The Importance of Being Beautiful

In Sidney Katz’s summary of “The Importance of being Beautiful”, she suggests that more attractive people can advance faster and easier in life than their less appealing peers. Katz explains her theory with different examples. One example is person perception, which is a branch of psychology that examines many ways in which physical attractiveness, or lack of it, affects all aspects of life. This helps explain the halo and horns effect. The halo effect is perceived as being beautiful, more generous, trustworthy, sociable, modest, and interesting.

Whereas the horns effect people are perceived to be physically unattractive, there for they are mean, sneaky and dishonest. Katz also talks about how being physically attractive can help advance your career. If a man is six feet or taller, he will succeed in his career. If women are glamorous, they get higher pay and promotions. She also explains how old age and beauty has its advantages. Katz’s theory explains at nursing homes and hospitals doctors and nurses give better care to the beautiful. The doctors and nurses feel that beautiful patients are more likely to respond to treatment.

Everyone judges people on either their looks or simply by what they wear. It is human nature for people to do this. The world shouldn’t be like this but unfortunately it is. Hopefully one day the human population can change the way people perceive one another. In the article “The importance of being Beautiful”, Sidney Katz suggests that being beautiful has its advantages. Katz states many different examples and theory’s on how being beautiful has its advantages. The author provided significant detail for her theories.

Katz presents two points that seem to be true and one point that doesn’t seem to be true. The author explains that being beautiful will help with a career or job. I would have to agree with Katz, based on personal experience. I was up for a job at a hospital against a girl who had experience, I had no experience. I ended up getting the job because of my appearance. The author continues with her theory on old age. She explains that nurses and doctors give better care to the beautiful. I personally would have to disagree with her theory.

I have worked in the health care field and have not witnessed anything like this. I believe that Katz should have investigated more into the nurse and doctors personalities’. Katz also has a theory on the halo and horns effect. I would have to disagree with this theory. She explains that the halo effect is perceived as being beautiful which then goes on to say that they are assumed to be trustworthy. The horns effect s perceived to be not as attractive; these people are stigmatized as being mean. With my experiences through life I have learned trust no one, no matter what they look like.