Beautiful people earn more money

by Malcolm Wheatley on 03 February 2010  |  18 comments
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New research suggests that active, tall, attractive people have better job prospects, says Malcolm Wheatley. But is it a load of old tosh?

Times are tough: you've ditched the gym, and told your bank balance that the new business suit and shoes will have to wait. But hang on. Have you also kissed goodbye to that long-awaited promotion -- or even the job security that seemed so assured?

For those of us no longer as slim as we once were -- not to mention sadly lacking in classic good looks -- the link between physical appearance and our pay packet (or lack of it, if we've just been laid off) is worrying. Ditching the gym, in short, may have been a case of 'penny wise, pounds foolish'.

For the workplace, it turns out, is one area where appearances do matter. Research suggests that unattractive women earn about 5% less than other women, while unattractive men earn about 10% less than other men. Another piece of research, meanwhile, reckons that carrying an extra 65 pounds -- that's around four and a half stones -- typically rewards women with a pay packet that's 7% lower.

What's going on?

"Aesthetically, there's a natural cultural bias towards people who are athletic-looking and in shape: they are more likely to be perceived as a winner, and as a go-getter," reckons Tim Bean, a physique specialist who counts heiress and society figure Jemima Khan among his clients.

Make yourself look younger, get fitter, livelier and more energetic and evidence suggests this will have a significant impact on your promotion prospects and pay packets.

"Most of the things that we associate with age are really nothing to do with getting older, but are more to do with how we look after ourselves -- and a lot of that is down to exercise and nutrition," sums up Tim.

If in doubt, cheat

But not all of it, thank goodness. While inner well-being is important, good clothes can help disguise shortcomings while we take remedial action on the lifestyle front.

Consult your style guide of choice -- from TV programmes to magazines, none of us are short of advice on what the experts think we could do to present ourselves better. And to present ourselves, more to the point, every bit as well as those with whom we're competing in the workplace.

But the best investment may be a well-chosen pair of shoes. In the workplace, each inch above average may be worth $789 more per year, according to an American study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology (Vol. 89, No. 3). According to the researchers carrying out the study, someone who is 6 feet tall earns, on average, nearly $166,000 more during a 30-year career than someone who is 5 feet 5 inches -- even when controlling for gender, age and weight.

What's more, height even affects leadership success: in his 2005 bestselling book 'Blink', Malcolm Gladwell noted that 58% of Fortune 500 CEOs were over 6 feet tall -- an over-representation of 400% when compared with the overall population of American men.

And while diet and exercise can't help you grow, height-enhancing shoes can -- by cunningly making you look taller than you are.

"White-collar unemployment has been particularly badly hit during the recession, especially in the banking sector," says James Silverstone, chief executive of Altitude Shoes, a seller of such shoes. "With the job market so competitive, executives are doing everything they can to stay one step ahead and keep their jobs."

What do you think?

Is this a load of old tosh? Do you think that your appearance has ever affected your job prospects - or your pay packet? Or have you noticed that attractive people tend to get promoted more often? Let us know your thoughts using the comments box below!