Attractiveness and beauty have become another form of  capital, a currency we exchange for many advantages, not only with respect to the opposite sex, but, as many studies confirm, in almost all spheres of our social life. Even, and especially in the workplace, appearances seems to bring us as much success as our skills and studies.

Economist Daniel Hamermesh put this crude theory to the test when he figured that a physically attractive man would earn more or less 250,000 dollars more than an unattractive one over the course of his working life. His theory is supported by human resource professionals around the world who agree that it is better to be attractive and relatively mediocre in their work than to be an ugly genius.

The only way to escape, it seems, is to continue believing that beauty is something very subjective, and thus we all end up having the same opportunities to be seen as beautiful by someone. But while the parameters of beauty change over time, unfortunately, many scientists and psychologists say, certain standards are immovable and indifferent to fads: symmetrical faces have always been and probably always are considered more “beautiful.” And if you don’t belong to this privileged group? Well, tough luck.

Therefore it’s not surprising that we live in a culture in which the beauty industry grows exponentially every year, young people are increasingly affected by insecurity and anxiety about their physical appearance, and people take increasingly drastic measures to feel attractive.

In the second half of this article we will investigate more about the importance of beauty in the workplace and the consequences it entails. For now we encourage you to rent apartments in Milan, where people still know how to appreciate natural beauty.