‘Lookism’ is alive and well and getting worse. Here’s why your appearance is judged more than performance

Women have endured critiques over their appearance since their entry into public spaces. But since Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss in the United States presidential election, criticism of women and their bodies has become even more explicit and misogynistic. The goal is to tell women to “get back in the kitchen” at home and stay out of the public domain. Combatting this bias against women is more important than ever, as disapproval of women’s appearance and bodies still happens to women at work every day in subtle and overt ways.

When one professional worked at a public relations agency, the male chief executive officer told her to “help the receptionist lose some weight.” He considered the female receptionist’s “sloppy appearance” a bad first impression to people coming into the office. Another professional worked in an organization where there were plenty of women in director roles, but almost all were “thin, blonde, white, [and] usually tall as well.”

Yet being attractive may not be an advantage either. Colleagues told a scientist that she was “too cute to be taken seriously” and that she “must struggle to convey [her] intellect.” In another case, the female supervisors of a social worker were concerned that she was too distracting to male clients. The social worker felt she was to blame. So, she dressed very conservatively and gained weight to “make [herself] less attractive.”

Lookism, also known as pretty privilege, explains that physically attractive people have advantages in the workplace. While research on this beauty advantage exists, it does not sufficiently address differences between women and men. Like so many workplace generalizations, what is true for men is not necessarily true for women. Not only do women perceived as unattractive encounter workplace disadvantages, but attractive women do as well. In fact, women are criticized for their appearance no matter how they look. The femaleness of their body stands out, considered abnormal in a traditionally male space.

Through our research of 913 women leaders, social media posts, articles, and our own experiences, we found myriad ways that women’s appearance at work is “never quite right.”

‘The impossible tightrope of looking good but not too good at work’

Women walk a fine line when it comes to clothing at work. A health services researcher noted that some women were criticized for dressing “too sexy” while others were deemed “too sloppy.” She called it “the impossible tightrope of looking good but not too good at work!” One woman working a $30,000 per year job was told she needed to purchase a new wardrobe because her clothing was not “professional enough.” She said, “With what money am I to purchase professional attire?”

For women in the medical field, professional attire was not considered appropriate. One physician experienced role incredulity when wearing suits and heels; she was told she looked like a sales representative. And a noted cardiology expert encountered a credibility deficit when a patient did not trust her medical advice “because she wore high heels and a dress.”

Many women were told to cover up—their shoulders, arms, legs, and backside—essentially hiding their bodies. A human resources director measured the length of a professional’s skirt and then declared that her “legs were too long.” In the middle of summer, a male coworker told a professor that her sleeveless linen blouse was “unprofessional” and “exposed too much.” Another professor was told she was too “voluptuous” and should wear loose pants and skirts, which made her self-conscious about turning her back to her students.

In other cases, women were criticized for apparel that “stood out” both too much and not enough. When one technology leader was passed over for a job, the only feedback she received was that her “red heels sent the wrong message and [she] should try to blend in more.” The rest of her outfit was gray and white. Senior women told a banker to wear name-brand clothes and brighter colors because she was “blending in too much.” Yet when she wore brighter clothing, they told her to “tone it down” because it was “too bold.”

Hair

Hair is another aspect of women’s appearance that is never quite right. Women with blonde hair experienced credibility deficits and were not taken seriously, as that same banker said, “I ended up dying my hair darker, and I did notice that people seemed to take me more seriously. But I didn’t feel like myself.” Yet, another woman’s boss told her to “change her hair color back to blonde” because that fit his type. Both curly hair and gray hair were unacceptable, as was brightly colored hair. A 71-year-old radiology manager was told she “could not have her signature purple stripes in her hair.” Amy had a well-meaning male colleague—who, ironically, was prematurely gray—advise her not to let her hair go gray.

And Black women’s hair was especially problematic. When one Black professional switched to braids in the summer, she was not acknowledged in the office with the excuse that she “changed [her] hairstyles so much that people could never remember who [she] was.” A physician noted that Black women’s care team members receive feedback that natural hair, braids, and dreadlocks are unprofessional, with the unwritten rule being that hair should be straightened.

‘Only men who served in the military should have tattoos’

Makeup and nails are other ways women can’t draw attention to themselves. Women were criticized when their makeup was not “right.” Essentially, they were expected to wear makeup without looking like they were wearing makeup. As an intern, one surgeon was told “to wear makeup on call so [she] would look more professional and ‘put together’ in the middle of the night.” When a lawyer wasn’t wearing mascara, she was asked, “Why do you look so tired?”

Women’s fingernails also garnered much attention. The boss of another professional told her that she “looked like [she] was 14 when [her] nails weren’t done.” But a Delta flight attendant hiring memo advised aspiring applicants to avoid “neon shades, adornments, or glitter” on their nails to keep them from standing out. Even when nails are well-kept and inconspicuous, they are subject to question. A colleague asked Leanne if she bites her nails since she keeps them short.

Body art was also considered inappropriate for women, as one professional explained: “I had an older male boss say ‘getting a tattoo as a woman is like putting a bumper sticker on an expensive car.’” Another described how a man came into her office and said she “should be ashamed of herself” because “only men who served in the military should have tattoos.”

