THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF GOOD LOOKS.

Western Star, Issue 1244, 21 April 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF GOOD LOOKS.

That good looks have a certain commercial value is not to be denied, despite the venerable and oft-quoted proverbs that “ Beauty is only skin deep,” “ Handsome is that handsome does,” and many other wise saws which impress on us the folly of attaching too much importance to the attraction of face or figure. ■ Naturally enough it is in those callings most affected by women that the demand for a certain standard of good looks has a i on, and the practice ia extending. To such a pitch is this carried, that in some businesses it is practically impossible for a homelylooking girl to obtain employment, unless she can bring private influence to bear, or, by a judicious application of the golden key make amends for her personal short-comings. The most exacting in their requirements are undoubtedly those scourges of the travelling Briton, the railway refreshment rooms, which to do them j u slice are garrisoned by expeptionally flue samples of English womanhood; though we humbly suggest that if the proportions of the presiding Hebes were, somewhat curtailed, and the dimensions of the ham-sandwiches increased, the hungry traveller would not feel offended. Protest is out of the question to a young lady. sft. 9 Jin. in her stockings, ” the pink of fashion and the mould of form,” who, entrenched behind an elaborate arrangement of silver urns and champagne bottles, deigns to interrupt the current of her gossip to charge you threepence for- a glass of bitter, and hands back your change with the air of one conferring a favour. Almost as exclusive in their choice of waitresses as, the refreshment rooms are the hotels. It is an unwritten law that a barmaid shall be pretty, and woe to the business of that landlord who shall introduce a plain-looking girl into' the. sanctuary of “bitter” and “ mild.” It is hardly too much to say, that his takings rise and fall in proportion to the attractiveness of the young lady whose graceful manipulation of” beerpulls ” and dainty drawing of corks plays such havoc with the susceptible portion of his customers. He may water his beer and dilute his spirits; he may vend cigars compounded of cabbages, and damp his tobacco until it refuses to burn, yet all will be forgiven him provided his barmaid is pretty. But the desire for good-looking female assistants is not a monopoly of the caterers for th# inner man. Photographers have caught the infection, and make it a point of honour to engage young ladies for their studios who shall boast some degree of personal charm. It has been observed by an attentive student of human nature that it takes at least three times as long for sitters of the male persuasion to be “posed” at the hands, of. the lady attendant, than under the care of the artist himself. Fortunately, however, for those girls whom Nature has not favoured, a decided reaction has begun in large shops which aspire to be fashionable It has leaked out that a number of their lady patrons dislike being attended to by those who may happen to be their superiors in looks, the consequence being that in some establishments a pretty face is deemed an utter disqualification for employment. Lady Clara Vera de Vere who, with all the advantages of rank and station, combines a turned-nose or hair of.a ruddy hue, feels aggrieved when she is waited upon by a young ” person,” whose Grecian nasal organ or nut brown locks form a striking contrast to her own.

There is one calling, however, which more than all others combined, insists on its votaries being pretty. We refer to the stage. If not the Alpha and Omega of success on the boards, good looks are becoming dangerously near it, and histrionic ability has to take the second place. The average Briton who frequents theatres will overlook bad acting and indifferent scenery, but will not forgive a plain-looking heroine. He paj s his money not to see Juliet, Rosalind or Mrs, Beverley, but one. or other of the professional beauties of the stage: and while the vials of his wrath would be emptied without stint upon the head of any unfortunate actor who presumed to impersonate an exacting character without adequate training and experience, he is perfectly willing to forego both in the case of a pretty woman. To a much smaller extent the possession of good looks increases the market value of a man. It is true that the great wholesale houses, more especially the London and Manchester firms, have a keen eye to the outward appearance of those of thair employes whom they appoint to represent them on the “road.” Giber things being equal, it appears reasonable that a traveller with a fine physique will obtain more o.ders and command more attention for his wares—at any rate, in those numerous branches of business which are under female management

—than another who is minus J such personal advantages. The same principle holds good in the army. The recruit whose proportions render him eligible for the Cavalry or Guards.can obtain a higher rate of pay than the one whose height will only gain him admission into a Line regiment, and similarly Jeames YelloWplush, who is six feet high, and glories in a pair of well-developed calves, would scorn to accept the wages which are thankfully pocketed by less magnificent creatures. , " '