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Sydney Sullivan
AP English Language and Composition
Mr. Lane
5.8.11
Independent Reading Essay – First Draft
The Beautiful People
Section I:
What is more cliché than the statement, “[i]t hurts to be beautiful” (Rhode, The
Beauty Bias)? However, I find it more truthful to say, “[i]t hurts not to be beautiful”
(Rhode, The Beauty Bias). Our society places a high level of importance on appearance
and if you are unfortunate enough to not fit the mold then that becomes a problem. Men
and women are forced to meet a set of standards that society will view as acceptable.
However, women are more often discriminated against for their looks and are held to
higher standards than men. It is as if the media industry and our culture “will never be
satisfied and will always expect more” (Smithy). Our country, with the exception of
“only one state and six cities or counties,” has no laws or policies forbidding
discrimination based on appearance (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). This is ridiculous seeing
as how I believe that the beauty bias is becoming one of the most common forms of
discrimination today. Our society has become that of a clown. Our painted faces, hiding
our true selves, are turning our world into a show. Who can put on the best performance
and allow others to laugh at those who have been sprayed in the face with the unkind
prejudices from the flower called society? Deborah L. Rhode clearly depicts the issue of
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the beauty bias in our society through many examples and reinforces the idea that so
many individuals before have had; something in our society needs to change.
Section II:
The Beauty Bias is a book written for women by a woman of absolute credibility.
Deborah L. Rhode is a professor at Stanford University and teaches courses in Leadership
and Legal Ethics. Her area of expertise falls into the categories of Antidiscrimination
Law, Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and Sex and Law (Rhode, Stanford Law
School). She is the author of at least twenty books and “the nation’s most frequently
cited scholar in legal ethics” (Rhode, Stanford Law School). Rhode is the leader and
founder of many organizations:
former president of the Association of American Law Schools, the former
chair of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the
Profession, the founder and former director of Stanford’s Center on Ethics,
and the former director of the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender
Research at Stanford (Rhode, Stanford Law School).
Professor Rhode has received multiple awards for her work in legal ethics and has had
first hand experience with beauty bias. For example, when she served a term as chair of
the ABA commission on Women in the Profession, she was asked to speak at a luncheon.
The ABA then informed her that they were more than willing to pay for a professional
makeup artist, hair stylist, and shopper to help her create a more professional and
appealing appearance. However, in the end she decided the look they wanted and had
succeeded in was that of a “cheap hooker in an expensive outfit” (Rhode, The Beauty
Bias). The media and public worried more about her appearance than what she was
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actually speaking about. She then comments on her writing by asking, “If men can
manage to be presentable without shoppers, stylists, and related expenditures, why can’t
women?” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). Professor Rhode has conducted large amounts of
research on the topics of “gender inequality” and the “unforgiving standards of
appearance” in order to write The Beauty Bias (Rhode, The Beauty Bias).
Section III:
In The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law, Deborah L.
Rhode very openly suggests that our society needs to change when it comes to the ideal
vision of beauty. However, discrimination based on appearance has been around for too
long and has become such a “deep-seated prejudice” it would be challenging to make a
quick and easy transition away from it (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). She acknowledges
beauty practices have been around since before the “fourteenth century,” but Rhode
believes that with proper legislation, the discrimination will end (Rhode, The Beauty
Bias). On many occasions, Rhode’s writing appeals to pathos and logos in very strong
ways. Throughout The Beauty Bias readers are exposed to facts and statistics that deal
with a wide variety of topics. She covers prejudices against the “overweight
individuals” in or society, the “less attractive,” short men, feminists, women who resort
to plastic surgery, and people of ethnic background (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). However,
they all seem to lead back to the main issue of the double standard that women must live
up to. In her appeals to logos, Rhode uses statistics such as, “90 percent of women
consider looks important to their self-image , and over half of young women reported
they would prefer to be hit by a truck than be fat” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). In her
appeals to pathos, Rhode integrates statements such as, “[u]nlike men, who can gain in
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gravitas as they age, women are likely to become more socially marginal,” which is very
upsetting to female readers because it is true (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). Women never
seem to be up to par with men when it comes to social acceptance;especially appearance.
We often resort to plastic surgery to fit the claim of what is beautiful and are then shamed
again for trying to defy nature. We cannot win. She also uses heart wrenching points
about younger girls who, “by age twelve….place greater emphasis on attractiveness than
competence, and their frequent dissatisfaction with their looks can result in anxiety,
shame, eating disorders, and related dysfunctions” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). Deborah
L. Rhode creates a very insightful and persuasive argument on appearance bias that
causes the reader to realize just how cruel individuals can truly be. Her strength is most
definitely her ability to be persuasive and appeal to the emotions of her readers through
real life situations and trials. Let it be known that there are weaknesses in her writing as
well. First, Rhode’s language and tone is not consistent throughout the novel. She writes
mostly in a formal tone and uses references from other accomplished authors and
scientists like Virginia Woolf and Charles Darwin. She then lapses into a more casual
style of writing, using phrases such as “cosmetic hoo-hah” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias).
