The newest trend in cosmetic surgery, apparently, is nipping and tucking for your job. Not content to Botox their brows into submission merely for personal primping, workplace go-getters (men as well as women) are turning to appearance enhancement for career advancement.
No lesser an authority than His Hairness, Donald Trump, argues that attractive people inspire more teamwork. He cites a study that found, in part, that people expect beautiful people to be more cooperative, and thus behave more cooperatively toward them when they are in the same group.
A U.S. News and World Report article notes that employees tend to be willing to do more for better-looking bosses and attractive supervisors are perceived as more credible and more persuasive. Author Gordon Patzer (”Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined“) suggests that turning to cosmetic enhancements such as eyelid surgery (increasingly popular among men), hair transplants, injectables such as Botox and Restylane and even teeth whitening may delay the decline of your workplace effectiveness as you age.
And in a layoff economy, people are buffing up their appearances as well as their resumes, since various studies link increased earnings — anywhere from 5 percent to 12 percent more — with good looks.
Is our society hopelessly obsessed with youth and beauty, or is it true that you’d be a better manager if only you were more attractive? Let me know what you think.
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