For those who don’t know, pretty privilege is basically a societal bias in which people who are deemed more attractive by beauty standards, have an upper hand in the world and more opportunities in life. Studies have shown that when compared to less attractive people, attractive people report being healthier, have higher chances when it comes to dating and marriage, and are more successful in the labor market. Of course, we are now challenging this stigma; but the prejudice is still there. It might not be heard, but it can be seen in small actions people show to others: not being charged for that extra drink at a bar, the cashier at a store letting you off without having to pay full price for an item, or most noticeably when you’re minding your own business, and suddenly people come up to you to ask for your number.
We, as humans, tend to form judgments of someone based on how they look and overlook their negative aspects when we find them attractive. Take the cinematic world, for example. Most main characters in movies are deemed pretty. This prettiness has been strongly associated with positive attributes, being kind, smart and talented. You can see it specifically in Disney movies, for example, princess Ariel, she is portrayed as all of these things. At the same time, the antagonist is portrayed as this ugly, fat and dangerous sea witch, everything that stands against the standard of beauty that society tries to show.
Although overlooked, many inequality and equity issues stem from pretty privilege, especially when we give a blind eye to negative aspects of those we deem pretty and question those we consider less attractive. Although this might seem like no big deal because there is inequality everywhere, the danger is pretty privilege arises when we shift to more significant issues like the justice system, and how physical attractiveness is tied to reduced jail time or how longitudinal studies have found that more attractive people were less likely to be arrested and convicted than less attractive people.
Pretty privilege is also associated with “the halo effect.” When it comes to a person, if they are deemed physically attractive, this causes people to be biased towards them by taking one positive quality and later form a positive predisposition toward every aspect of that person. The same goes the other way around. If you find them less attractive, one single negative attribute they possess may induce in you an overall negative impression of that person. The most extreme halo effect case can be seen with the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, who was basically glorified by women. He had his own fan base and was sent many letters asking to marry him. Although extreme, the halo effect is prevalent in society, from how we see people to how we see a company, a brand or a product.
It’s easy to assume that people who receive the benefits of pretty privilege may live a comfortable and trouble-free life. Still, they can face just as much danger. When you’re one of the privileged ones, it’s easy to base your worth on your prettiness. This is a privilege given by the perception of others, it can be easily taken away because there’s no such thing as universal beauty. You will always be considered unattractive to some people. There’s no helping that. Take models as an example. In a Ted Talk, Cameron Russell mentions how models are some of the prettiest people on the planet yet still tend to be the most insecure. Why? Because they have to think about how others perceive them, all the time. It can also be very demoralizing if everything that you’ve achieved due to your hard work was instantly perceived by others as something that was only capable for you to accomplish due to the way you look. Yes, pretty privilege is dangerous, but we also have the power to avoid the dangers by shifting our focus away from external appearances. There is so much more to someone than just their looks. To combat this stigma of pretty privilege, we should acknowledge that we have prejudices and strive to be more inclusive and fair with others, to acknowledge people for their character, not just for their appearance.