Tyler Joe

Mr. Wood

English Period 1

27, April 2020

Does Personal Appearance Affect the Way People View You?

Our daily appearance matters. The clothes we wear, hairstyle, makeup, and shoes all

represent who we are. The fact is, our appearance holds our identity. We are evaluated by the

way we look and the way we carry ourselves. It may sound vain, but it is important to know that

our appearance represents the person you are. It is possible that you are being judged simply by

the way you put yourself together. In my opinion, your appearance matters. It is important to be

well kept because anyone will criticize regardless of age, height, weight, color etc. Appearance

will possibly impact your acceptance to society. Everyone has a different lifestyle and the way

you appear makes a difference in the way people perceive you. The way we dress represents and

communicates our personality and behavior. So how does personal appearance affect the way

society views you?

One way I was able to find out how personal appearance affects the way people view one

another was through a real life social experiment video created by Jag Singh, or Johal on

YouTube. Jag Singh, born in San Francisco, is known for making many homeless social

experiments on youtube and has over 1 million subscribers. In the video, Singh follows his

homeless friend, Calvin, and shows the way he is treated in society as he asks people for spare

change. But the catch is that Calvin does this experiment twice in two different outfits. One outfit
consists of dirty, cheap looking clothes and unmanageable hair while the other outfit is a suit,

which is known for being professional, respected attire and also slicked back hair. When

Wearing the first look, Calvin asked the public for spare change, and he only got rejections and

smerky stares; he was treated with disrespect as he was looked down upon and received no

money. with Calvin’s second look, he was treated with much more value and respect. Not only

did he recieve spare change, but he engaged in more friendly interactions. As compared to his

first interaction, the audience can definitely tell the differences between the two as our society in

the United States, and most other places, tend to treat the lavishly presented people with more

respect. Not only does society judge people based on what they wear, but they discriminate

individuals by physical appearances, especially in the professional world.

The professional world in the United States is another prime example that shows how

appearance affects the way people view each other. According to the director of business

development and partnerships for FairyGodBoss, Mary Pharris, “there is a perception that

women are judged more harshly than men when it comes to appearances” (Roepe). To figure this

out, FairyGodBless did a survey with 500 hiring professionals (50.2% female and 49.8% male)

where they viewed images of women and were asked about their professionalism. The women in

the images varied in ages, race, body shapes, hairstyles, demeanors and clothing. The survey

indicated that “the candidate hiring managers most frequently selected as most likely to be hired

was a young, thin, Caucasian brunette” (Roepe). Why a young, thin, Caucasian brunette? This

shows our beauty standard in the United States and the unfortunate deep-rooted biases that take

place in the professional world with women. Ultimately, this study says that the young, thin,
Caucasian brunette is the most qualified, disregarding their actual experience in the workplace.

Personal appearances can most definitely be discriminated against when it comes to the concepts

that one is able to change about themselves like clothing, hair, weight, or demeanor or the ones

that they cannot change about themselves like age and race. Unfortunately, there is a large

stigma surrounding what appearance is the most “beautiful” for women in the United States but

it is the fault of hirers to find ways to get rid of this confirmation bias.

In the professional world in general, despite sexual orientation, looks play a factor in the

hiring process according to a study done by researchers at Rice University. The study essentially

identified that people with facial “deformations” are more likely to receive insufficient ratings in

job interviews. There were two research studies done to get these results. The first one engaged

171 undergraduate students watching a “computer-mediated interview while their eye activity

was tracked” (Rice University). Afterwards, the students were asked to cite the information

about the candidate in the computer-mediated interview. The result: “the more the interviewers

attended to stigmatized features on the face, the less they remembered about the candidate's

interview content, and the less memory they had about the content led to decreases in ratings of

the applicant” (Rice University). This shows the harsh reality of human nature existing in the

hiring process in the professional world.

