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Ok folks, I wasn’t gonna do it, but after receiving some provoking messages after a tweet I sent out about Heidi Montag, I’m doing it. Let’s start talking: is plastic surgery good for your career?
We’ve all heard it before: good looking people are more likely to be hired and more likely to get higher salaries. I must admit, I would probably choose to hire someone who manages their appearance over someone who does not if given the choice. If the candidate can’t manage their appearance, how are they going to manage their job?
Back to Ms. Montag…
10- TEN- procedures in one day! US News & World Report (can you believe Heidi made this publication?!) reports that Dr. Frank Ryan performed the following procedures (which took 10 hours) on 23 year old Heidi: mini-lift of the brow, Botox in the forehead, nose job revision, fat injections in cheeks and lips, chin reduction, neck liposuction, ears pinned back, breast augmentation revision, liposuction on waist and thighs, and a buttocks augmentation. For those of you who didn’t know, Heidi had a nose job and a boob job 3 years ago.
The scary part is that the Dr. says everyone in Hollywood is doing the same thing Heidi did, but no one talks about it.
Ok, so there are several scary parts, bear with me…
Scary part #2- Heidi thinks that she needed this surgery to have the look of a popstar and that’s just “what people do in my industry.” The People magazine article quoted Heidi saying that she is competing with people like Brittney Spears while she was in her hey day. (Yeah but to our knowledge Brittney Spears was a wholesome, southern belle with talent, unlike you Heidi).
Scary part #3- She also tells Robin Roberts she hopes to get her own Barbie someday and seems flattered when Robin almost slipped and called her a Barbie…
Scary part #4- Her new album is called “Superficial,” (sorry, I refuse to link to it here) and she timed the announcement of all this surgery right as her album dropped. PR stunt anyone?
Scary part #5- Heidi really believes that this surgery will advance her career to fame and fortune.
How far would you go to advance your career? Do you believe that looks can advance someones career in industries outside of Hollywood?
Any one want to predict how long it will be before Heidi gets her next surgery? Or worse, what she will look like by 35?
Have you listened to her album? I did. It sounds like a copy cat of Brittney Spears but way worse and soooo digitized. I guess that explains why she wouldn’t sing in the Good Morning America interview..
I think that depending on your looks might help you land a job but keeping it and avoiding a sexual harassment suit is a whole different story.
Please let us know what you think about using plastic surgery as a way of advancing your career!
I read in Psychology Today (Feb/2010) that extroverts are more likely to get plastic surgery b/c they "enjoy socializing more than others so it would be more important for them to view themselves as attractive." The article also noted that although plastic surgery increased satisfaction in appearance, it did little to boost self-esteem.
If you are dissatisfied with the way you look, you can change it, of course. However,getting plastic surgery just for your career is a cop out. What do you think you are a really lacking so severely that you have to go under the knife?
I think that it depends on the industry that you're in. It also depends on what you're having done. I think that it's fair to say that being physically appealing to other people can give you some advantages but it won't compensate for a bad work ethic or terrible personality.
I also think that my last boss liked looking at my chest whenever I wore something even slightly flattering. It's human nature for most of us to like what we find attractive...I even think it helped me get my job. I didn't have plastic surgery to get here, but I definitely appreciate the advantage that youth and okay looks has gotten me. But ultimately, it is only my skills, reliability and personality that has made me an asset to my office.
I truly believe that plastic surgery obsessed folks aren't much different than people who self-mutilate... they just have more money and creative people to do it for them.
I think that there is a different between the Heidi Montag case and other folks who make this choice. This is extreme..and lets face it Heidi and Spencer Pratt will do anything it takes to get our attention.
As I was reading this, another example came to mind. Greta Van Susteren had a facelift a few years ago right before she joined Fox News. Does it make it more ok that she is older and made this choice? Also, does it make a difference that she is in the media, as opposed to Heidi who is a desperate reality star?
Personally, I'd like to think I wouldn't go down this road. I don't even like to wear make up that isn't made of natural ingredients. I guess you never know until you get there though. If I'm 50 years old and it is hurting my career, I'm not sure that I wouldn't consider it.
Side note: the music is soooo bad. :)
I like JR's comment and I agree with all your points Nicole. There was this episode of Desperate Housewives a few months back when Tom couldn't get a job and considered plastic surgery. I doubt many people actually get surgery just to get a job, but you can't deny it would probably work. Which sucks. But there you go...
I recommend the book "Survival of the Prettiest" and the TV documentary based on it and by the same name.
Visit Amazon.com for more info on the book and others on the same subject:
http://www.amazon.com/Survival-Prettiest-Science-Nancy-Etcoff/dp/0385479...
