Looks

“An exhaustive examination of how the handily summarized ‘PA’ gets you everywhere, from the better job and the better spouse to the better verdict at your criminal trial.”—Publishers Weekly

It’s a fact backed by stacks of scientific studies:  Seeing is believing.  Most Americans, like people of most other cultures, let what they see  of a person largely determine what they believe  and feel  about that person, and how they treat that person, too.  Beyond fleeting encounters with strangers, this natural tendency affects ongoing dynamics between managers and their employees, teachers and their students, doctors and their patients, and parents and their children.

“Almost from the moment of birth, each of us is judged—silently, unconsciously, and nearly instantly—on the basis of our height (or lack of it), our weight and bulk, the shape and symmetry of our facial features, the length and style of our hair, our mode of dress, our grooming—everything that goes into the mix of qualities known as ‘physical attractiveness’,” writes Gordon L. Patzer, Ph.D,  a leading expert on the subject.  For more than three decades, Dr. Patzer has devoted extensive investigation to what is sometimes termed lookism—treating people in ways strongly biased by how they rate against social, cultural, and universal ideals of beauty or handsomeness.  He calls it the physical attractiveness (PA) phenomenon.

In LOOKS: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined (AMACOM 2008), Dr. Patzer presents a wealth of evidence to prove what many average-looking people—not to mention those perceived as too short, too tall, fat, or just plain homely—have long suspected:  better-looking people get all sorts of unfair advantages.  Yet, as he also reveals, higher levels of attractiveness comes with higher expectations and, sometimes, harsher consequences for failing to meet them.  Then, there’s the ugly side—from bullying to bulimia to the $160-billion-a-year global industry devoted to raising individual PA levels with weight-loss formulas, age-defying skin and hair care products, cosmetic surgery, and hormone injections.

Drawing on research from psychologists, sociologists, biologists, and anthropologists, LOOKS sheds light on why the PA phenomenon is older than civilization—for vital reasons of mating and  reproduction—and why it is more pervasive than ever and particularly destructive in the image-obsessed United States.  As Dr. Patzer reveals, PA plays a major role in the routine stuff of life, from how kindergarteners select playmates to how voters elect politicians.  Illustrated with fascinating anecdotes, here are few of his many discomforting findings:

* Beautiful babies inspire more nurturing feelings and actions.  Mothers of more attractive babies are more affectionate, play with their offspring more often and longer, and are less likely to view their child as interfering in their lives than do mothers of less attractive infants, found University of Texas researchers.  Seasoned neonatal nurses also spend more time with attractive newborns than unhealthy-looking ones, according to another study.

* Most school teachers, from kindergarten through senior high, expect better-looking kids to perform better, and they devote more attention to students they think have greater potential.  Science confirms that typically, a teacher’s first impressions and reaction to a new pupil are influenced by that child’s overall physical characteristics.

* Tall men have a commanding edge not only in the dating game, but also in the job market.    Based on studies of wide-ranging industries and organizations, taller men are more likely to be hired and promoted than short men with similar job qualifications.  They also tend to earn more.  Every inch over average, which for an adult male American is a smidgen over 5’ 9”, means an annual paycheck bonus of some $789.

* Justice is far from blind to PA, from the evidence of numerous studies of how juries and judges deal with accused criminals.  Not only are good-looking defendants less likely to be convicted, but when they are, they are likely to suffer less severe punishment than an unattractive person convicted of the same offense.  Even more disturbing, research indicates that any defendant accused of raping an unattractive victim is less likely to be found guilty than one accused of raping an attractive victim.

* In a study of election-winning faces, biologist James N. Schubert defined the look that communicates future commander-in-chief:  facial dominance.  (More than handsome think tough, strong, and distinguished.  Think Charlton Heston.  Think Arnold Schwarzenegger.)  In the 2004 presidential race, hunky North Carolina senator John Edwards scored high in attractiveness but low in facial dominance.  John Kerry was seen as lacking both.

LOOKS also takes a hard look at the toll media messages and the big business of beauty take on the psyches and bodies of diverse individuals, including adolescent boys and middle-aged women.  In his final chapter, Dr. Patzer urges parents to challenge the realities of lookism, starting with careful presentation of classic children’s tales such as Cinderella, while encouraging everyone to rise above being defined by their PA, even if they can’t avoid being judged by it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gordon L. Patzer, Ph.D., is the Director and Founder of the Appearance Research Institute at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he is also a tenured professor and previously served as Dean of the Business School.  Internationally recognized for his expertise on the physical attractiveness phenomenon, he has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Elle, and Self Magazine, among other publications.  He has also appeared on national television and radio programs, including Dateline NBC,The Today Show, and The O’Reilly Factor.  He lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.