Sorry to Say but Your Looks Matter (2024)

No matter where we meet someone, be it in a professional or private setting, the first thing that we notice about them is their appearance. However, despite the harsh fact that this statement seems shallow, it is true nonetheless.

Our brains have been hardwired to evaluate a person’s looks and draw certain conclusions or biases based on it. All of this happens instinctively and we don’t realize this. As a result, we don’t even attempt to override the action. The question at hand is what exactly are the ramifications of such internalized biases?

Research shows that our behaviour towards a person depends on his/her facial appearance at a considerable level. This is called “the attractiveness halo effect”.

Ever since we are born we are subjected to this bias, parents tend to dote on an attractive child and this usually leads to favouritism. Teachers often prefer and favour attractive children over others because they are considered to be intelligent and disciplined. Since the reception of pleasant-looking people is usually positive, they garner more attention and have a higher chance of being popular.

In professional scenarios, prepossessing people have an edge over others, they tend to secure higher interview calls and thus have more opportunities, are usually preferred for jobs involving face-to-face interaction, and also earn more than their counterparts.

A good and pleasing appearance is one of the important criteria for being a leader, this is because people tend to determine loyalty, trustworthiness, intelligence, reliability and competence through the physical appearance of a person. Thus, appealing and pleasant-looking people are usually preferred for leadership roles. Factors such as height, facial length, facial maturity are considered to be traits of a good leader. Facial masculinity also plays an important role, therefore, men are usually preferred over women for such positions.

A study conducted by Anthony C.Little highlighted the effect of appearance on leadership in different contexts. Faces with attractive and dominating features are considered to make good wartime leaders, whereas faces with softer features are considered to be trustworthy and thus make better peacetime leaders.

Not only does appearance affect our perception of somebody else, but it also affects our own to a certain extent. Our personality is also in a way, dictated by our appearance, this is called “Facultative Personality Calibration”. This becomes a “cause and effect” scenario where one’s appearance causes the surrounding environment to react in a certain way and this response, in turn, affects one’s personality.

For example, good-looking people are perceived to be soft-spoken, kind and extroverted, therefore these people tend to have better communication skills, are charismatic and confident. Though appearance is said to influence our personality to a certain extent, it is not the only parameter on which our personality is based.

In today’s world of digital media, facial appearance is more important than ever. Social media applications like Instagram and Tiktok have become indispensable to our day-to-day lives, becoming an indispensable part of our social experiences.

Unfortunately, these applications play an important role in reinforcing our biases; we tend to look at posts and pictures of a gazillion people on the apps and form certain innate prejudices based on their appearance. Thus, we usually tend to gravitate towards attractive creators on the application.

Sometimes, the app itself creates prejudices, for example, Tiktok is known for its so-called “beauty algorithm “, an algorithm that evaluates a person’s looks and provides a numerical ranking. According to an article by Dr Richard Rival, the beauty algorithm analyses nose width, skin smoothness, forehead inclination as the key factors to rank beauty and thus, assigns a beauty score. Therefore, attractive people are more likely to be promoted on these apps and have higher chances of being popular/viral.

Consequently, people with certain features that do not adhere to the algorithm’s requirements are discriminated against, thus creating an unequal playing field.

Additionally, appearance has become more important than ever in the dating game. Beauty has always been considered an important parameter for mate selection, in-fact most of the time, physical appearance is the first factor that decides the suitability of a mate.

In an experiment conducted by Sherlynn Perry of Arizona State University, a group of college students were given four pictures of individuals (attractive male, attractive female, unattractive male and unattractive female) along with a questionnaire. It was found that that attractive males/females were more likely to be chosen over others.

In this era of picture-based dating apps like Tinder, the face has become the only source of social information and thus, the selection of mate primarily depends on looks when we are told to swipe left or right. Moral character, social behaviour, trustworthiness and intelligence judgements of a person are initially made through the visual material provided on the app and not through verbal/textual discourse.

Since it is a fairly appearance-based application, Tinder use has adverse effects on self-esteem and leads to body image issues. In a study by Jessica Strubel, it was found that active involvement in tinder was related to body shame, a constant need for self-validation, a higher amount of comparisons with others and a need to conform with societal standards of beauty.

Applications like Tiktok and Instagram have also led to self-image issues, especially among teenage girls. A Candyland full of workout videos, perfect bodies, flawless skin, and amazing glow-ups, these posts negatively impacts the mental health of young girls, leading to comparisons. It aggravates the insecurities of these young women and causes repression of their confidence.

In conclusion, facial appearance matters to a certain extent; we are constantly judged by others and we constantly judge others. Though judging somebody based on their appearance is an instinctive activity, it clashes with our power of rational judgement. Therefore, we must make an effort to stop forming biases based on them and not allow this gut feeling to rule over our decisions.

It is better to allow a person to form an impression based on their personality and calibre instead of stereotyping a person based on his/her looks. As for digital media, we must not ignore the consequences of the usage of such visual-based applications on impressionable minds. Although these apps have become the way of the world, it is necessary that we use them prudently and do not let them rule over our lives.