Reflection 5A: I Feel Pretty—On Atractiveness in American Society

NOTE: For Reflection 5, do either 5A or 5B—do not do both.

As Americans, we are all told that "beauty is only skin deep," and that "real beauty lies is on the inside." We are told that, but the realities of our culture tell quite a different story. Beauty, as it turns out, is not only celebrated in our society, but rewarded. Good looks can land a person preferential treatment everywhere from restaurants to court. (It's almost as if beautiful people are allowed to live in a bubble.) What do you feel are the benefits of being attractive in American society? Do you believe good looking people are treated more favorably than the general population? And what roles do race and social class play? Finally, what, if any, downsides are there to being beautiful in America?  

Include two of the following texts in your discussion:

• "Science Says that Being Too Good-Looking Can Screw Up Your Career, Especially if You're a Woman" (Business Insider)
• "Are Billionaires Hotter? Economists Study Whether the Ultra-Rich are More Attractive" (Forbes)
• "How Much is Being Attractive Worth?" (Smithsonian)
• "Bald White Men Seen as Less Attractive, but No Difference for Black Men" (Newsweek)
• "Pretty Privilege: Why Bias is Real and What We Can Do About It" (LifeIntelligence)
  

Required:

• Approximately 2 pages
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation and works cited
  

 

Due: Thu 11.11-Tue 11.16 (via Canvas)