'Good looking' gets away with far more shit behaviour.

[Trickyboy]

Just that really ... AIBU to think that 'good looks' be they male or female enable the holder of such a lucky chance in life to get away with so much more shit behaviour than those of us who are not so .. 'gifted' ..

This is really difficult to answer unless there is anyone on here who has somehow been both and has noticed a difference.

It's an interesting theory, but not sure how it could be tested.

Yes i think so.

I think yes.

In what context? I think people find it harder to leave a stunning dating partner. But beyond 'relationships that are still at the superficial level', no, not really. Oh, perhaps in other superficial situations, like pushing into a queue or something. To get away with that you have to be gorgeous and personable.

But no, not in any major way. Not in terms of discipline at work or treating a long term partner/family member poorly.

Yes, there's some research done that shows good-looking individuals to receive more lenient sentences by jurors, for example. Also I imagine it's harder to leave relationships with good looking people, and there's a natural instinct to put up with worse behaviour.

But I do think there are downsides to being good looking - e.g. I remember when I was in school, the good-looking girls (and moderately alright ones like myself) were usually also the product of the rumour mill especially in relation to being "whores" solely because men wanted to have sex with them. This may just be the case for good looking women, however.

Yup. Be it in the courts or in school, good looks correlate with lighter punishments.

biasandbelief.pbworks.com/w/page/6537193/Halo%20Effects%20of%20Attractiveness

Yes

Yes. I know when I was younger I was guilty of letting pretty people get away with loads, be they shit friends or shit boyfriends. I had a couple of really shit boyfriends who were very hot I like to think I've grown up now.

I suspect this may be true. The downside however is that those same people tend not to learn how to get along and negotiate on their own merit.

Yeah, I definitely think this is true. I have one friend in particular who is model good looking and she gets away with everything. She doesn’t realise that people treat her specially though cause this is just how it’s always been for her.

When we were students she pranged a neighbours car and just left it and came into the house. He knocked on the door all angry, then when she came to the door completely changed his attitude and basically said ‘oh don’t worry about it, I’ll pay for the damage, just want to make sure you’re okay’.

Yes - studies have shown that Juries are more likely to acquit attractive people.

Yeah I think this is true. People are kind of trained by TV that good looking people are good people.

Yes, I can think of three very handsome dysfunctional men who never made a relationship stick, because they'd get way with murder and every time they messed up there'd be another woman waiting in the wings. So there was no real pressure to change.

This can work against you though. Lots of "average" looking women can be quite hostile and unkind to attractive women.

Well, yes, I believe good looking does get away with more, but so does being clever rather than stupid, thin rather than fat and nice rather than awful.

It all tends to even out. Some people are beautiful but have mental health issues, some people are ugly but really nice and have lots of friends, etc.

Also being beautiful also comes with downsides, like being objectified or oggled or not taken seriously in the office.

Either way, it's old news...

30 Rock covered this pretty well. The handsome bubble!

This is an established fact. Better looking people get promoted more, are more likely to be found not guilty at trial, are assumed to be more honest etc

Yes, it's a fact.

Yes I think it’s known as the halo effect

Wanted to add, maybe some people do get it handed all wrong in life (ugly AND awful AND poor AND fat... etc) but the vast majority of people have a mix of advantages and disadvantages. Even people whom you'd think have it all handed to them may not be having such an amazing time (as proven by the number of celebrity who committed suicide, used drugs, etc)

Agreed - there is academic research to back this up too.

Yep, the halo effect.

Yanbu. I was stunning for a very short time in my 20s following a bout of anorexia (I have been overweight or obese the rest of my life) and I could not believe how differently I was treated every single day.

This can work against you though. Lots of "average" looking women can be quite hostile and unkind to attractive women.

Yes but I’d still argue it’s preferable to be attractive than on the very opposite end of the spectrum (“ugly”)

Lots of people (especially men, but also women) can be very hostile and unkind towards unattractive people.

In addition as pp’s have mentioned the halo/horn effect, we subconsciously believe more attractive people have better intentions and are quicker to judge less attractive people. E.g., both an attractive and unattractive person could behave equally “hostile/unkind” but one will be criticised more