To further state this case, a second study was done but this time the interviews were

face-to-face and were now between “candidates who had a facial birthmark and 38 full-time

managers enrolled in a part-time MBA and/or a Master of Science in a hospitality management

program, all of whom had experience in interviewing applicants for their current or past staff
positions” (Rice University). The result this time even though there was an increase in age,

experience and education, “the interviewers had a tough time managing their reactions to the

stigma, in fact, the effects of the stigma were actually stronger with this group, which he

attributed to the face-to-face interview setting” (Rice University). This is further emphasizing

that it is human nature to react skeptically to facial “deformations”. Unfortunately, this creates

discrimination within the work place regarding the success of memorizing applicants for a job

interview. Although, saying that, it is still wise to try and look your best when you are trying to

sell yourself within the professional world when discussing the factors one is easily able to

resolve, like clothing choice. It seems to be human nature in the professional world that we trust

someone who is dressed “the part” rather than someone who is not trying. For example, if Elon

Musk walked into an interview dressed in a sweatsuit, we probably would not be able to get past

his fashion choice and see how intelligent he really is. That first impression is everything in the

professional world and people are easily persuaded by how people present themselves.

In order to get a real word example of the hiring process in the professional world, I

asked my mentor, Alex Drewick, a barber at the Paul Mitchell Salon, what he notices during the

first impression in the hiring process. “I always look for confidence, whether that is their fashion

sense or their personality,” said Drewick. When I asked for specific features that stand out during

an interview he said: “Some sort of professional attire like a collared shirt, slacks, and dress

shoes and of course a fresh cut!” I then asked Drewick if he ever finds himself acting unfairly

during the hiring process, such as hiring someone based on their personal appearance and

claimed: “I personally do not think I hire people in a biased way. Their work experience is
always going to be that deciding factor for me. But, if I was choosing between two people with

almost identical work experiences, I would probably choose the one that looked like he tried

harder on this appearance that day.”

Moving forward, it is known that different countries have different desires for personal

appearance. For example, Asia has a desire for lighter skin as it is a sign for wealth, which is a

prime example of how appearance affects the way people view you in society. Pale skin is Asia’s

biggest social stigma as paler skin is known to be the most attractive and is a reflection on good

economic status. According to a study by Nydia Lin, a senior executive in Taiwan for Japanese

cosmetics, said that​ “as many as 50 percent of Taiwanese women (and growing numbers of men)

are paying big money to medically alter their golden exteriors” (Martin). This goes to show how

valued pale skin is and the impacts it has on Asia’s social status. “We promote the idea of

whitening. Especially in Taiwan we see many beautiful idols on TV and they are all focused on

their whitening skin. As the Chinese say, ‘You can cover all your defective parts if you are

white’” (Martin). There are many variations of this Chinese slogan as they are heard all

throughout Asia. As the most common slogan being “One white can cover up three ugliness”

(Martin), this has urged the majority of Asia’s population to obtain their lightest pigment

possible in order to be seen as more valuable to society. As stated by the global marketing firm

Synovate, “nearly 40 percent of women in Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and the

Philippines used skin whitening and lightening products in 2004” (Martin). This creates an

overall bad image for the darker skin toned majority in Asia and yet another imbalanced social

norm which ultimetley makes colorism discrimination more common. Due to the many
agricultural norms in Asia, dark skin was looked down upon as they were mostly known for

being field workers. As of many centuries ago, field workers held the lowest social status and

were classified as poor. Overall, Asia’s perception of light skin has created a huge impact in the

social status of Asia and is a perfect example of how your appearance affects how you are seen

by society.

As a big part of your appearance, the clothes you wear send powerful impressions to our

strangers and peers, projecting the self image of what we want to display. The outfits we wear set

a perception about ourselves to the world and is a non-verbal communication which instantly lets

others around you have an idea of who you are or what you are trying to communicate. “People

judge one another in the first few seconds of viewing another” (Fletcher). Assessments go way

beyond how well you are dressed and how neat and tidy you might look​. “​According to a

psychological study by Ben C. Fletcher, 300 adults (men and women) were carried out for

research about how they view others off the clothes that were presented in the picture” (Fletcher)

The study consisted of a survey on two men who wore two different suits. In the first picture, the

man wore a tailored suit. In the other, he wore a very similar suit that wasn’t made to fit his

physique. From just a three second exposure for judgement, the majority of the people found that

the tailored suit was the most favorable. “They described him as more confident, successful, and

flexible as the tailored suit did more justice to his body” (Fletcher). Since the model’s face was

blurred, the two images were strictly based on their clothing and not their physical appearance.

