Appearance: discrimination based on physical appearance

As we enter the 21st century, a greater sensitivity to the dynamics of discrimination against certain population groups develops.

This fact, added to the increasingly unstoppable "empire of the image" in which the value of people is related to their aesthetics, has given way to the appearance of a new concept: aspectism.

What is aspectism?

The term "aspectism" is a translation of the word lookism, and it is discrimination based simply on aesthetic grounds.

It is a form of invisibility of certain people which, in addition, can be based on the most unpredictable aesthetic criteria. For example, it can go against people who are not tall, against people who, regardless of their physique, dress in a certain way, or with people who do not fit in with a class of beauty rigidly marked by a very specific trend.

In fact, regardless of the degree of intensity of the harmfulness of its effects, aspectism is considered to be one of the most widespread forms of discrimination on the planet, and has a devastating effect on self-esteem but also about living conditions in general.

• You may be interested: "Stereotypes, Prejudices and Discrimination: Why Should We Avoid Prejudging?"

The effects of aspectism

Aspectism is especially harmful because it acts practically automatically, and is often beyond people's control. The personal image of someone is something that is captured instantly, with a simple glance. It does not require any effort or spend time to make it a goal to study the appearance of others, but it is captured spontaneously.

This means that, once a social dynamic has been created in which personal appearance is decisive, this discriminatory bias occurs in all facets of life.

Just as in the case of discrimination against, for example, homosexuals does not happen instantly until the sexual tendency of the person, it is aspectism that shows its influences from the minute zero in which contact is established visual. That is, in most of the social interactions that an average person establishes in a day.

But, in addition, another effect of aspectism is that is complemented by the halo effect.

The halo effect

The halo effect is a psychological phenomenon by which a specific characteristic of someone determines whether we will judge in a more positive or negative way the rest of their characteristics and, ultimately, the person in their globality.

For example, people with a personal image that is considered neat, elegant, or attractive can benefit from the halo effect in both their personal relationships such as when looking for work, since some recruiters will tend to think that these candidates are more social, creative, etc.

Thus, because of the intersection between aspectism and the halo effect, not only is appearance considered to be very relevant and tells us about the value of a person, but also, It is assumed that the rest of the qualities of that person are also very good and desirable.

Faced with this disadvantage, people with less socially valued aesthetic characteristics are increasingly cornered and with less room for maneuver in many areas of their lives.

• Related article: "What is the Halo Effect?"

Fighting this type of discrimination

Currently, English-speaking societies, and especially the American one, are the area in which the most effort is made to combat aspectism.

The workplace is where most efforts are concentrated, since keeping people out of the job market from Criteria based on aesthetics can be very harmful not only for individuals, but for the whole of society in general. That is why it is increasingly required to ask only resumes without photo, so that it can be selected as equitably as possible without relying on surface characteristics.

However, it is very difficult to deal with aspectism, because it is seldom clear that it is discriminated because of the image. On the other hand, companies can come up with excuses to fire people because of their physique, something that they try to prohibit through the creation of laws.

Avoid inequality through culture

In any case, it seems clear that part of the battle against discrimination should not be legal, but cultural, and it is necessary to educate and educate ourselves in the value of equality.

This, however, is not easy when there is a large advertising and propaganda machine that reaffirms the validity of absurd beauty canons, an elegant wardrobe that is not garish and, in general, a near-average image in practically everything (in fact, the faces considered more attractive are those that have many physical characteristics located in the statistical mean in terms of size and proportions).

For all this, it is necessary to work in coordination to create more inclusive cultures in which the canons of beauty do not constrain our life. self-esteem nor our personal, labor and economic freedom.