Going for the Look

   


      Advertisement in our society today has reached a whole new level. Companies go to great lengths to sponsor themselves; spending far too much money as well as using people as a living, breathing, and walking display. "Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination", an article written by Steven Greenhouse, takes a stance and claims that advertisement these days has reached a new, unhealthy standing. This article states and explains that discrimination is now a major problem within the world of publicity. Marshal Cohen is a senior industry analyst in a market research firm. He states that having a "brand enhancer, or what [he] calls a walking billboard, is critical." I agree with both Greenhouse and Cohen, in which they both have arguable and legitimate points.
      It is very important in today's society to have an enticing image to promote business. Matthew Sheehey, a high school student from Chicago, states that, "If you see an attractive person working in the store wearing Abercrombie clothes, it makes you want to wear it, too." This is quite accurate in that seeing a pleasing image will make the customer interested in looking the same way, in hopes that they will look just as good. No one wants to wear clothing or accessories from someone who looks unattractive. From first hand experience, I have been with people at a mall and realized that my friends and I are more interested in the stores that have attractive and alluring employees.  We are not interested in the stores that have people we don't want to look at, it's the cold, hard truth.
      As simply part of human nature, people have a tendency to gravitate more towards the things that they see as enticing. Cohen states, "In today's competitive retail environment, the methods have changed for capturing the consumers' awareness of your brand." Sadly, this is true. The world of retailers is highly aggressive in the fact that companies will go to great lengths to make sure their products are the ones that the consumers want. It is perfectly reasonable for companies to hire whomever they want in order to promote their business. They should be allowed to hire people that they think would project what they are attempting to sell. It's their responsibility to hire their employees and if they pick certain people, then they should deal with the outcome of what kind of business their employees bring. 
      However, the means in which they find these "seductive" and "sexy" employees are not very fair. They discriminate against people who are thought of as not "good-looking". There is a certain approach that Abercrombie uses to hire new employees. Mr. Serrano, a manager for Abercrombie, describes this method, "We were supposed to to approach someone in the mall who we think will look attractive in our store." Rather than carrying out the normal interview process to see who qualifies for the job, they simply use looks as the deciding factor on who gets hired. This means that someone who is highly qualified, with past experience, might not get the job because they aren't what is considered attractive in today's society. While at the same time, someone with no experience, and possibly under-qualified will get that same job because they fit the criteria. This is a accurate representation of discrimination. 
      Although it is important to promote a positive and attractive image for advertising retail, I feel that it is unconventional to let that pave way for unfair business chances. For example, Michele Cornell is a 47 year old waitress who has worked at her job for 23 years. The restaurant had closed for renovations and when they opened it back up, they had refused to rehire her based solely on the fact that "she no longer fit the young, trendy look it had adopted."  It is not just to discriminate based on looks under a circumstance where qualification should be the deciding factor.
      It is not illegal for businesses to hire based on physical appearance. However, when it interferes with the quality of the employees and if it acts unfairly upon others, it is unjust. Businesses should have the freedom to hire whomever the want because quite frankly,  good looking workers and models are going to bring in more business and profit. Promoting a good image makes the overall shopping experience better for the customers, persuading them to spend more money. But, even if this is the case, it should not prevent anyone else from having an equal chance at a job. Everyone deserves a chance to get a job, regardless of appearance.