Brain is the new sexy? So do looks matter that much now?
Mr. Le Quoc Anh - guest speaker in one of our modules at university before Tet - while teaching insight explicited an intriguing example: "Not all women are naturally beautiful" which kept me thinking about the importance of appearance in society nowadays and the boundary between pretty and ugly One of the biggest lessons I learned in 2019 is appearance DOES matter a lot. Let's admit this: we are all shallow in some levels. Even though we usually say “ Don’t judge a book by its cover “ but outer beauty is the first impression we can notice about a person. “ Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder “ is also right: everyone has their own standards of prettiness — however, if a person’s hair is not combed and his or her clothes are scruffy, or he or she slouches, these are pretty fair indications of how that person feels about himself or herself, and these aspects of that person’s appearance provide some insight into that person’s personality
Physical attractiveness comes with unquestionable benefits, and not just getting free drinks at bars. Obviously unequal treatment based on appearance is not fair, but it is the blunt truth. Attractive individuals are generally thought to be “better” people based on the idea that they are more sensitive, sexually responsive, interesting, and sociable. (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012)
Your physical appearance is important enough to make significant changes in your professional and personal life.
It can make you a second choice in any interviews’ process where you are an exact match with someone else in other aspects: Tall people get paid more money — A 2004 study by Timothy Judge at the University of Florida found that for every inch of height, a tall worker can expect to earn an extra $789 per year. That means two equally skilled coworkers would have a pay differential of nearly $5,000 per year, simply because of a 6-inch height differential, according to the study.
Especially when it comes to dating, looks play a crucial role: yes you can be very ambitious and smart and caring and loyal but if you don’t have that attractive appearance, the chances people want to get to know you will decrease compared to others who have.
Don’t get me wrong, it is neither everything you have to strive for in life nor a reason for you to be ashamed of yourself: I was bullied back then in secondary school because I had an unattractive looking and I can tell you no one EVER has the right to insult you because your thighs are “ too big “ or your face is “ too rounded “. That is not a problem with your appearance, that is a problem with their manners.
A girl knows how to take care of her own being is a kind of smart and smart people have their own beauties. I — on one hand — acknowledge the advantage of outer beauty but on the other hand, can not deny the power of inner beauty. What I have been trying to say is that we can always strive to be better, to be both smart and pretty inside and out, not comparing which one is “ more attractive “. Be proud of what you have and work hard for what you don't: let’s strive to be the better version of yourself yesterday.
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