Louis Manuel

Period 5
3.22.2011

Going for the Look

The game of marketing and advertisement has evolved quite remarkably. Companies

nowadays spend immense amounts of money hoping to entice the buyer market to try their

product. Among all the billboards, flyers, and special promotions, there is a type of

advertisement, almost subliminal, that has been under speculation as of late. It is the issue of

companies hiring employees based on their attractiveness. No matter how unethical this act of

picking out the best looking (yet not necessarily best performing) men and women is, business

is business, and at the end of the day, the man with the most money has the most control-

therefore, I agree with Mr. Cohen’s analysis.

Marshal Cohen is a senior industry analyst with the market research firm NPD Group. He

once stated “Retailers defend the approach to hiring based on image as necessary and smart,

and the industry experts see the point,” and later goes on to say “It’s really important to create

an environment that’s enticing to the community.” Traditionally, companies hire based on

performance and ability; looks being an added bonus. However, nowadays, I believe good

customer service is rare no matter who the employee is. Ergo, looks are now an important

prospect in hiring associates.

From the point of view of a high school sophomore who does relatively more shopping

than most of his classmates, I can say that service (while shopping at least) doesn’t really

matter to the young demographic as much as it does to our seniors. In fact, I’d rather not be
bothered by an employee asking if I needed any help, and rather go up to an associate if I

needed anything from them.

By all means, in the politically correct mindset, this sort of treatment would be

considered discrimination. However, hiring based upon looks isn’t necessarily always about

who’s most attractive. A good scenario would be a Chinese restaurant. Imagine you are dining

there. Would you rather have six foot tall Caucasian male models serving you, or actual Chinese

waiters? The whole issue is relative, and employers just want to fill their floors with the right

people for the image and ambiance. It may still be considered discrimination, but it also means

that everyone is subject to it; and if everyone’s judged, everyone’s equal.

It can’t be ignored that looks sell. It’s the reason models exist. Even a terrible product

would be successful if it was endorsed by a renowned celebrity. As Cohen argued, the ways for

capturing consumer’s attention in today’s competitive market have changed. We have learned

that beauty is an effective tool, and since great customer service is scarce in these modern

times, hiring based on looks is an acceptable form of operating a company’s appointment

process.