‘Smile more’

Women’s faces were also critiqued. They were expected to have a constant smile, no matter how they were feeling. As a marketing professional stated, “How many men receive that comment [of not smiling enough] when they present themselves as serious and knowledgeable?” A male physician criticized his female colleague for not looking cheerful enough. She explained, “I delivered babies . . . most of whom came at night. I was not cheerful. I was exhausted.”

And having an aging face was an issue. The male boss of a leadership coach declared that her face wasn’t “great.” She said, “I got an appointment for Botox the next day.”

Both ‘too fat’ and ‘too skinny’

While many think that sizeism only impacts large-bodied people, women in this study experienced size bias no matter their physique. A healthcare leader was told that because of her height (5’ 11”), she “could be perceived as domineering.” Yet a 5’ 0” higher education leader found that her short height was her most significant barrier: “I had to learn how to use body language and my natural confidence to command a room.”

Many participants expressed how people felt entitled to comment about their weight. An academic librarian was told that she was both “too fat” and “too skinny.” Classmates questioned whether one medical student, who had a chronic illness, should be allowed to become a physician because she was “obese.”

Other women lost job opportunities due to being perceived as overweight with euphemisms that they were “not a fit” or “didn’t look professional enough.” Yet, being slender was also a problem. One woman explained that when she did supermarket demonstrations of cold-pressed juices, “someone complained to management that I as a relatively thin young woman was fat shaming shoppers when I engaged customers about the benefits of juice cleanses. I was removed from that store.”

Women’s breasts were another area for contradictory criticism. One woman reported that a female administrator talked about why a qualified colleague should not be promoted to staff supervisor: “She doesn’t look professional; she has ‘mom boobs.’” Another professional was directly told that she did not get a job because “a senior manager wanted the woman with bigger [breasts].”

Pregnancy

There were also complaints about pregnant and postpartum women’s breast size. A historian explained, “I had an academic advisor in [graduate] school who said I was showing too much cleavage…when I had a two month old baby and was breastfeeding. That stuck with me so much that women are not allowed to have bodies.” Other women endured comments and discrimination due to pregnancy weight gain. When one woman was eight months pregnant, she was sent home without pay because her boss felt she “looked too big to be waiting on customers.”

‘You’d look good with lipstick’

Finally, whether women’s appearance did or did not conform to the female gender, was an area of concern. A banker explained that senior women colleagues told her to “wear more dresses because the president thought that’s what women should wear.” Yet, a teacher and school leader remarked that her attire was “criticized by parents and administrators as being too feminine…when I think what they’ve really meant is that my body is too feminine.”

Gender non-conforming people may be especially subjected to appearance criticism. A higher education executive noted, “My gender identity is female, but I present androgynous….People comment on my appearance by telling me what I would look good in (traditional female clothing) or saying my hair is too short ‘like a guy’s’ [or] ‘You’d look good with lipstick.’”

Our data show that many criticisms about women’s appearance resulted in discriminatory behaviors in hiring, pay, and promotion. But even when comments about women’s appearance seem trivial, they hamper women’s ability to be taken seriously at work and cause women to waste energy dealing with irrelevant critiques instead of getting the job done. The message underlying these appearance criticisms is that female bodies do not belong in the workplace. What they really mean is that women do not belong in the workplace.

Like other forms of gender bias, appearance bias does not just harm women; it also impedes overall organizational success. Women must work harder to gain respect and go over and above the efforts of men to have a shot at advancement. Legal protections for appearance discrimination are scant. There are no specific prohibitions at the U.S. federal level. Just a few cities and one state offer protection for natural Black hairstyles, height, weight, and general appearance.

The good news is that stopping appearance bias against women is entirely possible.

Redefine ‘lookism’

While “lookism” has been considered to be beauty or attractiveness bias, our research shows it is much broader for women. Expand the definition of lookism to include all aspects of appearance, including clothing, hair, makeup, nails, tattoos, body size, pregnancy, gender-conforming appearance, and facial characteristics. Include this new definition of lookism in anti-bias training and discuss ways in which women are disproportionately impacted.

Self-reflection

Leaders should reflect on the role appearance bias plays in their thinking. As our data show, both men and women can engage in this type of biased behavior. As a leader, consider what you believe and how you arrived at those beliefs. Then, make a habit of asking yourself questions about appearance bias when making decisions about hiring, promotion, pay, and other opportunities. Use “flip it to test it” to check if a criticism about a woman is valid. For example, would you tell a male professional that he is too fat or too skinny or too voluptuous? Or that he should “smile” more?

Remote work

Remote work can reduce some forms of appearance bias while increasing others. In most instances, web cameras are focused on people’s heads and shoulders. This helps to reduce biases based on body size, pregnancy, and clothing. However, since the spotlight in virtual meetings is on people’s faces, biases based on hair, makeup, and facial expressions can be amplified. Normalize allowing employees to turn off their cameras during virtual meetings, especially when they are not formally presenting.

Call it out

Like so many kinds of bias, allies can reduce appearance bias by calling attention to it when it happens. If you hear someone being criticized for their appearance, say something. If you are in a meeting where someone is being considered for a role and their looks are critiqued, point out that appearance does not impact the ability to do the job.

By raising awareness and calling out appearance bias when it happens, women and all employees will be empowered to do their best work without distractions unrelated to their competence. Like other forms of gender bias, we can root out appearance bias and make our workplaces more equitable and inclusive for all women.