Pretty privilege preocupations

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but does it justify better treatment?

COMMENTARY BY DANIELA PARRA DEL RIEGO, STAFF WRITER

With privilege being the main course in many conversations on societal faults, “pretty privilege”—or preferential treatment given to someone because of their attractiveness—tends to be the green beans at the back of the table; everyone knows it’s there, yet no one wants to go near it. In the battle for an equal society we must recognize the weight that biases, whether conscious or not, have on the way people view themselves in the context of society.

Before cutting into the issue of pretty privilege, having a thorough grasp of the concept is crucial. Also referred to as “lookism,” pretty privilege is the idea that looks create or prevent opportunities. The first citation of the term “lookism” was in the 1999 Washington Post magazine, where those who were being discriminated against based on physical appearance used the term to materialize the abstract oppression they were facing.

While people can make excuses and deny that they give preferential treatment to those considered traditionally attractive, the human brain is naturally wired to prefer partners who are more likely to pass on “desirable” traits to their offspring in hopes to have healthier children, according to research conducted by Dr. Joanna Wincenciak.

There’s a double standard because although more opportunities are being given to physically diverse groups of people, those people are still being called ‘different’ or ‘diverse,’ alienating them further,” sophomore Samantha Morales said.

Since beauty standards are so subjective, pretty privilege is therefore more abstract than other types of privilege. While facial symmetry is seen as a beautiful trait throughout the world, Western beauty standards hold that light skin, small noses and large eyes are valued above their counterparts, a fact that becomes evident when considering models in the beauty industry.

These traits are not random; research conducted by Dr. Huberta Jackson-Lowman of Florida A&M University concluded that these specific beauty standards are a result of Eurocentrism: a lens that views the world with only European perspectives and applies it to everyone.

Pretty privilege is not just damaging to those who are not considered attractive by Western standards, but also has adverse effects on those which it is meant to “help.” Those who do experience pretty privilege are in no way being complimented — rather, their appearances are unnecessarily sexualized. The objectification of people who satisfy society’s beauty expectations often causes these individuals to feel like they are obligated to prove their intellectual abilities to be taken seriously.

“There’s times where I’ve walked into a Starbucks and the owner would give me a free upgrade or free drinks and wished me luck during my exams, something he probably would not have done had I not been deemed attractive to him,” senior Devon Rall-Taguchi said.

Popular media also plays a major role in what is considered attractive. A certain dissonance is created when people do not see themselves represented and even despite many entertainment companies’ initiatives to rift the divide, “diverse” Disney princesses like Moana and Tiana are created with Eurocentric beauty standards in mind. “[People who do not receive pretty privilege] tend to isolate themselves, even if they are not being isolated, they self-inflict the self isolation on themselves,” social science teacher Lauren Noval said. Pretty privilege is inherently racist, ageist and bodyshaming and there is no denying that it is real. As society becomes more aware of prejudices, it is critical highlights to recognize the existence of pretty privilege as well as the abuse that such underlying Sharon Florez/ biases impose on the emotional and psychological health of people every day.