Is it Important to Look Good?
The question was posed by a TV show Debate. It was based on a thesis that showed people who were good-looking got higher starting salaries than their not-so-good-looking counterparts. Is it important to look good? The answer isn’t as simple as you may think.
Although people shouldn’t base judgment on physical appearances, what should be isn’t necessarily what happens. We’re not even talking about fashion models. My experience tells me that physically attractive people earn more unmerited favors, whether it be in the employment scene, businesses, academe, social or professional fields. People have this bias towards good-looking people, whether they admit it or not. Some people just don’t notice it about themselves. They like to give the better parts of their attention towards the beautiful, often giving them the special treatment, whether consciously or not. I observed that, sometimes, people are just nicer to beautiful people, sometimes neglecting the homely. I can’t even begin to give examples. Prejudices and stereotyping doesn’t help much either.
We think it’s a waste when a person is still single if that person is very beautiful, but we hardly hear people say it’s a waste if the single person is ugly. We think it’s such a compliment when people tell us how good we look, and we’re so flattered by it, even if we know beauty is shallow. Actors are chosen by their looks, even if they hardly have talent or can barely act (a frustrating truth, since I did a little theater in college).
People have varying reasons for this attitude. Maybe they think, at the back of their minds, they can get “some”. Whatever that “some” means depends on person to person. Sometimes people just like being in good terms with a beautiful person, not paying attention to the not-so-good-looking.
The importance of looking good is attested by the billion dollar cosmetic industry. Without considering stuff that actually has a reasonable purpose such as deodorants, chap sticks, powders, skin lotions/softeners, oil, soap and shampoo, how much do you spend on things whose only purpose is to make you look good? All forms of make-up, even just lipstick, perfume, hair gel, whitening lotion, nail or hair color? How much money do you spend on more expensive clothing that you still buy because you “know” it will make you look good?
Even employers who require their employees uniforms attest to this attitude, especially those who require skirts which I think are pretty revealing. I don’t like it when my boss tells me what to wear, especially when it’s uncomfortable to me. Don’t they know how hot it is in the Philippines! Let’s not imitate America because it’s a cold country. It’s not like all the rooms are air-conditioned. (I loved it when I read an article that said employees in Silicon Valley are dressing down.) But all this must be sacrificed in the name of looking good.
The proliferation of this mindset is the fault of us people too. We accept what media tells us, we believe in what our friends tell us, we accept the short skirt we’re required to wear (women, not me) and the make-up we’re required to put on.
You may be thinking that I agree that looking good is important. But after all this, my answer is actually, no. I don’t think looking good is important. Had the question been, “Is looking good important to this world?” I would have said yes. But the question is “Is looking good important?” I emphatically say no, looking good is not important.
But if you don’t invest in your looks, are you not at a disadvantage when, say, you’re looking for a job? Let me tell you this, if the boss is shallow enough to give special treatment to people just because they look good, you wouldn’t want to be working there! They don’t deserve you. If your boss requires you to alter your appearance for superficial reasons or wear clothing that compromises your values, you can go against it or quit. There are other companies that could need you because of what you can do, not because of what you look like. Besides, if your boss employs you because of your looks, what will happen to you when you lose your good looks, accidentally or for some other reason?
Some say, “but if you have the money, it’s not wrong to spend it on making you look better.” Think of it this way. How much money do you spend on beauty products or beauty treatments, and compare that with a meal of a poor, perhaps homeless family. They could have had a more decent meal, or any meal for that matter; nourishment that the body really needs! The money could have been given to charity, but instead it is wasted on vanity. Poor stewardship of a gift that was only given by God. And there is never a shortage for opportunities to give charity.
And it’s not only money that is wasted when you’re investing on your looks. You invest effort and time that could have been used in wiser, more beneficial activities. How long does it take to put on make-up or color your nails and hair, and add up all those activities. I stopped using a facial cleanser when I realized I was wasting so much time and money on it. Then I saw it really didn’t make a difference.
I said earlier that the propagation of this wrong mindset is our fault too, if we tolerate it by doing nothing about it. But what can we do? I mentioned some in the above three paragraphs.
I don’t consider people’s physical appearance when I deal with them. When I feel that I may be dealing with them in a certain way because of the person’s appearance, I consider what my dealing would be if it was another person with the opposite appearance. When a student from a college I teach asked to meet with me because she had a problem, I decided to meet her even though I remember her to be a not-so-good-looking girl, but when I saw her I realized that I was thinking of another student, and I was “pleasantly” surprised.
See, even my using of the word “pleasantly” still reflects my bias! I apologize. I become conscious when my beautiful students keep topping the class, hoping that others will not incorrectly conclude that they get higher grades because of their looks. But rest assured, the students get grades they deserve.
