Qu'est-ce que Lookism / Beauty Bias ?

Definition

Lookism, or the beauty bias, refers to the documented tendency of evaluators to rate physically attractive candidates more positively across multiple dimensions — intelligence, confidence, leadership potential, competence — independent of any actual evidence of these qualities. It is one of the most consistently replicated findings in social psychology.

In practice

Research demonstrates that attractive people receive higher starting salaries, are promoted faster, and are judged more positively in interviews and on CVs with photos. The effect interacts with gender: attractive women in some contexts face a "femme fatale" penalty for non-traditional roles, while attractive men consistently benefit. In many European countries (including Belgium), including a photo on a CV is standard practice, which introduces this bias directly. Some progressive organisations have moved to photo-free CVs and initial screening calls before any video contact. Structured assessment criteria and competency-based scoring provide the most reliable structural protection against lookism influencing outcomes.

Key takeaway

Physical appearance is irrelevant to the vast majority of roles — removing photos from the initial screening stage is one of the simplest ways to reduce this well-documented bias.