This story was originally published on Passionfruit.
It’s widely understood that privilege, whether it comes from race, gender, or sexuality, can impact a person’s access to opportunities. But one form of privilege that can be difficult to talk about is pretty privilege. As the name suggests, pretty privilege is when someone has a leg up because they’re pretty. At a basic level, it can mean people giving you things, being nice to you, or just not having to try as hard because you’re physically attractive. Creator Eve Donnelly, known as evefingdonnelly on TikTok, summed it up pretty well in this video:
But pretty privilege can have way more benefits than people treating you well. Studies show that attractive people are more likely to be interviewed, hired, and more likely to receive promotions. This can get kind of fuzzy, though. What does physically attractive even mean? On first thought, it would be easy to say that people who benefit from pretty privilege are physically attractive by Western standards—white, blonde, thin or muscular. But to parse it out that way can be reductive. It places an American or Eurocentric standard on beauty, that while is pervasive, doesn’t account for how pretty privilege is found among marginalized groups. With that being said, we should think about pretty privilege as more than just physical appearance, but as the ability to capitalize on your desirability, which can vary depending on the audience. This means not only being attractive but also having the tools to market your attractiveness. For example, if you’re extroverted or charismatic, coupled with conventional good looks, you are able to market your own desirability to your audience.
