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.
When going into a store, one would expect that the employees would know what they are doing and are reliable. When companies hire based on looks, they do not realize that although the person may look astonishing, they may not have the competence to complete the job. The person may be the most gorgeous person on Earth, but they may not have the skill set required for the job. For those who...
Berger and Luckman illustrate this through their interpretation of beauty. By comparing it to a spider web, they explain how influential members of society play an integral part in creating the beauty design. In order interpret the web, I collected and analyzed data from the February 2017 issue of Vogue Magazine. Despite the models not being representative of the United States' population, it is relevant because everyone faces the intimidation of the same standards the models successfully display. Significant research has been done on these standards and the social phenomenon of beauty, yet research into its effects could be strengthened on the individual level. Through examining these standards as well as the consistencies amongst the several beauty interpretations, I will put on my sociological glasses and see what American's are daily exposed to, and the undeniable effects it has on
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 the realm of work the appearance of someone’s body has a significant impact on their success according to Lorber and Yancey. In the text it was emphasized how height is idealized in the work world because it shows authority and being superior to peers and competition. Weight, height, race and jaw shape all are characteristics that have been observed to play a particular role in decision-making for leaders, e.g. the men with looks far from ideal had rarely moved up in military status in comparison to those with more idealized looks (253).
.... "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.
All human beings are conscious of their appearance. Society conditions the individual to meet distinct appearance criteria and sets forth an image that is deemed “attractive”. This struggle to fit norms, known as lookism, is discriminatory in its nature. Defined in 2000 by the oxford dictionary as “’prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of appearance’”, this new “ism” has risen to the surface in recent years (Ambrosetti 52), showing the prominence of its affects. Human beings construct circumstances that rule their realities. Gender, ethnicity and culture are all cultural constructions that have no true meaning once removed from society. That being said, lookism is biases of identification that influence one’s
Melissa Nelson, a dental assistant in Iowa, experienced her workplace to be a place where she was judged by her looks and not by her skill level. She was fired because her boss thought that she was too attractive and too threatening to his marriage. Therefore, she was fired for her appearance, not because she did something wrong (Kimmel). An article in The Washington Post expresses beauty’s role in work perfectly: just like goldilocks’ porridge, you can’t be too unattractive or too beautiful, you have to be just right (Rampell). Ms. Nelson’s experience is proof that beauty is not all it’s cracked up to be at
I had classmates in high school that worked at the local mall in the Abercrombie and the “look policy” that has come up was certainly a thing in the early 2000s. Their employees look strikingly similar to the models that showcased their clothing line and it was not by coincidence. Abercrombie has been known to hire solely based on a person 's looks. However I can see how you can look at Abercrombie as fair since, “Under the employment-at-will doctrine, workers in the United States are free to work for whomever they want to (or not work at all), and employers are free to hire whomever they want to, and fire them at will. The vast majority of workers in the United States are covered by the at-will doctrine”
For the first reason the author states that the beauty standard will change, but what does society consider being the “standard”. Currently in this culture “namely white, young, thing with long, straight hair” is the definition of beautiful. According to a research done by Newsweek, the workplace values looks over education, so most people are at a disadvantage. The author proves this research to be wrong when she describ...
In a growing world, relying on education and intelligence, judgments in a social environment are still continuously based off of appearance. A study of the importance of outer looks was produced through a TV game show. Contestants fought to answer questions correctly to improve their personal score. At the end of the game, the player with the highest score was asked to eliminate a team member. Although many times an unattractive player would have higher scores and could be more beneficial than another teammate, only 27% of unattractive members were chosen to advance to the next round (Belot, Bhaskar, and van de Ven 852-853). When society overlooks qualities and characteristics of high value for looks, discrimination conquers.
are not even chosen based on talent anymore, they are hired based on the right look; it is
For many important and well known companies its people are most important asset. For McDonald’s this applies as well. Employees who demonstrate positive attitudes and ability of commitment strive to be number one in customer satisfaction. For this same reason, McDonalds’s restaurants focus on attracting and hiring the best and at the same time provide the best place to work. Unfortunately McDonald’as well as other companies have to experience staff turnover. Many of these reasons consist of changing careers, going back to school, leaving the area, and even new opportunities they are offered. Although, it can be very expensive to recruit and train staff to reduce turnover, McDonald’ reinforces these steps and makes sure they choose wisely and also treat their staff well. McDonald’ needs and looks for people who want to exceed and deliver great customer satisfaction service. In order for them to make sure they select the best, they must identify quality skills, and or behaviors that applicants must demonstrate in order to be hired and be part of McDonald’s family. Every position or job description has an outline of the regular duties and or responsibilities McDonald’ want their employees to follow. McDonald’ also has a person specification where personal skills and competences can be defined of each applicant.
The author chose a cruel quote from the CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch to show people that discrimination is still vastly alive in the workforce. The point of communication is that people like Mike Jeffries are still out there discriminating against anyone who is not “good looking” in his eyes. It relates to “”Going for the Look” because Mike Jeffries personal beliefs about marking are shared in the article. The author uses a quote that a business man said to communicate how there really is discrimination of obese people in the workforce. It's effective because it's a fact that was actually said by a CEO of a major
Hiring an individual is simple, but getting the right individual takes a lot of effort and this makes a big distinction. The finest workforce gets the work done, they are bliss to supervise and assist the organization’s development. Recruitment focusing on merely employing warm bodies could result in headaches and unexpected setbacks. Sudden hire might need hours of management and time used up in control, retraining in addition to terminat...
...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.
Managers should understand an employee’s skills and abilities to make an informed decision on whether or not to hire him. Once hired a manager uses skills and abilities as a deciding factor for an employee’s job placement within the corporation. Secondly, an evaluation of an employee’s personality helps the manager in his leadership approach of that employee. Thirdly, perceptions can be the deciding factor of whether or not a candidate is hired and or promoted. An individual perceived as fitting in may be hired to negotiate business deals. Particularly, if the individual shows a favorable attitude through actions and deeds and has strong values and behaves