[Monthly Essay] Superficial Obsession

"Retailers defend the approach to hiring based on image as necessary and smart, and industry experts see the point.  In today's competitive retail environment, the methods have changed for capturing the consumers' awareness of your brand, " said Marshall Cohen, a senior industry analyst with the NPD Group, a market research firm. "Being able to find a brand enhancer, or what I call a walking billboard, is critical. It's really important to create an environment that's enticing to the community, particularly with the younger, fashionable market.  A guy wants to go hang out in a store where he can see good-looking gals."

 Hiring someone based on appearances is nothing new in marketing and advertising.  It's a common business technique that allows companies to find someone who fits their brand or image and can sell their product.  Not only is this approach utilized in the retail environment, but many other industries like restaurants, sports, and the media all seem to pride themselves in projecting a certain image.  Marshall Cohen presents a valid argument that competitive companies often resort to this technique to attract customers. When making money is the highest prerogative, choosing the best candidate that can represent a company is well within reason. Companies should be able to hire people who can project their image; however, by no means should they discriminate against ethnicity or race.

 In today's society,  a product must grab your attention within a small margin of allocated time. Advertising and commercials, especially for the Super Bowl, can cost millions while only lasting thirty seconds.  It is within this transient time frame that marketers must target their clientele. The same could be said with an employee of any profession.  The attractiveness or appeal of a "walking billboard" can give extra incentive for the consumer to become interested in the product they represent. Although the presented product is crucial to its success, people are often enticed by appearances.

  In many cases, restaurants will be particular about who they hire to maintain an authentic atmosphere and a sex dominated industry.  Restaurant employers may only hire certain race that complements a cultured style of food.  These hiring practices are primarily noticeable in ethnic/chain restaurants.  Panda Express is notorious for providing unequal opportunities and discrimination in their workforce.  Former Panda Express employee, Aremy Lomely, is part of a federal court filing suit against a San Jose Panda Express restaurant that allegedly forced Latino employees to clean toilets and perform other menial tasks while Asian employees of equal ranking stood by and watched.

Lomely told the Oakland Tribune:

 "I felt so ashamed when the Asians workers watched me obediently run from the bathroom to the tables to the counters, cleaning when they did not have to."

 According to the suit, the manager of the restaurant also punished Latino employees harshly, frequently cutting Latino employee hours and awarding them to Asian employees instead.  Restaurants will often do this for not just discrimination purposes, but also to give an impression that the place sells authentic food.  Since Panda Express serves American Chinese cuisine, hiring someone with an Asian background rather than someone of a different ethnicity enforces the image of the food it's selling.  Workers of different ethnicity may be limited to only working in the back of the restaurant because they don't present the desired image. 

As women try to secure restaurant jobs that could provide them with higher wages and job stability, they face sex discrimination in hiring, promotions, and compensation.  Sex discrimination doesn't fall far behind in the restaurant business.  An University of Pennsylvania study found that in 68 of New York City’s most expensive and elite restaurants, roughly one-third of these restaurants do not hire women for server positions even though there was an available pool of female servers. Another study of 65 high-priced restaurants in Philadelphia had similar findings; the study conducted a “test” and sent 130 comparably qualified pairs of men and women to apply for server jobs.  The report showed that even though the female applicants were as qualified as the male applicants, they experienced discrimination in obtaining interviews and being hired.  I believe that this may be because the restaurant business has traditionally been run and dominated by men.  The shift in gender roles is somewhat alarming and not openly accepted image in many industries and society.

Adolescent girls are also increasingly becoming more conscious about their body in today's media.  Images of female bodies are being used everywhere from selling food to cars.  Popular film and television actresses are more noticeably younger, taller, and thinner.  Unhealthy standards of beauty are being imposed on women, the majority of whom are naturally larger and more mature than any of the models who starve themselves to achieve this image.  The American research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc, says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control—including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. The pressure to be thin is also affecting young girls: the Canadian Women's Health Network warns that weight control measures are now being taken by girls as young as 5 and 6.  American statistics are similar.  Economically, by presenting an ideal that is difficult to maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits.

As an endorser, Tiger Woods is a prime example of how maintaining a strong positive image is important to the sports industry.  Since his alleged extramarital affair, Woods has lost up to $22 million in sponsorships with large shareholders like Nike and Gatorade.  Despite Tiger Woods still being one of the world’s highest paid athletes, his name and reputation will forever be tarnished.  His damaged reputation is something businesses and products don't want to be associated with.  We all make mistakes in our lives, but because Tiger Woods is an established professional golf player who profits from representing an image, many companies will see him as undesirable with a tainted image.

Personally, when I go shopping, I tend to be more focused on the product rather than looking for eye candy.  Although in the long-term, I am more likely to shop at a store that has a friendly environment or employees that leave a good impression.  Society is affixed with different standards of beauty.  While using attractive people in business can be deemed morally wrong, it has continuously brought in income.  Industries will continue to disregard work ethics in exchange for profits because it works.  I don't think these businesses need to change; rather, people need to change.  If we represent a more educated and tolerant society, it is our own responsibility as consumers to know when stores are being selective or discriminating.  The reality is that America has many diverse ethnic backgrounds.  Our population is not solely comprised of one race; America has many faces. If these companies aren't willing to advance from old traditions, we should be able to choose whether they continue to thrive.