I don’t compliment people on how they look (but I compliment those who dress simply). I tell others not to consider compliments regarding physical appearances too highly. It would be better if people told you that they’re so blessed by your life and compliment you on your character, rather than how beautiful you are. Likewise, I show them that being called ugly should not offend them. Even if you are ugly, that’s not important, what’s important is who you are. When joking around, I don’t consider being called ugly an insult. Of course, it would be hypocritical of me to say that I am not flattered when people say I look good, but my stand is not to dwell on it, not even considering taking pride in it. I rebuke a sister I know every time she takes personal offense when she is called ugly and takes great appreciation when she is called beautiful.
I disagreed with my second girlfriend when the college she taught in required her to wear a skirt. I said, “you’re a teacher and you were hired because of your brains. You’re not a fashion model that has to wear a particular outfit for work. Wearing a skirt will not raise your IQ nor will it improve your ability to teach. The management shouldn’t require you to wear that because what they need from you is your brains and your ability, not your body.” When I was told to wear makeup because I had a part in a wedding, I insisted on not wearing any. They told me I would look like a corpse on video, but I didn’t care. That’s not what I was there for. My first girlfriend admittedly hid from me during that wedding; she knew I would be disappointed if I saw her with make-up. She immediately washed it off when she knew I was going to see her. Not exactly what I wanted, but at least we had an understanding. I requested (or was it insisted… maybe just persuaded) my second girlfriend to wear a long dress and no makeup on her graduation. It certainly wasn’t the norm, but we have to standup and go against a wrong mindset. I’ve appeared four times on television quiz shows, three I refused to wear makeup, each twenty – thirty minutes long. I didn’t notice much difference to when they forced me to wear foundation and hair spray, as compared to when I appeared naturally.
People dress up and makeup to look more attractive. But as another mindset says, if people feel the need to improve themselves physically, maybe that’s because that’s all they have. That’s all they can show that’s why they show it. Maybe they think no one will like them if they’re not good looking, because apart from their looks, there’s nothing else to like. If you know there’s more that is good about you, not just your looks, well then improve that, and not your looks. Because beauty is high maintenance, and worse, beauty is fleeting. Invest in more worthwhile things rather than looks.
If you truly believe that good looks are not important, prove it. Stand up. Go against the flow, no matter how difficult it is. Live up to that belief. Let it reflect in your life. It’s pretty radical, but it’s the right thing to do. Because people should be considered for who they are, not what they look like. And even if you’re the only one who seems to live it, keep it up and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Somebody has to break the mindset.
- A. L. E. -
Although people shouldn’t base judgment on physical appearances, what should be isn’t necessarily what happens. We’re not even talking about fashion models. My experience tells me that physically attractive people earn more unmerited favors, whether it be in the employment scene, businesses, academe, social or professional fields. People have this bias towards good-looking people, whether they admit it or not. Some people just don’t notice it about themselves. They like to give the better parts of their attention towards the beautiful, often giving them the special treatment, whether consciously or not. I observed that, sometimes, people are just nicer to beautiful people, sometimes neglecting the homely. I can’t even begin to give examples. Prejudices and stereotyping doesn’t help much either.
We think it’s a waste when a person is still single if that person is very beautiful, but we hardly hear people say it’s a waste if the single person is ugly. We think it’s such a compliment when people tell us how good we look, and we’re so flattered by it, even if we know beauty is shallow. Actors are chosen by their looks, even if they hardly have talent or can barely act (a frustrating truth, since I did a little theater in college).
People have varying reasons for this attitude. Maybe they think, at the back of their minds, they can get “some”. Whatever that “some” means depends on person to person. Sometimes people just like being in good terms with a beautiful person, not paying attention to the not-so-good-looking.
The importance of looking good is attested by the billion dollar cosmetic industry. Without considering stuff that actually has a reasonable purpose such as deodorants, chap sticks, powders, skin lotions/softeners, oil, soap and shampoo, how much do you spend on things whose only purpose is to make you look good? All forms of make-up, even just lipstick, perfume, hair gel, whitening lotion, nail or hair color? How much money do you spend on more expensive clothing that you still buy because you “know” it will make you look good?
Even employers who require their employees uniforms attest to this attitude, especially those who require skirts which I think are pretty revealing. I don’t like it when my boss tells me what to wear, especially when it’s uncomfortable to me. Don’t they know how hot it is in the Philippines! Let’s not imitate America because it’s a cold country. It’s not like all the rooms are air-conditioned. (I loved it when I read an article that said employees in Silicon Valley are dressing down.) But all this must be sacrificed in the name of looking good.
The proliferation of this mindset is the fault of us people too. We accept what media tells us, we believe in what our friends tell us, we accept the short skirt we’re required to wear (women, not me) and the make-up we’re required to put on.
