Can looks help increase Filipinos' salary?

How true is this when people today are resorting to treatments and even surgery to further their careers? Studies have shown that good looking people get paid more so it seems that beauty gives you deeper pockets.

Based on the report of the New Republic have revealed that Silicon Valley have become the most ageist place in United States with men in their 20's visiting plastic surgeons to maintain their youthful looks. Skin tightening, botox and hair transplants was the most major concern, this was according to the bay area surgeon on the report.

Here in the Philippines, Beauty Expert Vicky Belo said, there had been a rise in number of men coming to their clinic over the last 25 years. She pointed out that some of men are doing it for their career path, in fact the transplants have gone up. Men are very conscious about the thinning hair and being bald specially when their giving out presentations at work and most of men starts losing their hair as early as 27 so they start having hair transplant before it gets so bad. Some men also visit them to improve their chin and the jaw because filipinos'  don't have really nice square jaw.

According to a study by an Economic Professor Daniel Hamermesh titled "Beauty and the Labor Market" attractive people get a premium of at least 5% more income than the less attractive peers who suffer of salary penalty of up to 9% less compared to attractive peers.Enhancing looks with make-ups can bump up your pay in the U.S. According to a study on America Economic Review said that women who wear make-up at work can earn 30% more than those who ear none.

There is one caveat that exceptionally attractive women face discrimination when applying for a more masculine job but on the whole it pays to look good. Here in the Philippines, people are becoming more conscious of their looks at the younger age. Dr. Vicky Belo said that the profile of their clientele have become much younger. Locally there is a growing number of people not in the showbiz or modelling industry who had treatments or surgery to keep them competitive in the work place. Today plastic surgery and other procedures have been made affordable by clinics that allow people to pay in interest free and installment. It is no longer the preview of the rich and famous. Dra. Vicky Belo said "only 10% of their clients are stars, 30% are very wealthy but the rest of the 60% are normal people who just go to work but they value the way they look."

Initially, we are judged on our looks, so it might be worth the investment to make our self look better, but ultimately we are judged on our competence so make sure we don't just invest in our looks but in ours skills as well.

Acknowledgement: 
Content Credit: ANC 
Image Credit: Philstar.com