First published online February 7, 2021
Volume 20, Issue 3
https://doi.org/10.1177/1470594X20982051
Everyday lookism, by which I mean the widespread practice of commenting upon and judging the appearance of others, is often regarded as morally troubling.1 It occurs in various contexts, including on social media where it is commonplace to make remarks about the appearance of others. It is fuelled by demanding appearance norms that spell out the standards that need to be met to be presentable to others and to look beautiful. Heather Widdows documents the way in which exacting norms relating to youthfulness, slimness, absence of body hair, skin texture, and firmness of flesh govern the appearance of women, and she illustrates the way in which increasingly men too are subject to norms that are comparable in terms of their demandingness (Widdows, 2018: 19–26, 54–60, 236–243).
What’s wrong with everyday lookism?
Andrew Mason [email protected]View all authors and affiliationsVolume 20, Issue 3
https://doi.org/10.1177/1470594X20982051
Abstract
Everyday lookism, by which I mean the widespread practice of commenting upon and judging the appearance of others, is often regarded as morally troubling. But when, and why, is it morally problematic? I argue that in many cases everyday lookism is wrongful because it involves morally objectionable appearance discrimination. I consider various respects in which everyday lookism can be morally objectionable in virtue of the acts of wrongful discrimination it involves. I argue that these acts are wrongful when they are demeaning, or when they have unjust consequences whether singly or cumulatively. There are a number of ways in which they may have unjust consequences. First, the appearance norms in which these acts are rooted may be biased in such a way that the acts contribute to creating an unjust distribution of benefits and burdens. Second, these acts may combine to make everyday lookism oppressive in virtue of impairing the personal autonomy of its victims or contributing to doing so. Third, these acts may be unjustly harmful in terms of their effects.Everyday lookism, by which I mean the widespread practice of commenting upon and judging the appearance of others, is often regarded as morally troubling.1 It occurs in various contexts, including on social media where it is commonplace to make remarks about the appearance of others. It is fuelled by demanding appearance norms that spell out the standards that need to be met to be presentable to others and to look beautiful. Heather Widdows documents the way in which exacting norms relating to youthfulness, slimness, absence of body hair, skin texture, and firmness of flesh govern the appearance of women, and she illustrates the way in which increasingly men too are subject to norms that are comparable in terms of their demandingness (Widdows, 2018: 19–26, 54–60, 236–243).
