advantages in contemporary American society. Ask yourself this: would either Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill be able to win a national election in this country today?
Yes, there are people who can overcome these prejudices through the force of their intelligence and accomplishments (Stephen Hawking) or superior communication skills (Oprah). But height, facial attractiveness, and physical fitness are assets. Why else, for example, do people spend so much money on capped teeth and nose jobs? Tina Fey, for example, was never ugly and was quite successful with her natural look. But she appears VERY attractive now, even though she's significantly older. Would she have gone to the trouble she's taken to improve her looks if there weren't substantial benefits to be had? If all quarterbacks were available for the same price, would you hire Tom Brady or Matt Stafford to rep your consumer product?
There are some fields in which non-traditional looks are acceptable. In the IT field, for example, the nerd look is probably preferable to traditional handsomeness. Nobody expects wrestlers, rugby players, or people in the construction field to be good-looking. But in normal offices, and certainly in circumstances where one would meet the public, an attractive appearance is absolutely a financial asset.
There are other assets besides appearance that aren't very fair either. Someone who graduated from an elite college is likely to be hired for a job quicker than someone who went to a school with a lesser reputation, even if the Ivy Leaguer graduated by the skin of his or her teeth. Someone who played college sports successfully is likely to be able to convert that to cash for the rest of their lives. Who your Daddy is counts big, too (I give you Luke Russert for example). Same with spouses. Did you ever hear of Julie Chen before she married Les Moonves, President and CEO of CBS? Not to mention that it's unlikely Mr. Moonves would have left his long-time wife if Julie Chen weren't exceptionally pretty and self-assured.
Oprah is beautiful!
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