Today's journal topic for the students - Is it better to be smart or beautiful? - laid the foundation for an interesting discussion. Of course, the first students to speak up after writing proffered the idea that intelligence is better because it helps a person get ahead in life. They reasoned that smart people make better grades, get better scholarships which lead to better college degrees, and ultimately fatter paychecks on the job. However, after this view was bandied about (by the smart kids, of course), another student said, "I disagree. It's better to be pretty because you get more attention and you don't have to work as hard." This comment led to a full-blown debate (which I'm pretty sure the student teacher didn't intend to have) about the advantages of being beautiful.
As I listened to this discussion, I wondered whether or not the "pretty people" theory was valid or just an offshoot of teenage (or adult for that matter) insecurities. It turns out the girl was right. Many studies over the last decade have shown that good looking people get more breaks - both at school and in the work place. As a matter of fact, the research shows that good looking kids frequently get more attention and better evaluations from instructors, pretty adults get better service from just about everyone including health care professionals, salespeople, and automotive techs; even attractive criminals get lighter sentences. So, how does this translate into money? You may be surprised to learn that "plain" people earn 5 to 10 percent less than their "average looking" counterparts, who in turn earn 3 to 8 percent less than people deemed "attractive." That's a pay gap of 8 to 18 percent based solely on looks. In addition, other studies found that being "unattractive" has a penalty that averages about 15 percent less pay for men and 11 percent less for women. These same studies say that being tall is especially helpful to men, who earn nearly $800 a year more for each inch of height difference.
Of course, the researchers also point out that people are deemed attractive for many reasons including clothing, personal grooming, and confidence (which is good news for those of us who don't meet society's height, weight, and age requirements). Still, I think it is interesting that so many of my students are so jaded about what counts in life. When I was that age - idealist that I was - I believed talent, creativity, and intelligence were all that really mattered. (Oh, who am I kidding. Despite evidence to the contrary, I still believe that.) It saddens me that young people who are so full of life and promise already feel a little defeated by fate because they aren't deemed beautiful by our looks-are-everything world. I just want to pull them each aside and say, "You are beautiful, too, even if the world doesn't see it yet. Be fabulous, and don't let the bastards wear you down."
As I listened to this discussion, I wondered whether or not the "pretty people" theory was valid or just an offshoot of teenage (or adult for that matter) insecurities. It turns out the girl was right. Many studies over the last decade have shown that good looking people get more breaks - both at school and in the work place. As a matter of fact, the research shows that good looking kids frequently get more attention and better evaluations from instructors, pretty adults get better service from just about everyone including health care professionals, salespeople, and automotive techs; even attractive criminals get lighter sentences. So, how does this translate into money? You may be surprised to learn that "plain" people earn 5 to 10 percent less than their "average looking" counterparts, who in turn earn 3 to 8 percent less than people deemed "attractive." That's a pay gap of 8 to 18 percent based solely on looks. In addition, other studies found that being "unattractive" has a penalty that averages about 15 percent less pay for men and 11 percent less for women. These same studies say that being tall is especially helpful to men, who earn nearly $800 a year more for each inch of height difference.
Of course, the researchers also point out that people are deemed attractive for many reasons including clothing, personal grooming, and confidence (which is good news for those of us who don't meet society's height, weight, and age requirements). Still, I think it is interesting that so many of my students are so jaded about what counts in life. When I was that age - idealist that I was - I believed talent, creativity, and intelligence were all that really mattered. (Oh, who am I kidding. Despite evidence to the contrary, I still believe that.) It saddens me that young people who are so full of life and promise already feel a little defeated by fate because they aren't deemed beautiful by our looks-are-everything world. I just want to pull them each aside and say, "You are beautiful, too, even if the world doesn't see it yet. Be fabulous, and don't let the bastards wear you down."
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