So this is upsetting. According to a new study by sociologists Jaclyn Wong and Andrew Penner, attractive people get paid more in the workplace than “normal” looking people. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they get paid 20% more, to be exact.
On the bright side, you don’t have to look like you just stepped off the Victoria’s Secret runway to score a high paying job; the study sheds light on what exactly they mean by “attractive” for both men and women. Because obviously guys aren’t being judged as heavily on their looks as women are, something the study also proves.
For women, attractiveness directly connects with grooming habits, like makeup, hair, and outfits. Translation? Employers aren’t interested in seeing your natural beauty shine through. Heartwarming!
According to The Washington Post,
Their research suggested that grooming – practices such as applying makeup and styling hair and clothing — was actually what accounted for nearly all of the salary differences for women of varying attractiveness. …In other words, the study suggests that grooming is important for both men and women in the workplace, but particularly for women. Changes in grooming have a substantial effect on whether women are perceived as attractive, and their salaries. In fact, as the charts below show, less attractive but more well-groomed women earned significantly more, on average, than attractive or very attractive women who weren’t considered well-groomed. (The research doesn’t say how much of these extra earnings were then blown at Bluemercury or Sephora.) So what does this all mean? According to the researchers, the results suggest that beauty, especially for women, is more of a behavior — “something you do,” rather than “something you are.”
As for men, they had things way easier. As it states above, proper grooming tended to play a role in their salary, but not a major one. At the end of the day, they made more than women in general, but “well-groomed” women tended to make more money than “normal-looking” women.
What BS. Whatever happened to getting paid well because you worked hard and was qualified? I’m not getting a blowout everyday so I can make 20% more than an original salary offer.
Pay someone based on their work, not because their hair is glossy and cat eye is on-point.