Beauty and success | To those that have, shall be given | Economist.com
Given all this, it is hardly surprising that the cosmetics industry has global sales of $280 billion. But can you really fake the unfakeable signal?Dr Hamermesh’s research suggests that you can but, sadly, that it is not cost-effective—at least, not if your purpose is career advancement. Working in Shanghai, where the difference between the ugliness penalty and the beauty bonus was greatest, he looked at how women’s spending on their cosmetics and clothes affected their income.
The answer was that it did, but not enough to pay for itself in a strictly financial sense. He estimates that the beauty premium generated by such primping is worth only 15% of the money expended.
To which Jared adds: “Yeah, girls. Just accept reality and save yourself some money.
I think the dudes who are fooled by a pile of makeup probably fall into the same intelligence pool as the tricky girl in question anyways. Ahh, evolution.”
[via: jaredm]