I've heard that there's evidence to suggest that the more stress (physical or emotional) a person experiences, the shorter their lifespan.
And that this is also true across the animal kingdom.
One study that I heard about years ago, compared people who were severely hurt in an accident to a control group of people who hadn't been in a severe accident.
Next, both groups of people had a mild accident.
The people who had had an earlier severe accident were more likely to die after the second, mild accident, than the control group.
I've like to know if anyone has done a study of people who've gotten a lot of surgery (elective or emergency), and determined if these people died earlier than expected.
People deserve to know all the real long-term risks of plastic surgery.
@Raven- that completely makes sense that extroverts are more likely to get plastic surgery. I never thought of it like that. Also if these people are getting plastic surgery with the intention of being viewed as attractive by other, I see why that wouldn't lead to increased self-esteem.
I think the more your appearance is linked to your sense of self it becomes like a drug- every time you need just a little more outside validation to get that same high until get gets to the point that you are a full out train wreck and appearance addict.
@Dawn- In 2 out of 3 of my corporate jobs since graduating college, I have been told that my appearance was helpful in their decision to hiring me. I was told this at work events outside of the office where alcohol may have been a factor in their confessions, but either way it is very uncomfortable. And it leaves you feeling quite strange- part of you feels appreciative to have landed the job, and the other half feels like it's total bullshit that that was the tipping point for them.
@Meghan- The Greta Van Susteren story is a PERFECT example which I should have included in my post. For some reason I feel that her situation is completely different. She doesn't seem to be a surgery addict, and she had a big career before she got her surgery. She also had the surgery AFTER she landed the job at Fox, not in hopes that her surgery would help her land it. I think surgery was a really good choice for her.
Like some have mentioned, it really depends on the industry that you're in.
In other industries such as banking, engineering or consulting, looks do not play as much of a factor as their skills and expertise (although it can very well be a bonus).
However, in the entertainment industry, on top of screen presence, you need to be pleasing to people's eyes. When you see beautiful people (who do have any else to offer except for their looks) get all the attention and appraisal, you can't help but attribute their success to their looks. I think there are better ways of getting ahead like picking up new hosting skills, develop your TV charisma, learn to speak with different accents so you can play more roles and be taken more seriously as an actress, but with the kind of barbie doll friends she hangs around with, they're unable to offer her good advice.
I don't condone what Heidi has done, but I think the interviewer is too harsh on the 23-year-old. Someday, plastic surgery might be as common as doing acrylic nails. It sounds ridiculous now, but in Korea, it is common for parents to reward their 18-year-old teenage daughters with a new nose or a pair of boobs when they graduate.
@Nicole I agree...I think that Greta's situation was completely different from Heidi's, and also that it was a good choice for her. I really think this type of thing varies greatly from case to case. Just like almost everything else, it is a fine line to walk. Clearly it is not healthy to become so appearance-obsessed that you are going under the knife all of the time. However, appearances do matter and whether we like it or not, they are always being evaluated.
I couldn't agree more with the comments that people should take the decision very seriously and understand all of the risks.
I'll stay away from the arguements about how good people look versus how well they perform in a job. That depends on the job, but in most of the kind of work I've been involved with, how good you look has absolutely no relation in how skilled and competent you are in doing the job.
Personally, there isn't enough plastic surgery in this world that can make me any prettier than I am now, especially after the injuries, wounds and other scars I've gathered over the years.
What's gonna happen when these plastic surgery mavens start aging, collectng more scars and discovering that gravity does work as the years go by? More surgery? Time is relentless and there's no stopping it from ravaging your looks as the years go by.
Guess I'm screwed, because all I've got is my intelligence, experience, ambition, drive, tenacity and integrity to get things done. Apparently, looking good trumps all that.
It all seems so shallow and superficial to me, and I still think Judge Judy had it right:
"Beauty fades, dumb is forever."
I think how you look does impact how people perceive you. But I really haven't seen much plastic surgery that appears to make the person better looking. Usually it's just smoother, fuller, and fake. As a woman, you're probably better off just finding a really good hairstylist and someone to teach you how to pick the best wardrobe for your build and apply your makeup appropriately.
People discriminate for a lot of reasons - including whether the way you look appeals to them. Doesn't mean you can't get beyond them. Successful businesses will not be the ones that hire based on how pretty you are. Long term, you'll only have a bunch of hot 18-year-olds working for you. Because nobody can compete against them.
Stop using your companies pre-printed thank you notes. Hand write a thank you note! Hand writing is much more personal and it shows you care. More...
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