Do lovely individuals actually reach enterprise? | EUROtoday

Read too “Help, my superior steals my ideas for me!” »: Pillage, this ordinary office sportThis favoritism is not only of superficiality: it plunges its roots into our most primitive reflexes. For Jean-François Marmion, psychologist and director of the book Psychology of beautiful and ugly (ed. Human sciences), a beautiful appearance – clear skin, symmetrical features, clear look – instantly triggers positive signals. Since the dawn of time, the brain has read these clues as markers of health, balance, reliability. “We think that a beautiful person is so beautiful inside,” he sums up. No need to know, just see: the judgment is done in a second. These shortcuts are invited everywhere – including in job interviews.

A “dirty head” triggers, opposite, an immediate hint: that of incompetence. Unfortunately, the effect does not stop once the post has dropped. The more we climb into the hierarchy, the more we represent the company outside – and the more appearance. You have to embody, reassure, seduce. “We are a bit the window, a bit of the corporate gondola’s head,” summarizes the psychologist. So inevitably, we expect a frame that he has the look that goes with it. It is not a question of competence, but of staging. There remains a question that the psychologist raises himself: is it because we are attractive that we succeed, or because success allows to invest in his appearance? In other words: is physical advantage a capital … or a privilege that we offer themselves once installed? Difficult to decide. The pace attracts opportunities, success polishes features. And between the two, the border is blurring.

The excessive beauty trap

Afterwards, of course, there is beauty … and beauty. If a flattering appearance can help climb the ladder, when you get close to it, things tend to complicate. Sarah knows something about it. Large, slender, the diaphanous complexion enhanced each morning with a touch of lipstick, the young woman embodies today’s standards with disarming ease. She doesn’t need to stand out – she attracts, despite herself. In the street, in the metro corridors, and of course in the office: we look at her – and she disturbs. In his business of communicator, a universe where everything is played on the surface, where we gauge in the blink of an eye, too marked elegance can arouse suspicion.

It is believed to be superficial, too sure of herself, too visible. “The mentalities have evolved a little, yes, but for a long time, I was the potiche of service,” she says. Before we even know it, judgments fall. “Men think I am at my post thanks to my physique. Women that I am a threat. I no longer count the times when we talked about it. You have to take, keep your head high, wait for the eyes to change. Surprisingly, the question does not seem to be asking the same way for men. Jordan, 1.85 m, chiseled lines, wide shoulders, never had to defend himself from his appearance. Former model – an assumed choice to finance his studies – he became a designer without his physique being a subject. “I know it is rather an asset in my sector: people remember me more easily. Even if I don’t play it, to prevent it from taking up too much space, I must admit that it is a significant advantage, ”he admits.