Imagine hunting for a job, getting the interview, and not being hired because you look too GOOD!?! Over the summer, former banker Debralee Lorenzana (pictured above) publicly accused Citibank of firing her for being too attractive and wearing tight clothing to work. Besides a pending lawsuit, her case resulted in various research studies being done, and a pair of social scientists from Ben-Gurion University in Israel apparently back up her claims.
They sent out identical resumes with “average-looking†male and female headshots, “attractive†male and female headshots, and no headshots to prospective employers. Attractive males got more call backs than average-looking men, and yep, you guessed it!—attractive women got the FEWEST call backs. The study argues that “female jealousy of attractive women in the workplace is a primary reason for the punishment of attractive women.†To see more studies, read more…
“We explore a number of explanations and provide evidence that female jealousy of attractive women in the workplace is a primary reason for the punishment of attractive women.”
You would think a more attractive female would be an easy shoe-in for a job especially if qualified, but it seems women working in HR feel intimidated to hire someone they feel may be better looking than them. According to a study by the University of Colorado Denver Business School, attractive women are discriminated against, especially in fields/industries that are traditionally seen as masculine, such as finance.
“In these professions being attractive was highly detrimental to women,” researcher Stefanie Johnson said in a statement, adding that attractive women tended to be sorted into positions like receptionist or secretary. While the researchers found good-looking women were ruled out for certain jobs, they found that attractive men did not face similar discrimination and were always at an advantage.
Sheesh!! Not only do women usually get paid less than their equal male counterparts, now we have to worry about looking too good?? It seems like we just can’t win these days. If you were hiring someone and narrowed it down to two equally capable women, one attractive and the other not-so-much, who would YOU choose??
