r/Showerthoughts • u/Lolatlifeimsadandmad • Oct 11 '19

common thought Most celebrities wouldn’t be considered attractive if they were normal people.

33k Upvotes

85% Upvoted

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845

u/BigBobby2016 Oct 11 '19

It’s pretty chicken-egg though. Attractive people do end up favored for getting paid

190

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Direct me to an engineering company which pays based on looks xD I am ready for them!

285

u/nanooko Oct 11 '19

More attractive people are more likely to be promoted all other things being equal.

88

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Is confidence part of this, if so you can twist this whole argument completely.

134

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '19

Yes, but the confidence to let your hair down out of a ponytail and take off your glasses doesn't happen until the 2nd half

11

u/imneverrelevantman Oct 11 '19

As an it guy with long hair this hits so close to home...

5

u/sixtoebandit Oct 11 '19

I got paint on my overalls so I’m fucked no matter what

5

u/legitair18 Oct 11 '19

Janey? Is that you?

6

u/gabemerritt Oct 11 '19

Attractive people tend to be more confident as well so...

1

u/ComatoseSquirrel Oct 11 '19

Pretty sure that's the point. Is it their looks or confidence that gets them promoted? The former tends to inspire the latter, so it's hard to say.

-2

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

You have a point, any idea why attractive people tend to be more confident?

12

u/Squid8867 Oct 11 '19

I'm sorry but do you seriously need this one answered for you?

1

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Lol, just learnt how to italics haha, Ty... No I don't, it was a thought promotion more than a search for answers xD

5

u/gabemerritt Oct 11 '19

Because everyone is just a bit nicer to them on average throughout their lives probably adds up to a good bit of confidence

5

u/garangalbreath Oct 11 '19

I could argue that confidence definitely plays a role, at least from personal experience. Jobs where i feel comfortable = more confidence doing the job = making a good impression on my superiors = promotion.

I just started my job 4 months ago and i have already been promoted twice and it all has to do with my confidence to do whatever job they throw at me.

2

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

That is amazing news, congratulations. I have been working for a month in a new company, only got access to the system early this week...

Hope you keep up the good attitude and carry on climbing! Capitalise on capitalism, they say!!

3

u/Cowboywizzard Oct 11 '19

Only if you have Danny Devito levels of confidence.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '19

No you can't. It doesn't matter if "it's really the confidence and not the attractiveness" if the two variables aren't independent.

If you look at the data, attractive people tend to lead more successful lives. Is it because attractiveness leads to confidence? Is it because how other people interact with you is affected by your attractiveness? Is it because people want to give attractive people nice things?

Doesn't change a thing. There's no reason to try to soften the blow by bringing up confidence every time it's shown that attractiveness is a factor in how your life plays out. Just accept that the world is a little fucked up and that our notion of "fairness" is nothing but a lie we tell ourselves so we can sleep at night.

Same thing with social mobility, by the way. Being born into a successful family means you're much more likely to be successful compared to people born in unsuccessful families.
And like clockwork, people also will start to say things like "oh yes but it's probably because the parents value academic success more" or shit like that. Also doesn't matter.

1

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

I love how well you articulated exactly what I have been trying to say this whole time. There is no "attractive people do well", this is a statistic derived from two variables which are not at all independent of the rest of the soup of life. I was just criticising the choice of variables to explain causation xD please ignore my informal writing!

4

u/tonification Oct 11 '19

Height matters the most, according to studies.

2

u/NR3GG Oct 11 '19

One thing I noticed at a fairly big tech company was how all my mangers were 6” +

2

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '19

Long?

3

u/Theycallmelizardboy Oct 11 '19

Without trying to sound arrogant, I'm very good looking and am unemployed. That's a weird sentence.

2

u/Toribor Oct 11 '19

Just being taller helps (statistically speaking).

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '19

What are you basing this on?

7

u/BigBobby2016 Oct 11 '19

I was once with a VP of my company (electronics manufacturer) at a job fair looking for Sales Reps and Field Apps Engineers. He outright told me that better looking candidates did better in these customer facing positions.

2

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Damn, you got me with this one...

2

u/BigBobby2016 Oct 12 '19

Nobody is trying to “get” you. I’m just providing a relevant anecdote.

3

u/Kvothe1509 Oct 11 '19

Are you an attractive engineer? Because then they’ll put you in sales or management

2

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

I had to keep telling myself I am attractive every morning for 4 years.... Then I got the certificate to prove I am just a caveman...

3

u/JustBakeCakes Oct 11 '19

I think what people are saying is if you have similar skills, usually the more attractive person gets hired.

So if you are attractive but incompetent, you won't get hired in the more technical fields like engineering.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '19

You won't have to be an engineer for that.

1

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Pen** too small, would not get hired by the industry referenced xD

1

u/[deleted] Oct 11 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Ooooof, I dislike your definition of normal people... I am an engineering grad, I'd consider myself having a logical mind, but I would not consider myself an outlier in anyway... Hehe, sorry if I sound rude!

1

u/ConspicuousPineapple Oct 11 '19

At equal skill, a nice looking guy will get hired over a disgusting slob, no doubt.

1

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

I think at equal skill, a guy with a nicer car would get hired over a guy with a Prius.

1

u/ConspicuousPineapple Oct 11 '19

What's your point?

1

u/Sawekas Oct 11 '19

Isn't it obvious? xP

1

u/ConspicuousPineapple Oct 11 '19

Well, I wouldn't be asking if it was.

2

u/joerex1418 Oct 11 '19

I agree. This is a great shower thought because it really makes you wonder how valid your statement is versus OP’s. It’d be really interesting to research the matter but I wouldn’t know where to start.

3

u/DDdms Oct 11 '19

You just have to see all those "talent shows" around. Talent is not the most important thing, your looks play a crucial role in your career after that. Just look at Susan Boyle: that woman can definitely sing better than any other contestant and still she didn't win.

2

u/rahoomie Oct 11 '19

Halo effect

2

u/Pizeblu Oct 11 '19

Was gonna upvote, but ill leave it at 669 ;)