Many brands do what they can in order to attract customers. An example to this would be like the clothing stores Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister, which only hire people who they consider attractive to represent their store. It is a requirement to maintain this rule in order to increase the number of customers coming in and the number of sales that are being done. People are being discriminated against not being “good looking” enough to be hired, which is morally wrong. When a person is being hired for a job, what should be catching someone’s attention should be the person’s ability and capability of the skill that most likely they trained for or if they know how to do the job correctly. Being pretty or attractive doesn’t help if the person doesn’t know anything at all about how to manage and/or handle money or know anything bout retailing. Mr. Serrano, a former assistant Abercrombie store manager in Scranton, PA, states,” We were suppose to approach someone in the mall who we think will look attractive in our store … If that person said ‘ I never worked in retailing before,’ we sa...
Women are told that in order to get anywhere in life they must constantly worry about their outer appearance. In Jennifer Weiner’s article, “When Can Women Stop Trying to Look Perfect?” she delves deeply into how today’s society women’s worth is based on how they look. Weiner believes that women who do not meet the standards of beauty do not have as many opportunities.
Currently television networks and stations require a set appearance and weight standards for news reporters, newscasters, weather forecaster. Our society looks at the news and weather to see not only the news and weather but the persons. They believe that physical attractiveness and pleasing body image have long been known to have marketplace advantages. Therefore many organizations set appearance standards for their employees, because they think that will project a particular image and as well as a favorable working environment. (Harvey & Allard , 2012, p. 231)
In today’s job market, there are many reasons an individual could be turned down for employment. According to Deborah Rhodes, author of “Why looks are the last bastion of discrimination”, appearance should not be one of them. Rhodes is a law professor at Stanford and holder of numerous titles for her outstanding work in legal matters. She is also the author and co-author of over 250 articles (Directory). In this article, she addresses an issue with profound impact on today’s society. She proposes that appearance discrimination should be included in anti-discrimination laws in addition to what is already accepted and legalized in today’s workplace. While it is a seemingly “silly” concern, it is actually quite valid. There has been many a concern over discrimination. That is, discrimination based on race, color, gender, and others of a similar nature in the work environment.
Many companies are using new techniques to attract modern day society. One of these techniques is revising their hiring practices. Instead of hiring based on intelligence, or skill sets, they desire employees with “the look”. Companies want people that represent their product or brand. In the article, “Going for the Look, But Risking Discrimination” by Steven Greenhouse, the store Abercrombie and Fitch hire people with a “classic American” look. However, there are many problems that can arise with this. Marshall Cohen, a senior industry analyst, claims that companies are forced to do what is necessary. I disagree with this statement. Companies that hire based on looks are risking more they assume.
The general consensus among American citizens is that the retail industry as one of the worst jobs a person can take, just short of fast food and any job that is janitorial. There are many reasons behind this stigma that affects people both in and out of the retail industry. The perspective of the customer will always differ from that of the retail worker, with the exception of those who have worked or currently work in retail. However, just because the perspective is different, the level of respect has no reason to shift.
.... "The Beauty Industry Promotes Unrealistic Beauty Standards." Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 2007. Rpt. in The Culture of Beauty. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
If employers began to discriminate on the basis of looks, society could start categorizing fat, unattractive, or unusual looking people as failures and avoid encouraging these people to reach for their goals. Self esteem would be at an all time low.
The laws generally support employer dress code and appearance policies, while employers try to be flexible by having employees to present themselves in a way that is consistent with the employer's image (Gross). As long as they do not discriminate on race, color, religion, age, nationality or gender, employers a...
Appearance is always the fundamental theme of fairy tales, especially in “Donkeyskin”, “Catskin”, and “The Princess in the Suit of Leather”. The appearances of the girls caused many of the actions made by the other characters. For example, the princesses’ unmatchable beauty made their fathers or an old man to desire to marry them. But appearance is not just about the beauty of the people; it is, also, about the social appearances. It seems that other people’s view of the princesses changed as the girls switched between social classes. The girls worked hard through the rough life of a maid and ridicule but at the end achieved the true “happily ever after” life. Even after a horrible life, the girls were still graceful, beautiful and fair. In any adaptations you may read, they will always have an emphasis on appearances. The reason why these tales focus so much on appearance is because it correlates beauty with goodness and ugliness to evil. The attractiveness of the princesses had a direct linkage to social class and how people treated them. The way that the princesses look and present themselves is the element that creates the plot.
Retail work is best known for low pay, difficult customers, and long shifts. Although this is at times true, retail work can teach people valuable lessons and skills that are used on and off the job. As a Sears sales associate, I spent my last summer working in retail, enduring both tiresome hours and demanding buyers. Through this experience, I learned tricks and skills that are useful to survive a job in retail.
How would you feel if you were told you were not good enough for a job based on your skin color? Or how would you feel if you were constantly offended, and bits and pieces of your culture was being twisted into something horrible like a stereotype? Probably really frustrated, right? Well, this is the fate of many African American models, and women of color today in the world of fashion. Racism is rampant in the fashion industry. According to Dalton Conley author of “You May Ask Yourself”, ‘Racism is the belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits’. Unfortunately, most of the models who walk runway shows, and who are in high end fashion print advertisements are Caucasian. This causes
Employment discrimination legislation has evolved to include race, disabilities, sexual harassment of either gender, and age. In lieu of this evolution and an increasing trend toward equality for all individuals in the workplace, the time has come for the protective reach of employment discrimination law to cover ugliness. While the proposal may cause titters at first, evidence exists that discrimination based on looks (or physical appearance) occurs in the workplace. An investigation was conducted by ABC’s 20/20 news program in 1994 that sent two men and two women into the workplace to secure the same jobs (Sessions 1). The individuals were coached to act in a similar manner during the interviews and took with them resumes with matching education and experience. The only difference was that one of the men and one of the women was superior in physical attraction to their counterpart. The results demonstrate whether intentional or not, looks discrimination does play a role in the employment process “In five cases out of five, the more attractive woman got the job; in three chances out of three, the more attractive man was hired” (Sessions 1).
I would like to begin with the fact that women have always been known to dedicate their time to beauty. Those who are devoted to their appearance most often believe that beauty brings power, popularity, and success. Women believe this, because they grow up reading magazines that picture beautiful women in successful environments; not to mention they are popular models and world famous individuals. Beautiful women are no longer just a priority for most advertising, but we have become a walking target for the working class employers. It is documented that better-looking attorneys earn more than others after five years of practice, which was an effect that grew with experience (Biddle, 172). We cannot overlook the fact that it is always the most popular and most beautiful girl who becomes homecoming-queen or prom-queen. While these are possible positive effects of the "beauty myth," the negative results of female devotion to beauty undercut this value. These effects are that it costs a lot of money, it costs a lot of time, and in the long run, it costs a lot of pain.
...ounds, having good hair, and covering themselves in makeup are what beauty should be perceived as. Every time someone flips through a magazine, sees a picture of a model and wish to look like them, they are contributing to an idea they are supposedly disgusted by. People might think that they have never done anything to support this, but everyone has. Everybody feels the pressure from society, because it is pressure from us. They only way to stop this is by not supporting “things” that advance this idea and by not feeding into it, so in the end it will eventually die.
...th their appearance but when it comes to having and keeping the job, it is the employers basis on who and how you are as a person. A person’s physical appearance reflects oneself, how he or she carries himself or herself. It shows how confident the person is. With professional appearance, it could higher your chances of getting hired, keeping your job, good customer service, and most importantly a positive outlook on yourself.