Is being pretty enough for us to be successful or is it just an allegory that we all have been carrying for years? Remember, when we were young, how quickly we used to make judgments regarding who’s pretty and who’s not? When you look good or pretty, people often shower you with compliments and when prettiness or attractiveness is not your defining feature, people use other words. “Pretty” or “attractive” is a heavy word…isn’t it, for example, in just one word, we start comprehending femininity, thinness, or fairness altogether.
Surprisingly, these markers are still one of the easiest markers to seek benefit from. Be it workspace, personal relationships, or anything, the advantages of being pretty are many. Good-looking people are often looked at as capable, trustworthy, smart, and virtuous.
Do you also think that pretty privilege or attractive privilege is enough to be successful in life? Keep reading this blog to understand the psychology of pretty privilege, its advantages, disadvantages, and more.
Let’s get started!
What is Pretty Privilege?
Pretty privilege is a type of positive feedback that attracts people towards people who are pretty or attractive. We all have seen pretty privileged commonly in our everyday lives such as if you’re a good-looking personality, your dating app will always be filled with people, people will never hesitate to be friends with you, and more! In the workplace, if you’re pretty, you are more likely to receive promotions, raises, and values.
I am not saying it all based on my experience, but I was able to find several studies on privilege. The exact psychological term used to describe pretty privilege can be the halo effect. The halo effect is a type of cognitive bias wherein we assume or evaluate someone’s personality based on their specific traits. Let’s flip the coin from both sides and see how pretty privilege works. Pretty privilege helps people achieve everything they wish for; it makes their life more convincing.
Why not, believing in yourself or knowing your self-worth is important for achieving your goals. Indeed, no one has the power to choose their features, but a person born with attractiveness privilege acquires more benefits through cosmetic manipulation. Hence, yes, pretty privilege is a real and powerful thing. Honestly, the pretty word is more related to natural beauty, I am still not convinced that people who wear false lashes, heels, or makeup seek benefits.
Psychology Behind Pretty or Attractiveness Privilege
The psychology of pretty privilege is rooted in the halo effect. The halo effect is a type of cognitive bias wherein we assume or evaluate someone’s personality based on their specific traits. For example, whenever we find a symmetrical face in a crowd, we assume that person to be intelligent, friendly, self-confident, and healthy. However, on the other hand, people with asymmetrical faces are not conceived as healthy but they are likely to be stated as “unattractive” or “anxious.”
Do you know when the concept of pretty privilege becomes dangerous for our generation? It becomes dangerous when we are not able to identify the right qualities of a person and instead, we judge them on the basis of their physical features. I might receive various benefits when I am called “pretty” but what happens when I am not? The discrimination of not being pretty enough can be seen across various industries.
Impacts of Pretty Privilege
Below listed are some of the commonly seen impacts of pretty privilege:
1. Emotional Impact:
Attractive people receive more positive feedback as compared to people with less pretty advantages. It enhances self-confidence and self-esteem in pretty people and works quite the opposite for people who are not pretty enough. Pretty people often struggle with the pressure to maintain their appearance, they can’t take enough stress as it may damage their physical appearance.
People who are not pretty enough often compare themselves with other people which directly damages their self-image and it can result in various mental health-related issues such as depression, anxiety, social isolation, body dysmorphia, and more.
2. Psychological Impact:
Pretty people are obliged to maintain their appearance in order to form deeper connections with people. their talent and successes often depend on their appearance instead of putting effort into their intelligence or abilities, they are mostly seen working on their physical abilities.
Obviously, when people start undermining their capabilities or talents apart from their appearance, they might have nothing to highlight. This can lead to imposter syndrome in such people. On the other hand, when people actually start undermining the capabilities or talents of less pretty people, it might provide them a ladder to showcase their actual skills.
3. Professional Impact:
Research shows that pretty people are likely to receive more praise, raises, promotions, and call-backs as compared to people with less pretty privileges. Due to their physical appearance, they are often perceived as great leaders which can positively influence their success rates. On the other hand, people with less pretty privileges have more hardships to do, they have to work harder to highlight their skills or talents.
4. Social Impact:
Attractive people have greater social connections; they receive more invitations to social events and they can easily make friends. On the other hand, less pretty people might have to work really hard to stand out in social settings. They really have to work hard to break stereotypical thinking.
How to Overcome Pretty Privilege?
We all have our own struggles and it does not matter if we are pretty or not. However, making judgments on the basis of prettiness or attractiveness must be avoided at all costs. Now, you might be thinking about what to do instead. Well, I am not asking you to stop looking pretty, but let your prettiness shine through your skills or talents and not just your physical appearance.
here’s how we can overcome pretty privilege:
Promote body neutrality: Body positivity and neutrality can be one of the great tools to overcome the impacts of pretty privilege. It makes you more authentic and feasible.
Practice self-acceptance: Remember, your physical appearance can never dull the sparkle of your talents, skills, and abilities. Therefore, be comfortable in your skin and work on enhancing your skills or talents. Reinforce a healthy self-image by becoming confident in your own skin and silence your inner critic permanently.
Surround yourself with positive people: Surrounding yourself with positive, kind, and compassionate people provides you a chance to love yourself and work on your goals.
Be kind to yourself: Be kind to yourself and let your abilities shine through naturally. Don’t fall into the trap of fakes instead, highlight your positive skills such as decency, compassion, kindness, and honesty in front of people who try to bring you down.
Break the stereotypical thinking: Let your inner beauty shine through your skills, does not matter if you’re pretty or not, let them know about your “natural beauty” by breaking the stereotypical thinking related to pretty privilege or attractiveness privilege.
Cultivate mental resilience: Recognize your potential and focus on your skills. Let your inner qualities shine through your personal growth.
Be inclusive and authentic: Develop a personality that promotes diversity, and reduces the pressure to look pretty, by being authentic and inclusive in all settings.
I hope this blog helps you understand the psychology of pretty privilege. Comment down and share your views on the “advantages and disadvantages of pretty privilege.” For more such content, connect with us through social media.
Thanks for reading!
The post Is Pretty Privilege Or Attractiveness Privilege Real? Let’s Unveil The Psychology Behind appeared first on Calm Sage – Your Guide to Mental and Emotional Well-being.