ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews research on the workplace consequences of women’s attractiveness. The ‘what is beautiful is good’ effect is a general observation that attractive individuals are ascribed positive traits to a greater degree than unattractive individuals, and tend to have more favourable work and life outcomes. However, the ‘beauty is beastly’ effect refers to the tendency for attractiveness to be detrimental for women under certain circumstances, such as when they are being considered for masculine roles. Moreover, the ‘femme fatale’ effect suggests that attractive women may be viewed as less truthful and trustworthy in work contexts. We review the conditions under which women’s attractiveness is helpful or harmful, and highlight an area ripe for future research in the potential workplace implications of women’s routine beauty adornment practices.
