The Beauty Punishment

Imagine you're on the hiring committee for a job. Imagine you work in HR and do many of the pre-screenings for job applicants? How would you rate applicants who included a photo on their CV? Depends.

According to a recent Euro/Israeli study, you are more likely to be impressed by a male applicant who includes a photo, while you may regard a female applicant with a photo as "not serious" or attempting to "market herself via her appearance." Women who did not put their pictures on their CV got more call-backs about the job than women (both attractive and plain-looking) who included pictures. This has been attributed to "female jealousy" because the majority of applicant screeners are women working in HR.

This study recalled a conversation I once had with another woman who worked primarily in IT. She said she would always try to find out the gender of her main interviewer. If it was a woman, she would dress conservatively with her hair in a bun and slacks. If the interviewer was a man, she would wear her hair down and a skirt with heals. Maybe my friend was acutely aware of the "female jealousy" factor. However, if we take a systems gaze at this issue, we can actually better understand the causes of supposed "female jealousy."

Women live in a world where they are constantly and consistently objectified for their physical appearance. I remember a few years ago reading about how women who didn't wear make-up in a job interview were considered less competent (sorry, can't find the article now but I did find this).

Women grow up, as explained by the National Organization of Men Against Sexism:

• Where objectified images of women's bodies are everywhere - on TV, newsstands, in advertisements, movies, calendars.
• Where many women start to feel old and unattractive even in their 20's.
• Where women aren't taken seriously.
• Where even the youngest and most beautiful women often worry constantly, and cannot match in real life their photographed, objectified image.
• Where half-naked female bodies are displayed on walls, in public like objects, exposed female bodies used as markers of male territory, male turf... Immediate signals of discomfort, and of menace, for women.

Women constantly face having to compete with their looks. So, you might be thinking "well, they don't really have to, so they shouldn't buy into that mentality."  But that's not good either. Women who don't pay attention to their appearance can also face social marginalization. You always want to hit that sweet spot where you don't look too noticeable either way for being super attractive or super unattractive. In both situations, you could face negative consequences. Is it a far cry to see that this can easily translate into work politics, where insecurities come out?  I also wonder how work cultures contribute to this "female jealousy" factor. A good friend of mine recently contacted me in hysterics after enduring a long day of her male colleagues commenting on the attractiveness level of every woman on their floor and including the one above them. To put it nicely, the comments were extremely degrading and helped my friend feel isolated, demoralized, and disgusted.

Women dominate the HR field. In 1996, the U.S. department of labor found over 60% of human resources workers to be women and at that time, was projected to double. So to get to any job, it's safe to say you're likely going to have to get through a woman first.

So, what can employers and job applicants do?

1) Don't include a photo on your resume...unless you're in the acting/modeling profession.
2) If you're in HR or know someone who is, make sure they are aware of this tendency toward bias.
3) Promote women into non-HR positions of management while balancing the gender ratio in your HR department.
4) Stop talking about or commenting on the way your colleagues look at the office.
5) Incorporate sensitivity training with an emphasis on openness and non-judgment towards differences for all employees.