Page 322 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

12. PHYSICALLY UNATTRACTIVE BIAS
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interpret some existing civil rights laws as covering discrimination against
the unattractive (c.f., Anonymous, 1987), there is little indication that
legal remedies are forthcoming. Requirements of homogeneous appear­
ance standards seem most vulnerable to litigation where they discrim­
inate against women, but the courts generally have given employers
considerable discretion in setting appearance standards (Mapes-Riordan,
1991; Matusewitch, 1989). Even if biases against unattractive persons are
not protected by law, however, one could argue that they are worthy of con­
sideration because they are inconsistent with the concept of a multicultural
organization and play an important role in discrimination against groups
that are protected under the law. As stated earlier, the prototypic attractive
person is White, middle-class, young, and physically unimpaired, and this
prototype seems to be at the core of a variety of biases. Disabilities involv­
ing facial deformities are subject to greater rejection than disabilities not
having facial deformities (Giancoli & Neimeyer, 1983; Richardson, Good­
man, Hastorf, & Dornbusch, 1961). Prejudice against Blacks, Hispanics,
and Asians is stronger to the extent that their appearance violates White,
middle-class norms for "attractive" appearance (Bernstein, Lin, & Mc­
Clelland, 1981; Cross & Cross, 1971; Hernandez, 1981; Hill, 1994; Langlois
& Stephan, 1977; Martin, 1964). Younger faces are judged more attractive
than older faces, suggesting that bias against older employees is greater to
the extent that they appear unattractive (Deutsch, Zalenski, & Clark, 1986;
Jackson, 1992; O'Connell & Rotter, 1979, pp. 60-61). Gender related stereo­
types (e.g., bimbo, lesbian, castrating female) can be instantiated and inten­
sified as a consequence of physical attractiveness cues (Bieber & Dipboye,
1988; Heilman & Saruwatari, 1979). Even the labeling of "homosexuality"
has been shown related to unattractive facial features (Dew, 1985; Dunkie
& Francis, 1990; Unger, Hilderbrand, & Madar, 1982). Raza and Carpen­
ter (1987) went so far as to hypothesize that the bias against minorities,
women, and older employees in interviews is mediated by perceptions of
physical attractiveness.

SOURCES OF ATTRACTIVENESS BIASES

As is the case with other types of discrimination, the underlying reasons
for biases against unattractive persons in organizational settings are com­
plex in that they involve a variety of causes with the relative importance
of these causes varying with the situation. The efforts to tease apart the
antecedents of attractiveness bias have only begun, but the findings of re­
search conducted so far suggest a rich mixture of cognitive, affective, social,
and behavioral factors.