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Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

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Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#11

Post by Workaccount2 »

Being someone who was both conventionally unattractive and conventionally attractive (I had a digestive disorder for years that made me terrifyingly skinny and sickly looking), I can say that the difference is astronomical.

Once I figured out what was wrong with me, fixed my diet and got in shape, the way people treated me in general shifted dramatically towards positive. Rather than starting from a unreceptive low with everyone new, I started with a positive welcoming reception. People would just defacto trust me and assign me positive traits just for being good looking.

It's mind blowing to me how there is so much focus on whatever -ism, but no one talks about "looksism". Regardless of your gender or race, if you look good, people will default treat you well. If you look bad, every encounter is an uphill battle.

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#13

Post by wiradikusuma »

There's a saying (which could be specific to my country) about men approaching women. If you're handsome it's called flirting, if you're ugly it's sexual harassment.

Joking aside, I do notice that successful men (again, maybe specific to my country) tend to be attractive and they usually have an attractive and smart partner. Successful but not attractive men can still have either attractive or smart partner (or both, but different persons, and the former is a trophy—and the latter doesn't know about the former).

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#14

Post by bashwizard »

mushufasa wrote: post #2

Interesting that the effect was stronger in males. It looks like the outcomes tracked were education, income, and occupation. I wonder if this is tracking the wrong things; e.g. women can marry into a higher wealth+prestige class without themselves needing to attain education, income, or a job.

It's almost as if hypergamy is real. Shocking.

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#15

Post by Damogran6 »

wiradikusuma wrote: post #13

There's a saying (which could be specific to my country) about men approaching women. If you're handsome it's called flirting, if you're ugly it's sexual harassment. Joking aside, I do notice that successful men (again, maybe specific to my country) tend to be attractive and they usually have an attractive and smart partner. Successful but not attractive men can still have either attractive or smart partner (or both,…

I got SO many downvotes on Reddit for suggesting that.

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#17

Post by brodouevencode »

Damogran6 wrote: post #15
wiradikusuma wrote: post #13

There's a saying (which could be specific to my country) about men approaching women. If you're handsome it's called flirting, if you're ugly it's sexual harassment. Joking aside, I do notice that successful men (again, maybe specific to my country) tend to be attractive and they usually have an attractive and smart partner. Successful but not attractive men can still have either attractive or smart partner (or both,…

I got SO many downvotes on Reddit for suggesting that.

Much of reddit is incapable of generalized or abstract thought, especially when done in humor.

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#18

Post by gizajob »

willcipriano wrote: post #4
mushufasa wrote: post #2

Interesting that the effect was stronger in males. It looks like the outcomes tracked were education, income, and occupation. I wonder if this is tracking the wrong things; e.g. women can marry into a higher wealth+prestige class without themselves needing to attain education, income, or a job.

Could be evidence of matriarchy. If women outnumber men in HR departments and at school, being pleasing to a woman's eye would be helpful in advancing through life more so than being pleasing to men.

For quite a while I’ve been making an (admittedly fairly troll-ish) argument at my university’s philosophy classes that the whole “smash the patriarchy” movement might overlook that we actually live in a matriarchy, and this is just what it imperceptibly looks like. The argument was slightly more straightforward to make in the UK when we had a great-grandmother as head of state and a female head of government, however.

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#19

Post by Obscurity4340 »

wiradikusuma wrote: post #13

There's a saying (which could be specific to my country) about men approaching women. If you're handsome it's called flirting, if you're ugly it's sexual harassment. Joking aside, I do notice that successful men (again, maybe specific to my country) tend to be attractive and they usually have an attractive and smart partner. Successful but not attractive men can still have either attractive or smart partner (or both,…

How did that work with Donnie and Ivana :/ ?

Re: Physical attractiveness and intergenerational social mobility

#20

Post by gizajob »

xgl5k wrote: post #8
GamerUncle wrote: post #3

[flagged]

I don't think anyone doubts that taller, more attractive men are more likely to be promoted or end up in positions of power. Most obvious example is presidents; average height for presidents is 6 feet.

Rishi Sunak is 5ft7…
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