I’m sure we all like to think that looks are irrelevant in work situations, whilst also perhaps accepting that such an ambition is naive.  This was highlighted by a recent study from the University of Colorado at Boulder, which explored the impact attractiveness had on our perceived abilities at work, with a particular focus on female attractiveness in stereotypically male and female roles.

The research found that when attractive women applied for roles that traditionally were filled by men, they tended to be negatively affected, with a perception that beautiful women are inherently unqualified for such jobs.

Beauty is beastly

It’s a phenomenon the researchers refer to as the ‘beauty is beastly’ effect, and describes how attractive women can often be at a disadvantage when applying for traditionally male roles where looks are irrelevant.

The researchers utilized a decoy applicant to test their theory.  They manipulated a number of attractive candidates who were applying for traditionally masculine jobs.  The data clearly showed that when an unattractive decoy was part of the candidate pool, the attractive candidate was universally relegated.

When the decoy candidate was also attractive, however, this bias was reduced.  While this phenomenon primarily occurred in traditionally male jobs, it was also evident in more gender-neutral jobs, albeit to a lesser amount.

The authors speculate that this phenomenon occurs because we have certain expectations for people based upon their appearances.  This results in hiring managers evaluating and selecting based upon this, with a preference for unattractive candidates.  While this is perhaps not a new finding, the researchers believe their work does nonetheless show that it’s perhaps more prevalent than we previously thought.

They urge training to be offered to hiring managers to make them aware of the beauty is beastly effect, and to help them look past attractiveness when assessing the suitability of candidates for any position.