Lookism

Quentin Massys\' painting - The Ugly Duchess 1525-30

Lookism is discrimination against or prejudice towards others based on their appearance. The term is not in widespread use, though it appears in major English language dictionaries.Bartleby.com — "Lookism". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

Lookism has received scholarly attention both from a cultural studies and an economics perspective.Louis Tietje and Steven Cresap. (2005). "Is Lookism Unjust?: The Ethics of Aesthetics and Public Policy Implications". Journal of Libertarian Studies 19 (2): 31-50. In the former context, lookism relates to preconceived notions of beauty and cultural stereotyping based on appearance as well as gender roles and expectations. Important economic considerations include the question of income gaps based on looks, as well increased or decreased productivity from workers considered beautiful or ugly by their co-workers.

It can have odd manifestations. Beauty in a woman can work against her being taken seriously in a professional work environment. Where beauty itself is valued economically, as for actresses or models, beauty can help a woman.

See also

• Ageism
• Discrimination
• Egalitarianism
• Erotic capital
• Fat acceptance movement
• Heightism
• Human physical appearance
• Sexism
• Sexual field
• Sexual objectification
• Sexual selection
• Social stigma
• Stigma (sociological theory)
• Ugliness

Notes and references

External links

• Lookism.info — German site on lookism, with English translations

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