Study: Handsome Men Face Workplace Discrimination


(Photo: Jorge Mejía peralta)

I work online, so it’s less of a problem. But, yes: we rakishly good-looking men endure nothing but sorrow as a result of our superior appearances. Marko Pitesa, a professor of management at the University of Maryland, found that handsome men are less likely to get hired in competitive workplaces. That’s because people tend to think of handsome men as more competent, and thus dangerous competition. You don't want to hire someone who's better at your job than you are, right? The Daily Telegraph reports:

While the attractive men were more likely to be hired to work in a team environment, unattractive men had the advantage in a competitive one.

Pitesa said: “In situations where there are subtle or less subtle cues of competition among colleagues then the fact that attractive men are seen as more competent is going to create a disadvantage for attractive men.”

He added: “I was taken by the fact that people were unaware of [their bias].”

Society must find a way to do justice for the aesthetically-enhanced like us. Well, maybe not you. But me, at least.

-via Debby Witt


Comments (4)

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Newest 4 Comments

That kind of thing is hard to track, because often the one who does the hiring is not the same person who supervises the new hires. Also, looks are pretty subjective. But what do I know? I work with a bunch of people I wouldn't recognize if I ran into them on the street.
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I have never seen that.
What I have seen is that young, confident, blonde women rule the world, and get the jobs they want, no matter the gender of their boss.
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I could pass on the fried bubble gum and the fried coke. Everything else looked like a delicious deep-fried-heart-attack-waiting-to-happen. And here just two days has passed since we engaged in fisticuffs over the turkey skin.
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Oh man... I'm thinking it would be worth the trip to Texas just to try the fried chicken skins. The skin is always the best part of fried chicken and I always wondered they did with the skin when they made all those skinless chicken breasts.
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I have tried picnic on a stick, fried jambalaya and fried coke, from the list, plus others not on the list (fried biscuits & gravy, fried salsa, fried Hans' Kraut Balls, fried beer, etc). By far my favorite was the fried buffalo chicken in a flapjack. It's served with maple syrup and basically tastes like chicken & waffles. Yum!
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@buggzzee & LisaL: Yeah, see, that's why I don't eat at Koo Koo Roo — Who the hell wants chicken cooked without the skin?
Tuesdays at Popeye's they have their Leg & Thigh for 99¢ special. I always get 2 orders, and start by just peelin' off the skins, and sprinkling a little of J&D's Malt Salt on 'em.
Mmmmm, boy! That's good eatin'!!
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