Whether or not you should or shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, in truth most of us do, at least upon initial contact. When we meet a stranger, consciously or unconsciously our reaction is as much a result of societal standards as a genetic, instinctive reaction is. If someone is pretty, the initial and even subsequent interactions are going to be better.
You can believe beauty is more than skin deep and that physical beauty has little meaning compared with the importance of an individual’s positive contribution to the world we live in. Yet it only takes a quick scan of Hollywood’s A-list actors and actresses or models in advertisements and fashion magazines to notice that what we pay attention to and revere is all about looks. We project or infer meaning into someone’s appearance. People’s good looks have a way of letting us assume almost without hesitation that these are good, smart people. When they are a spokesperson for a cosmetics company (or any other consumer good from motor oil to toothpaste) we assume they have our best interests at heart or know what they are talking about, as opposed to the fact that they are being paid handsomely for their endorsement whether they like, care, or even know about what they are hawking.
It would be foolish to ignore the fact that personal appearance has enormous consequences in life. I don’t know if Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Daniel Craig, or Julia Roberts are good people, but they are simply stunning to look at. Looking beautiful has power in most societies. Ignoring the significance of that impact may be virtuous, but it can also be unrealistic and get in our way.