Are you pretty? Is it common knowledge that the beautiful people of the world get treated differently than the others? Is this one of the few types of discriminations that's still not labeled bad? Universally understood perhaps?
I worked retail all through college. Good looking people, women in particular, get treated differently. I remember an instance where a coworker noticed an attractive woman had left something she had purchased in the store. He ran outside and up the sidewalk nearly a block to catch her and give it to her. Would he have done it if she wasn't so attractive? Or, gasp!, a guy? He admitted there was no way he would have.
Today while at city hall I was taken aback at the attention a rather attractive African-American woman was getting and the male clerk's patience with her questions and concerns. I mean it was blatant. Its not that she didn't deserve excellent service as she seemed like a lovely woman, but I've dealt with this guy plenty. On his best day he's surly. Today though? Charming and accommodating. Normally, he and the other municipal employees there act as if they can't believe the gall we the citizens have for interrupting their day or at the very least they lack the requisite skills to hide the fact the public annoys them.
So. Pretty ladies? Do you know how good you have it?
Friday, March 14, 2008
Are You Pretty?
Posted by NouveauBlogger at 4:15 PM
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4 kind commenters:
I do notice that sometimes (trust me, not all the time) I get treated a little bit better. Not that I'm that great looking, and I still get plenty of crappy service, but being nice looking works out most the time. Mostly I think it's the big boobs :)
I think I do get treated nicely (but I'm not saying I am overly pretty). I think a lot of times it has to do with my attitude and something about my smile because everyone comments on my infectious enthusiasm for things. I know I do much better in person than on the phone with customer service type of things, so I have to believe it has something to do with people being able to see me (now if that doesn't sound conceited, I don't know what does!)
But I think in my case a lot of times it is because I am little-ish and look young. My husband's family bends over backwards trying to "take care of" both me and my husband's cousin (my good friend) because we are considered cute and I think that translates into young and helpless to people so they are more likely to want to help us because we look like we need helping.
I have certainly noticed it. I think it is especially unfair ... unless I am rendering that attention on the lady myself ... ahem ... but I think the same sort of argument can be made using another basis - confidence. Confident people carry themselves differently than most others. A teacher told me back in second grade that "it" had a name - deportment. So did sexy come before confidence or the other way around? If only this awfully tangled chicken and egg equation had a boobs variable ...
Katie - I agree with the nice part and I think I usually get a fair amount of respect because I treat the employee with respect (plus, my boobs are rather minimal, lol). But these particular employees usually grunt and nod in a direction when asked a question and this lady warranted total dedication.
R-girl -- Good perspective. Hadn't thought of the "young = needing help angle". This particular lady, while pretty, was not terribly young. I'm definitely sure a positive attitude helps. I certainly am more attentive to kind and positive people. Rude and orderly people are such a negative, I don't feel as compelled to help out.
Skeeter - Confidence works too! But then, I should think that pretty people tend to be more confident anyway since they have every reason to be :).
I'm usually confident; and it works. But I'm not pretty. Just an average looking dude, lol.
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