It wasn’t the go-to adjective people used to describe me.
Unsurprisingly, like many teens, I struggled with my appearance well past high school.
And as I unlearned theselies, I realized, wait, who gets to set the bar?
Verywell mind / Getty
And, why do we evenneeda bar?
Saba Afzal, a board-certified psychiatrist and professor at Hackensack University School of Medicine.
The danger of pretty privilege arises when these biases lead to the obvious elevation and degradation of certain groups.
Mocci, an Oakland-based therapist and certified eating disorder specialist.
People with pretty privilege, however, may get more client-facing roles, she adds.
We see this discrimination across industries, from hospitality and retail to media and marketing.
This can lead toimposter syndrome, Dr. Afzal explains.
They are also perceived as more effective leaders.All of which can positively influence their career trajectory.
Implicit biases are subconscious perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes that influence our interactions and decisions.
They tend to be subtle and operate outside of our awareness.
In contrast, explicit biases are overt and intentional prejudices toward certain individuals or groups (e.g.
; hate speech or body-shaming).
People who benefit from these privileges might not notice it because they are so normalized.
Ethical Implications
Beauty bias not only skews the playing field but also poses serious ethical concerns.
So what can you do?
But it doesnt have to define your worth or dictate your path.
So go ahead, take up space, and shine in your own authentic way.
Personality and Individual Differences.
2006;41(3):491-499. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2006.01.017
Schweik SM.The Ugly Laws: Disability in Public.
New York, NY: NYU Press; The History of Disability; 2009.
2017;40:e19.
doi:10.1017/S0140525X16000340
Busetta G, Fiorillo F, Visalli E.Searching for a job is a beauty contest.
Munich Personal RePEc Archive.
2013; Paper No.
Budesheim TL, DePaola SJ.
Pers Soc Psychol Bull.
Review of Economics and Statistics.
Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.
J Applied Social Pyschol.
1980;10(4):348-361. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00715.x
Cech EA.The intersectional privilege of white able-bodied heterosexual men in STEM.
2022;8(24):eabo1558.
2023;13:1059631. doi:10.3389%2Ffpsyg.2022.1059631
Mehic A.Student beauty and grades under in-person and remote teaching.
2022;219:110782. doi:10.1016/j.econlet.2022.110782
Westfall R.The effects of physical attractiveness in the health care industry.
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones.
De Pascalis V, ed.
2023;18(2):e0281758.
