Lookism
Lookism is a term used to refer to discrimination against or prejudice towards others based on their appearance. The term was first coined within the Fat acceptance movement. It was used in the The Washington Post Magazine in 1978, which asserted that the term was coined by "fat people" who created the word to refer to "discrimination based on looks."[1] The word appears in several major English language dictionaries.[2]
Lookism has received scholarly attention both from a cultural studies and an economics perspective. In the former context, lookism relates to preconceived notions of beauty and cultural stereotyping based on appearance as well as gender roles and expectations. Important economic considerations include the question of income gaps based on looks, as well as increased or decreased productivity from workers considered beautiful or ugly by their co-workers.
According to Nancy Etcoff, a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, "we face a world where lookism is one of the most pervasive but denied prejudices."[3] Referring to several studies, Angela Stalcup writes that "The evidence clearly indicates that not only is there a premium for prettiness in Western culture, there is also penalty for plainness."[4]
In the article "Is Lookism Unjust", Louis Tietje and Steven Cresap discuss when discrimination based on looks can legitimately be described as unjust.[5] Tietje and Cresap quote evidence that suggests there exists "a 7–to–9 percent 'penalty' for being in the lowest 9 percent of looks among all workers, and a 5 percent 'premium' for being in the top 33 percent". While accepting that the evidence indicates that such discrimination does occur, the authors argue that it has been pervasive throughout history. Therefore there can be no clear model of injustice in such discrimination, nor would legislation to address it be practicable. The authors conclude: "We do not see how any policy interventions to redress beauty discrimination can be justified."[5]
[edit] See also
- Egalitarianism
- Erotic capital
- Fat acceptance movement
- Human physical appearance
- Physical attractiveness
- Sexual field
- Sexual objectification
- Sexual selection
- Social stigma
- Stigma (sociological theory)
- Ugliness
- Ugly law
[edit] References
- ^ John Ayto, 20th Century Words, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0198602309
- ^ Bartleby.com — "Lookism". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
- ^ William Safire. "The Way We Live Now: 8-27-00: On Language; Lookism", New York Times Magazine, August 27, 2000.
- ^ Angela Stalcup. The Plainness Penalty: Lookism in Western Culture.
- ^ a b Louis Tietje and Steven Cresap. (2005). "Is Lookism Unjust?: The Ethics of Aesthetics and Public Policy Implications". Journal of Libertarian Studies 19 (2): 31-50.
[edit] External links
- lookism.info — German site on lookism, with English translations
- abcnews.go.com, "The Ugly Truth About Beauty" - article on lookism
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