Fat Men, Very Skinny Women Make More Money

[blubberismanly]

[I understand this may be considered spam, non-news, or other title of unworthyness. But in light of the current recession and widespread jobless rate I feel it worthy of discussion.]

I found this interesting but predictable. The pressure to look good to others is much higher on women not only for obvious social reasons, but also to, really, to get paid more. I also wonder about the possibility of benefits.

Okay, we all know better looking women are far more likely to get better jobs, especially when the interviewer is male. And overweight people in general have a harder time finding employment. That's a given. But...it seems to me that looking pretty is more important than looking professional, particularly in higher level jobs. Some of this is common sense, but the standard implied here bothers me. When they say 'thin women,' they don't mean healthy lean bodies--they mean image friendly unrealistically skinny women.

Being overweight has long had its impact on job hunting; I'm not going to beat the dead horse with that one. But it seriously erks me that women are selected for jobs more for looks than qualifications. I can't imagine being turned down after finishing college in favor of a non-grad, but it happens all the time. It really does come down to sex appeal taking priority over professional appearance. I suppose that's why some women can find jobs much easier than others.

Of coarse, Wearing attractive makeup, smiling and flirting and being sociable work far better for women seeking employment than men (as a generality). It's all about being physically attractive. And the more attractive she is, the better chance she has at getting hired. Beyond that, the employees are the image of the company who hires them. So it makes some sense why looking good is so important. But placing sex appeal ahead of actual employee quality? It doesn't sit right with me.

But enough harping on the obvious...

Thoughts? Am I alone in feeling that I'm literally not sexy enough to find a job?

(CBS)* If your company has a salary scale, there may be a reason why they use that word.

A new study reveals that thinner women -- and larger men -- tend to make the most money.

"Early Show" Contributing Correspondent Taryn Winter Brill reported new research from the University of Florida finds that, for women, corporate America is just like a catwalk -- the smaller your waist -- the bigger your paycheck. But if you're a man looking to snag that corner office, don't worry about skipping dessert. Thinner men actually make less money.

According to the study, women who weighed 25 pounds less than the group norm earned about $16,000 more per year. A woman 25 pounds above the group norm earned about $14,000 less. Thinner men, on the other hand, made almost $9,000 less than their average male co-worker.

When we took the findings to an expert, she wasn't surprised.

Debra Shigley, a career expert, said, "I think women are judged by their appearance in the workplace…Women are expected to be thinner and men…the standards are a little more flexible for men.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/08/earlyshow/health/main6938941.shtml

But then that means women's jobs are intrinsically bound to their looks and in fact, it is our beauty that people react to and not our brains.

http://dailywd.womansday.com/blog/2010/10/daily-buzz-do-very-thin-women-make-more-money.html

ENTIRE STUDY (PDF): http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/apl943742.pdf

VIDEO 1: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/08/earlyshow/health/main6938941.shtml

VIDEO 2: http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&client=mv-google&hl=en&v=p0phh37etkA

 

[Christov]

 

[mountaindew]

 

[blubberismanly]

 

[Tad]

 

[hal84]

 

[Mack27]

 

[tonynyc]