Secondly, she becomes very repetitive, especially towards the end of the novel. She
repeats the same court trials regularly throughout many places in the novel and speaks
about the same issues. About halfway through the book, the reader becomes tired of
reading dry statistics without any real substance. In fact, some people may find the book
to have no substance at all.
Section IV:
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It is not uncommon to hear that people believe discrimination based on
appearance really is not an issue at all but something that should be left alone and
allowed. “Most people believe that bias based on beauty is: inconsequential, inevitable,
or unobjectionable” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). Laws have been made to ban
discrimination based on sex, race, religion, disability, and speech and yet people are very
unwilling to allow a ban to be made on appearance discrimination. “[L]ooks are the last
bastion of acceptable bigotry” (Rhode, Why Looks Are the Last Bastian). Some people
feel that if we create one more discrimination ban we will not really be a democracy
anymore. As quoted by social critic Andrew Sullivan, “[b]y the time you’ve finished
preventing discrimination against the ugly, short, the skinny, the bald, the knobbly-kneed,
the flat-chested and the stupid, you’re living in a totalitarian state” (Rhode, The Beauty
Bias). People do not seem to care that appearance “bias is offensive to human dignity
and equal opportunity” (Beyerstein). Humans feel the need to be superior and that they
are the best. By having individuals who are less attractive than you, it can allow you to
feel that way. People often think that they have the right to discriminate against
individuals suffering from obesity. “We’re running out of groups to feel superior
to….Fatness is the one thing left that seems to be a person’s fault- [even though]…it
isn’t” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). Even associating with individuals that seem less
attractive seems to be an unacceptable and unwanted task by certain individuals. There is
a stereotype that unattractive individuals are “less intelligent, less capable and less
trustworthy” despite the fact that there is no proof of such a statement (Beyerstein).
Because they are unappealing in looks or overweight, many individuals look less capable
of accomplishing even the most mundane tasks and are thought to lack work ethic.
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However, it is just their looks. People base their views of a person on appearance instead
of that individuals skills which are often ignored. A person’s weight can affect their
skills, but not always in ways that are drastic enough to limit them to the typical couch
potato. A person’s appearance has absolutely no affect on how well they can perform in
the world. So is change really necessary?
Section V:
Change is a definite necessity in our society. We cannot continue discriminating
against others for physical features that are not their fault and then continue to have no
regard for their feelings when they actually try to make a change. It is sad that our
society has stooped so low as to feel that it is acceptable to belittle and tease others. I
would love to say, “[t]o hell with it. I am going to love my body the way it is” and that
“[w]hat you see is what you get” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). However, young girls have
been indirectly taught to fear society’s view. Appearance has been made a top priority in
the media, and they have been brainwashing young girls with beauty pageants and
supposed social norms for ever. We cannot continue to let people think that beauty is the
number one priority. “Time and again we are fooled by the way someone looks” instead
of focusing on their strengths and abilities (Smithy). In Professions for Women by
Virginia Woolf, she speaks of “The Angel in the House” as the obstacles and
expectations of a woman in her time period (Woolf). I believe the modern day “Angel in
the House” is discrimination based on appearance and more specifically the double
standards that women are forced to live under (Woolf). Appearance discrimination will
not be diminished or destroyed in this lifetime. There are too many people in this world
who feel that it is perfectly acceptable to condemn others to what they feel is ugly. So for
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now, our society will continue to live under the mindset that “[g]enius is of small use to a
woman who does not know how to do her hair” (Rhode, The Beauty Bias). If we do not
at least attempt to start a change in our society now, I have no hope for the future to be a
less divided and accepting generation.
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Section VI: Works Cited
Beyerstein, Lindsay. "The 'Beauty Bias' at Work, and What Should Be Done About It."
Www.inthesetimes.com. 2011. Web. 6 May 2011.
Rhode, Deborah L. The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law. New
York City: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.
"Rhode, Deborah L." Stanford Law School. Stanford University, 2011. Web. 06 May
2011.
Rhode, Deborah L. "Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination." The
Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The
Washington Post. The Washington Post, 2011. Web. 08 May 2011.
Smithy, William. "Importance of Appearance in Society - by William Smithy - Helium."
Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. 2002. Web. 06 May 2011.
Woolf, Virginia. "Professions for Women." The Language of Composition. Boston/
New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. 356-60. Print.