Appearance Is Everything

Walking into any upscale clothing store; you’ll probably see salespeople who look like they walked off the fashion pages. You think to yourself, “this is so typical, how come I never see any average Joes working in there?” The next day you flip through the channels and you hear, “Abercrombie and Fitch is being sued because of allegations of discriminating people based on their appearance.” People are so obsessed with idea of morality pervading in every aspects of life that one forgets that human beings are superficial species who tend to be interested in things that are worn by a Julia Roberts or Tom Cruise look alike. When I go to the mall, I cannot help but notice people walking with their Adidas with more than 3 lines, the Gucci spelled Guccie, or the American Eagle with a disfigured eagle. Why do people reject generic materials but instead buy imitation materials? Those who wear imitation brand clothing want to be liked and accepted by good-looking people who advertise it. Let’s face the truth; nobody wants to wear the same shirt that they see an obese and unattractive salesperson wear. Companies know that a particular T-shirt does not have to be made out of top of the line fabric, but it has to be marketed by top of the line attractive people to be successful. Sex sells with any age group, and that’s what many boutique stores are trying to do. Using sex to move merchandise is not a new idea. Ten years ago, Calvin Klein perfected the concept, using beefcake to sell millions of pairs of men's underwear that even his most famous model, Mark Wahlberg, complained weren't very well made. Although it may be morally wrong, the dog vs. dog business world is so competitive that one feels that one must do whatever it takes to just survive. In a world where you can’t find a billboard without attractive people advertising for something, Cohen bluntly tells the truth as he says that without a “walking billboard,” a company is doomed to fail. Employers have the right to impose reasonable appearance standards on their employees if male and female workers are subjected to different standards based on societal norms.

Walking into an interview, an employer instantly looks for an edge in every candidate. Whether it is one’s technology skill or just their attitude; employers look for that intangible asset that makes others seem inferior. Looking good on the job is an intangible asset that can be important, just as sharp technology skills or the ability to be a team player can give certain workers an edge. In addition, before an employer look for an employee, he/she already has a picture or set of standards he/she feels must be achieved before he/she hires someone. In an employer’s mind, the person he/she hires is a personification of who he/she works for; a personification of the quality and message the company wants to send. No restaurant owner who ensures customer satisfaction wants a person to sport a nose ring and a tongue stud while taking orders at the local fast-food restaurant. If female candidate shows up for the interview with a low-cut blouse, no stockings, open-toed shoes and a big tattoo circling her ankle, anybody could see that she would not be a good representative for any company. An employer should not be penalized because he/she chooses not to hire someone because of his or her looks. If the restaurant owner chooses not to hire a person because of their appearance, he/she should have the right to. One must respect an employer desire to hire only a specific type of person.

Although it has been said that one should not judge a book from its cover, people subconsciously ignore this. As people judge others by their appearance, they continue to judge boutiques based on its appearance. When one walks pass a store, it only takes 3 seconds to determine whether or not one should walk away or enter the store. From the clothing that the mannequin wears, to the workers who advertise the clothes, customers instantly look at what the salespeople wear to determine whether or not one wants to wear the message it tries to send. When one finally enters the store, it is a salesperson job to sell. Employers know that appearance is a job-related factor. And, as a purely practical matter, we all tend to like people whom