Lonely, Poor, and Ugly? How Cultural Practices and Forms of Capital Relate to Physical Unattractiveness

Abstract

Physical attractiveness is increasingly framed as a meritocratic good that involves individual benefits, such as higher wages or success in the partner market. Investing in one’s physical appearance is thereby seen as a means to increase one’s human capital. While the positive effects are well documented, its counterpart, the dark side of physical appearance, has received much less attention from social science research. This article sheds light on the negative effects of physical appearance using a theoretical framework based on the cultural sociology of Bourdieu, integrating both structure and agency perspectives. Using data from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS) from 2014, we demonstrate that unattractiveness is socially stratified by economic, cultural, and social capital. The article highlights the relevance of cultural factors (e.g. forms of cultural capital and cultural practices) for the analysis of the interplay between physical appearance and stratification as well as the relevance of physical appearance for cultural sociology.

Attractive People Make Better Music? How Gender and Perceived Attractiveness Affect the Evaluation of Electronic Dance Music Artists

“…Hamermesh & Parker, 2005) and job security (Commisso & Finkelstein, 2012). In line with these findings, perceived un attractiveness is linked to lower levels of social and economic capital (and vice versa ), clearly demonstrating that attractiveness coincides with stratification outcomes (Schneickert, Steckermeier, & Brand, 2020; Webster & Driskell, 1983).…”

“…This means that perceived attractiveness may not only influence evaluations directly, but, in line with the enduring positive consequences of attractiveness over the life course (e.g. Jæger, 2011; Schneickert et al, 2020), the explanatory mechanism may be that ‘as musicians progress in their training, the more attractive of them received more encouragement and approval than do the less-attractive musicians’ (Wapnick et al, 1998, p. 518). In other words, more attractive performers receive more and better guidance than their less attractive peers, so that attractive musicians come to actually play better.…”

Procedural dermatology and its unmet need

“…The lack of beauty and attractiveness is associated with a significant social disadvantage and a 'beauty premium'. 51,52 Skin aging is also considered a disease by many experts. 53 Cosmetic manifestations of aging like androgenetic alopecia lead to significant distress and loss of social advantage.…”

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