This shows that our clothes do say a lot about who we are and can signal a positive look of social

importance to others. This can be seen throughout society as our clothing in general portrays our
identity. Whether we like it or not, judgment plays a big role in our society. As stated previously,

“People will make an instant judgement about you within the first 3 seconds of meeting you”

(Fletcher). This is usually impacted by your greeting, handshake, and outfit. Someone will

instantly make an assumption based on what you are wearing; whether or not they are doing it

consciously. For an example, you would think someone carrying a designer bag has money while

someone in dirty clothes might be struggling. The bigger picture looks past looking clean and

tidy, though, instant judgments based on your clothes can actually make people perceive your

personality in a completely different way. This plays a big role in the dating world as well. The

clothes you wear on a first date can tell your partner what kind of mate you would be. In fact,

studies show that “there are subtle cues in our clothing that subliminally hint at what kind of

person you are”, says Carmen Lopez, the Ceo of Current Boutique (Lopez). For example,

according to Lopez, “a woman wearing a formal fitting shirt and a formal skirt will appear as

more intelligent, confident, and successful than those in designer pants and a blouse. Even subtle

changes, such as an extra button undone on the blouse, can alter a person’s judgement on you”

(Lopez).​ ​In conclusion, clothes can impact your appearance drastically and are a way to boost

your looks.

As I was curious about an additional opinion about how some people view others

according to what they wear, I asked Jakob Beronilla, a former employee at H&M and fashion

focused college student, how do your clothes portray your identity? He replied, “As a person

who is into sports, I rep a lot of my home teams like the Warriors and the Giants. I think this tells

a lot about my identity because it shows that I'm from the Bay Area”. I then asked how he sees
people’s identity through the clothes they wear and he responded by saying: “I can definitely get

a sense of a person’s personality through their outfits. Just like how I represent my home sports

teams, I can see other people’s interest through clothing like when people wear their favorite

band t-shirts or their shoes. I think shoes can tell alot about someone from what condition they

are in to what kind of shoes they wear”.

From my research, I have learned that your appearance and the clothes you wear make a

difference in the way people perceive you. Whether it’s an interview, your workplace, your

school, a first date, or a party, etc. people will have an impression and it’s up to you to make that

statement. So, overall, I believe your personal appearance affects the way people view you as an

individual. That being said, it is important to dress well, look clean, maintain your hygiene, and

represent yourself. In addition to your intelligence, we should take value in our appearance for

the sake of our self worth and for our peers. It will not only benefit us in society, but will make

us feel confident about who we are as an individual.

 Work Cited

Fletcher, Ben C. “What Your Clothes Might Be Saying About You.” ​Psychology Today​, Sussex

Publishers, 20 Apr. 2013, Accessed 21 Apr. 2020.

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/do-something-different/201304/what-your-clothes-m

ight-be-saying-about-you.

Lopez, Carmen. “Look Good, Feel Great: The Psychology Of Clothing.” ​Craving Current,​ 6

Apr. 2019, Accessed 19 Apr. 2020.

cravingcurrent.com/psychology-of-clothing/.

Martin, Phillip. “Why White Skin Is All the Rage in Asia.” ​Public Radio International​, 25 Nov.

2009, Accessed 18 Apr. 2020.

www.pri.org/stories/2009-11-25/why-white-skin-all-rage-asia.

Rice University. "Looks do matter in job interviews, according to new study." ScienceDaily.

ScienceDaily, 11 November 2011, Accessed 16 April 2020.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109115820.htm

Roepe, Lisa Rabasca. “How Your Appearance Impacts Hiring Decisions.” ​Forbes,​ Forbes

Magazine, 1 Nov. 2017, Accessed 16 Apr. 2020.

www.forbes.com/sites/lisaroepe/2017/11/01/how-your-appearance-impacts-hiring-decisio

ns/#2428e17e153d.

Singh, Jag. “Does Appearance Matter? Social Experiment.” 24 Mar. 2016,

……....​www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVC9nqid5kM&t=9s.