So the eagerly anticipated new movie about abstinence vampires and the women who love them comes out today. And I’ll admit, I’m not a fan.

I tried reading the books (well, the first one, anyway). I couldn’t get past the first 100 pages. I tried watching the first movie, and wound up leaving the room after the first hour*. I wanted to understand this trend; I really did. But I’m just not in the demographic that enjoys this sort of thing.

Maybe my problem lies in the central conceit of the story’s romance between the two characters, which has been elaborated on many times, most notably in this review, this analysis and on a couple of lists (as number one and number six). But it basically boils down to this: pretty people can get away with anything.

The female lead falls in love with the male lead, who is constantly referred to as an “Adonis,” and forgives his trespasses of being a creepy vampire (more details in the links from the last paragraph) because of her love for him and his sexy, sexy sparkling vampire body.

But then again, being attractive can get you in anywhere.

A study from Rice University determined that pretty people appear more trustworthy to others. A survey from London Guildhall University indicates that those seen as attractive earn more money. The APA released a paper that shows physical appearance is a key determinant in success. And these standards are global. So if you’re more likely to get a job, a raise, a promotion, the attention of your boss and so on because of your physical characteristics, how can you turn this to your advantage?

One of the points made in many of these papers is that confidence from recognizing one’s own attractiveness is a vital component of the resulting success. Similarly, beauty is subjective. So if you project confidence and look your best (through personal grooming and appropriate attire), you can achieve more success at work, regardless of your personal feelings about your own attractiveness.

We’ve been told our whole lives that beauty is something inside, to never judge a book by its cover, to not blindly follow someone because they are attractive. But then again, the story is that the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan, not that the beautiful cygnet (baby swan) became an ugly duck. And before you start blaming society, consider that many of these predispositions towards attractiveness come from evolutionary (re: genetic) imperatives. Really! It’s in those links!

Whether you’re on Team Edward, Team Jacob or Team Why Am I Here, you will deal with shallow assessments of physical attractiveness. And though being judged on beauty is an unfortunate fact of life, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use it to your advantage.

* Movie theaters will refund your ticket if you leave the movie if you walk out in the first 45-60 minutes. Since most movies are around 90 minutes (based on an average I made up), this is ample time for one to make a fair assessment of the film. I apply the 45-60 minute rule when I’m watching something I rented.