I'm sure we all know about the old, old adage, "True Beauty comes from the inside", and the one that usually follows it in a conversation, "Its whats on the inside that matters." Its been totted out to us ever since we were 5 years old and continues to be told to us by well meaning and pitying relatives, friends, colleagues and sometimes, embarrassingly, random strangers.
All of us, yes, even the stunningly beautiful ones, take some comfort and solace from these well meaning words. I mean, how can we not. We nurture a small hope in our foolish little human hearts that someday, sometime, people might actually start judging us for what we think rather than for how we look. And this my friends, is yet another example of how the human race manages to delude itself every single day, even if we do have large IQs and even larger brains.
Its actually been proven by several University studies that 74% of any first impression is based on looks. The nicer a person looks, the nicer the impression that forms in the mind of the other. If the person is drop dead gorgeous, or an extremely attractive and healthy specimen of mankind, then the whole impression may be very favourable, just based on that. The fact that the person may or may not be possessing a good personality is of no consequence until five minutes later. And usually, by that time, the damage is already done.
I mean, think about it objectively. If looks didn't matter, why would there be a thriving beauty and fashion industry? Earlier, looking good was limited to the physical attributes we were born with. If we had a bad nose, we would try to emphasize out nice eyes to draw attention away from it. Today, we'd walk into the nearest plastic surgeon's office and buy ourselves a new nose. Custom made. Its fantastic, I tell you. Now, we have the ability to design our faces...replace the minor flaws and sometimes correct the major ones.
Most of you reading this may relate this to relationships and romantic liaisons, but I'm talking about everything here. Absolutely everything. Looks matter when you walk into a board room, they matter when you attend social functions and they definitely matter when you are trying to seduce or entice someone.
When we go for interviews, we make sure we look our best. Guys shave carefully, and the hair is tames and combed back. Suits and ties are checked and shoes are polished. We all stand a little straighter, look a little cleaner and smile a little brighter. For the women, we all rush into the beauty parlour and aspire to conform to the idea of modern feminine beauty. We are waxed, primped, permed, exfoliated and frosted to an inch of our lives. We put on smart clothes that emphasize good physical attributes and hide the bad ones. And then, feeling confident, we walk into the interview room. The same can be said for people attending board meetings, meetings, or anything else business/ career related.
Its a basic need that we have inside us. The need to look good. We've inherited it from the oldest life forms on earth. Every organism has some way or primping and looking good. Even animals groom themselves and painstakingly maintain themselves. All to look good.
Basically, looking good matters. A lot. So all of you who think that it does not, stop deluding yourself and start doing something to look good. Its essential.
More than looking good, we need to look appealing. Yes, there is a difference between the two. Our outer looks need to appeal to other people. We cannot afford to repulse them. Our society is actually built around looking our very best. While in the company of exalted people, we feel the need to dress up. When an impression matters to us, we always make an effort. Always.
So all you people out there who think that you can get by with an amazing personality but not-very-appealing looks, wake up! Hit the gym, go to the parlour, use the myriad of beauty and skin care products available, go to a plastic surgeon and get some good clothes. If you want to survive, you're going to need it.
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