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The Appearance Rules The World

Satisfactory Essays

“Appearance rules the world.” A quote by dramatist Friedrich Schiller from the 18th century still stands true today. Whether it be a job interview, a first date, or even trying to receive assistance in a store, one’s appearance can make a world of difference. It is said that a person will make an assumption about one based on their appearance in the first thirty seconds of meeting. This assumption is called the “halo effect,” and it essentially means that if a person has a specific trait; i.e. attractive physical appearance, that he/she will also have other likable traits such as intelligence and friendliness. However, these quick judgements and assumptions can be disadvantageous as well, if appearance is not well-kempt. Based on my own experiments and the research of others, I have come to believe that the amount of respect and friendliness a person receives upon first meeting someone directly correlates with how attractive they are. The more attractive and well put together a person is, the more likely that person will receive respect and positive reactions from others. My First Impression Experiment To prove my thesis that a well-kempt physical appearance will earn one more respect and positive first impressions, I conducted an experiment. For this experiment, I went to six different high-end fashion stores at The Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. I dressed nice for the first three stores I went into, and the other three I went into sloppily dressed. My

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