You may be thinking that I agree that looking good is important. But after all this, my answer is actually, no. I don’t think looking good is important. Had the question been, “Is looking good important to this world?” I would have said yes. But the question is “Is looking good important?” I emphatically say no, looking good is not important.
But if you don’t invest in your looks, are you not at a disadvantage when, say, you’re looking for a job? Let me tell you this, if the boss is shallow enough to give special treatment to people just because they look good, you wouldn’t want to be working there! They don’t deserve you. If your boss requires you to alter your appearance for superficial reasons or wear clothing that compromises your values, you can go against it or quit. There are other companies that could need you because of what you can do, not because of what you look like. Besides, if your boss employs you because of your looks, what will happen to you when you lose your good looks, accidentally or for some other reason?
Some say, “but if you have the money, it’s not wrong to spend it on making you look better.” Think of it this way. How much money do you spend on beauty products or beauty treatments, and compare that with a meal of a poor, perhaps homeless family. They could have had a more decent meal, or any meal for that matter; nourishment that the body really needs! The money could have been given to charity, but instead it is wasted on vanity. Poor stewardship of a gift that was only given by God. And there is never a shortage for opportunities to give charity.
And it’s not only money that is wasted when you’re investing on your looks. You invest effort and time that could have been used in wiser, more beneficial activities. How long does it take to put on make-up or color your nails and hair, and add up all those activities. I stopped using a facial cleanser when I realized I was wasting so much time and money on it. Then I saw it really didn’t make a difference.
I said earlier that the propagation of this wrong mindset is our fault too, if we tolerate it by doing nothing about it. But what can we do? I mentioned some in the above three paragraphs.
I don’t consider people’s physical appearance when I deal with them. When I feel that I may be dealing with them in a certain way because of the person’s appearance, I consider what my dealing would be if it was another person with the opposite appearance. When a student from a college I teach asked to meet with me because she had a problem, I decided to meet her even though I remember her to be a not-so-good-looking girl, but when I saw her I realized that I was thinking of another student, and I was “pleasantly” surprised.
See, even my using of the word “pleasantly” still reflects my bias! I apologize. I become conscious when my beautiful students keep topping the class, hoping that others will not incorrectly conclude that they get higher grades because of their looks. But rest assured, the students get grades they deserve.
I don’t compliment people on how they look (but I compliment those who dress simply). I tell others not to consider compliments regarding physical appearances too highly. It would be better if people told you that they’re so blessed by your life and compliment you on your character, rather than how beautiful you are. Likewise, I show them that being called ugly should not offend them. Even if you are ugly, that’s not important, what’s important is who you are. When joking around, I don’t consider being called ugly an insult. Of course, it would be hypocritical of me to say that I am not flattered when people say I look good, but my stand is not to dwell on it, not even considering taking pride in it. I rebuke a sister I know every time she takes personal offense when she is called ugly and takes great appreciation when she is called beautiful.
I disagreed with my second girlfriend when the college she taught in required her to wear a skirt. I said, “you’re a teacher and you were hired because of your brains. You’re not a fashion model that has to wear a particular outfit for work. Wearing a skirt will not raise your IQ nor will it improve your ability to teach. The management shouldn’t require you to wear that because what they need from you is your brains and your ability, not your body.” When I was told to wear makeup because I had a part in a wedding, I insisted on not wearing any. They told me I would look like a corpse on video, but I didn’t care. That’s not what I was there for. My first girlfriend admittedly hid from me during that wedding; she knew I would be disappointed if I saw her with make-up. She immediately washed it off when she knew I was going to see her. Not exactly what I wanted, but at least we had an understanding. I requested (or was it insisted… maybe just persuaded) my second girlfriend to wear a long dress and no makeup on her graduation. It certainly wasn’t the norm, but we have to standup and go against a wrong mindset. I’ve appeared four times on television quiz shows, three I refused to wear makeup, each twenty – thirty minutes long. I didn’t notice much difference to when they forced me to wear foundation and hair spray, as compared to when I appeared naturally.
People dress up and makeup to look more attractive. But as another mindset says, if people feel the need to improve themselves physically, maybe that’s because that’s all they have. That’s all they can show that’s why they show it. Maybe they think no one will like them if they’re not good looking, because apart from their looks, there’s nothing else to like. If you know there’s more that is good about you, not just your looks, well then improve that, and not your looks. Because beauty is high maintenance, and worse, beauty is fleeting. Invest in more worthwhile things rather than looks.
If you truly believe that good looks are not important, prove it. Stand up. Go against the flow, no matter how difficult it is. Live up to that belief. Let it reflect in your life. It’s pretty radical, but it’s the right thing to do. Because people should be considered for who they are, not what they look like. And even if you’re the only one who seems to live it, keep it up and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Somebody has to break the mindset.
- A. L. E. -
