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Cosmetic procedures
Published in Melanie Latham, Jean V. McHale, The Regulation of Cosmetic Procedures, 2020
Melanie Latham, Jean V. McHale
The very word ‘lookism’ itself, however, can be seen as a means of concealing what are much more fundamental forms of discrimination. We saw earlier that some parents may seek facial surgery for children with Down’s Syndrome – such attempt to accommodate within a homogenous stereotype may in itself be seen as a means of entrenching discriminatory attitudes to disability in society. Cosmetic procedures may also be utilised to entrench discriminatory attitudes to particular ethnic groups in society.
Pretty People / Aesthetic Enhancement
Published in Jonathan Anomaly, Creating Future People, 2020
Some philosophers have termed this kind of discrimination ‘lookism’ (Minerva, 2017), which may be compared with sexism or racism – the tendency to judge an individual on the basis of the average traits of their group. We all rely on heuristics in daily life, and we generalize on the basis of cases we’ve personally experienced. Heuristics and generalizations about groups often fall under the rubric of stereotypes. And, contrary to what influential elites in academia and journalism want to believe, many of our stereotypes are surprisingly accurate (Jussim et al., 2015). Moreover, acting on the basis of stereotypes can be rational when information is limited, even if it is sometimes morally questionable. For example, if you are walking down a dark alley, you may find yourself more afraid of a 20-year-old man than a 60-year-old woman who is moving toward you. This fear may be misplaced in any particular case, but it is often based on experience, and can be justified given the statistical likelihood of a young man or an old woman to commit some kind of violent crime.
Current research themes on aging and adaptation
Published in Peter G. Coleman, Ann O’Hanlon, Aging and Development, 2017
Peter G. Coleman, Ann O’Hanlon
While many studies have taken a purely cognitive framework to study attitudes (e.g. beliefs, knowledge, expectations), others have taken a more affective stance (e.g. anxiety, fear). Anxiety about aging is defined as an emotional response to anticipated physical, mental and personal losses during the aging process (Lasher and Faulkender, 1993). Anxiety about aging can comprise a wide range of distressing symptoms, including fearfulness, worry, restlessness and irritability, as well as physiological symptoms such as breathlessness and a racing heart. Over time, these symptoms can have high costs, emotionally, physically and in terms of relationships. Additionally, in a twelve-year follow-up study of older men, anxiety and somatic concerns significantly predicted an increased mortality risk, even when controlling for other lifestyle, and psychosocial measures (Tolmunen et al., 2014). Although people today are living longer and healthier lives than any previous generation, levels of anxiety and fear about aging are prevalent, and people can approach old age with significant dread. This may especially be the case for women who can face a triple jeopardy of discrimination and anxiety based on age, changes in physical appearance (or ‘lookism’), while also being more likely than men to be disadvantaged economically if prioritising family and care responsibilities.
Association between Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms Among 2,162 Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in South Korea: Does Community Connectedness Modify the Association?
Published in Journal of Homosexuality, 2021
Hyemin Lee, Jooyoung Park, Bokyoung Choi, Horim Yi, Seung-Sup Kim
Especially in this study, physical appearance was the most common type of discrimination among sexual minority men in Korea. Appearance discrimination, also known as lookism, has been prevalent in Korea. According to a related study, 15.5% of the participants, who are in their late teens and mid-twenties, reported the experience of appearance discrimination in Korea (Lee, Son, Yoon, & Kim, 2017). The study also found a statistically significant association between appearance discrimination and poor self-rated health among Korean youths (Lee et al., 2017). For sexual minority women, the most common type of discrimination was gender. In Korea, women have struggled to get hired because of gender discrimination (Jeong, 2019). Besides gender discrimination in employment, more than 90% of women who participated in a nationally representative panel survey reported that they experienced gender discrimination in achieving higher education as well as at home (Kim & Williams, 2012). Among sexual minorities, these factors, such as physical appearance and gender, might be intersecting with their sexual orientation to affect their health. Future research on LGB individuals should consider the intersections of marginalized identities rather than a single minority identity, which would create a better understanding about the relationship between discrimination and health (Kertzner et al., 2009; Stirratt, Meyer, Ouellette, & Gara, 2008).