Does being attractive/ not attractive affect work chances?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone think being too attractive or not attractive enough has ever affected their chances of getting work? I've noticed a few comments here and there when we were taking about tattoos, piercings and being overweight.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it affects your chances of being employed by certain people - those are the ones you don't really want to work for, though.

[Anonymous]

If a nanny is overweight, I would not hire her period.
If a nanny had tattoos, was gorgeous, etc. I would and have hired before.

[Anonymous]

The answer is yes. Not just here. And not necessarily how you think. Some people will prefer the person who appears to be the underdog. You just don't know. Even people who claim that "first impressions" have no effect, are wrong, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Studies show that people associate more fit, attractive people with assumptions of having higher IQ or being more nice. Its instinctual and particularly prevalent among children. The experiments done show that children will think the attractive person is nice while the unattractive and overweight one is mean. So even if people don't consciously choose not to hire an obese nanny, if they watch to see who their children prefer it will tend not to be the obese nanny.

Some people prefer not to hire an obese nanny because of the physical requirements of the job or desire to have the kids outside playing. Others feel that an obese nanny is a poor role model for kids.

[Anonymous]

I was actually just having this conversation w/ my MB and DB the other day. They hired me based on my degree, experience, references, etc. HOWEVER they admitted that if I were to have the same background but be overweight, they would not have hired me. So yeah... it does affect chances depending on the employer, sadly.

[Anonymous]

PP here...let me go back and say I do think it's sad, but I don't think my employers are out of line for not wanting to hire someone overweight. I just think it's sad in general that those things have to matter, but there are a lot of different factors that come into play when hiring someone obese to care for your children all day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here...let me go back and say I do think it's sad, but I don't think my employers are out of line for not wanting to hire someone overweight. I just think it's sad in general that those things have to matter, but there are a lot of different factors that come into play when hiring someone obese to care for your children all day.

When 70% of US adults are overweight, it's pretty crappy to say you wouldn't hire someone because of their weight.

It's one thing to say, this nanny can't lift my kids, isn't strong enough to push the stroller to music class and back, doesn't have the energy to play soccer late in the day, etc. but it's quite another to let a superficial judgment make your hiring decisions. In most other hiring scenarios, in fact, it would be illegal.

[Anonymous]

I actually think its reasonable to not want to hire someone who is obese. I know several people who have lost significant weight and every single one comments how much more energy they have now and how they miss fewer work days. My SIL lost over 100 lbs. She is the first to say that she thought she was fit and active when she was obese but she couldn't keep anywhere near the degree that she can now.

Its counterproductive for people to focus on the superficial aspects of appearance from an attractiveness standpoint but its just as counterproductive for obese individuals to convince themselves that they are physically healthy and fit.

[Anonymous]

I'm overweight (working on it) and honest enough to admit that I am not pretty at all. I actually think this works for me in that most of the families I meet with I end up sitting for. Yes, I'm sure my experience, professionalism, and other qualifications are important as well, but most of the families I meet are good looking spouses and I really do think me not being on their same level appearance wise is a factor. This is a feeling I've had for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually think its reasonable to not want to hire someone who is obese. I know several people who have lost significant weight and every single one comments how much more energy they have now and how they miss fewer work days. My SIL lost over 100 lbs. She is the first to say that she thought she was fit and active when she was obese but she couldn't keep anywhere near the degree that she can now.

Its counterproductive for people to focus on the superficial aspects of appearance from an attractiveness standpoint but its just as counterproductive for obese individuals to convince themselves that they are physically healthy and fit.

Can we take a moment to acknowledge that "overweight" and "obese" mean two different things? Please stop using the terms interchangeably.

Can we also take a moment to acknowledge that the health concerns that often accompany being obese, and on a smaller scale being overweight, are not actually universal? And that any assumptions you make about someone based on their weight are brutally offensive and unfair? And that it is none of your business what anyone tells ("convinces") themselves, regardless of their weight?

Okay, continue with your day.

-Someone who has weighed everywhere from 30 pounds underweight to 30 pounds overweight and has a lot more energy and stamina now, at 10 pounds overweight, than I ever did at my "normal" or "skinny" weight

[Anonymous]

Its pretty common for obese Americans to just think they are overweight because they are not morbidly obese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Its pretty common for obese Americans to just think they are overweight because they are not morbidly obese.

Your point being?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Studies show that people associate more fit, attractive people with assumptions of having higher IQ or being more nice. Its instinctual and particularly prevalent among children. The experiments done show that children will think the attractive person is nice while the unattractive and overweight one is mean. So even if people don't consciously choose not to hire an obese nanny, if they watch to see who their children prefer it will tend not to be the obese nanny.

Some people prefer not to hire an obese nanny because of the physical requirements of the job or desire to have the kids outside playing. Others feel that an obese nanny is a poor role model for kids.

Most kids I have met have decided if someone was nice based on how they treated the kids and if it was not a "fake act" being put on. Kids know when someone is faking being nice to them, and they usually do not care about looks as much as adults do when they are not in a group setting like a classroom, where peer's might affect how they end up feeling about a person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its pretty common for obese Americans to just think they are overweight because they are not morbidly obese.

Your point being?

Not the PP you quoted but i'm guessing she wrote that comment because of a previous poster who said 'overweight and obese' are not the same thing and to stop placing them in the same category (not the exact wording but something to that effect).