The Beauty Bias

There's a twist to the "beauty bias," the idea that physically
attractive individuals are rewarded socially as well as biologically:
Gorgeous women may be at a disadvantage when seeking jobs in which
appearance is deemed irrelevant.

A study by Ken Podratz, of Rice University, found that while average-looking and attractive men were
picked more often for jobs such as switchboard operator or tow-truck
driver, beautiful women lost these same positions to less attractive
females. In some jobs, an employer's gender was a factor: Men were eager
to place female beauties in jobs that emphasize appearance or
interpersonal contact, such as receptionist, dietitian or public
relations officer. Female employers were less willing to do so. But for
"male-oriented" jobs or jobs in which appearance wasn't considered
important, both men and women opted for the less attractive women.

The reason? "Physical attractiveness is correlated with perceived
femininity in women," says Podratz. "If a highly attractive female
applies for a hypermasculine job such as truck driver or security guard,
she is likely to be seen as less capable of meeting the physical demands
of the job." These results "open up a can of worms," says Podratz, who,
in this study, asked 66 subjects to consider 204 headshots, all rated for
attractiveness, as candidates for jobs. "Do you make adjustments for
attractive women in certain professions?"

Podratz admits
that he's unsure whether or not he's ready to take the next step: placing
subjects in real-world job-interview situations. "You're going to have to
tell people they'd be perfect for this study because they're
ugly."