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What Does Character Look Like?

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What Does Character Look Like? Should pretty or ugly decide good or bad? Unfortunately, more times than not, one’s judgment on the appearance of others can greatly influence or even completely determine his initial treatment of the individual. Recent studies have proved “that physically attractive individuals are thought to possess more sociably desirable personalities and higher moral standards than those who are physically unattractive” (Kong, Yan, Hong). This very common phenomenon would not raise issues if everyone was able to choose their physical features. Considering that in reality, physical traits are given by parents and completely out of the hands of the receiver, a standard of beauty seems irrational; although, the beauty …show more content…

It was revealed that “It’s better to be average and good-looking than brilliant and unattractive” (Bennett). In a society fueled by appearance it is only natural for it’s public to take the necessary measures to fir the desired look; consequently, ‘chemists, perfumers, beauty salons, drug stores… and department store – began to establish a profit-making infrastructure for new notions of beauty” with a “dominant message, that every woman could achieve beauty” (Mankiller). Conformity to the beauty standard is how we’ve chosen to cope with the growing importance of appearance but, should our approach have been in the opposite direction: for instance eliminating the standard of beauty and letting meritorious qualifications and ethics rule. Is that even a realistic option? With the growing relevance of appearance to success in this age, America without the perks of good-looks seems unlikely. In a survey “one-third of all women revealed that their beauty routine has a more significant impact on their self-esteem than it did five years ago“ (Lewis). Not just an issue for women, men also benefit from the perquisite of favored features. “Handsome men earn, on average, 5 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts” (Bennett), which bares weight on men to also critically manage their appearance. What then could be a solution to the conflict that has arisen from the beauty bias that makes opportunity completely fair and based on the skills needed to successfully

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