Do you feel your looks/attractiveness played any part in your career in tech?
I'm interested to hear the dev perspective on pretty privilege :)

Well I ain't pretty but I do have a decent job so there's that

But I can see this being much worse for women

I don't think it matters at all especially for Engineering roles

HR, Sales, or Marketing MIGHT but I don't know

No. I'm getting payed way too little for how sexy as fuck I am.

Definitely not, no one gives a shit about what I look like.

@Marl3x voting for comment of the year

Sometimes I look like a homeless person ...

Not that I care.

On the other hand...

Pretty persons make me very ... Paranoid.

I just cannot shake that feeling that their prettyness is just to hide the uglyness inside.

A friend of mine used to say that I'm kind of "wired wrong" - though I don't think it's wrong.

Note that I explicitly mean pretty as in "fake pretty". Someone you look at and can tell that they spend an hour in the morning in the bathroom and who get very nervous when a single strain of hair isn't where it's supposed to be.

@electrineer Did you see people being promoted/favored because they have a "management look"?

Like men that are taller, have more conventionally attractive faces, etc.

@IntrusionCM I don't have statistical data and I normally don't spend an hour in the morning on my looks. But when I do put some effort, it's when I need a confidence boost.

I think it can definitely stem from insecurity.

@NickyBones nah, everyone I work with is ugly as fuck. Myself included.

@NickyBones though you can differentiate that easily....

It's kinda hard to describe, but I think it's obvious what I mean... There are just these persons who enter the room, looking like they came out of an ad and who have this whole flair of "I'm pretty, I know it, bow down peasant". Fake pretty.

This might sound very psychopath, but I'm a person who has a certain knack for details...

Shiny nails, thick makeup / obvious over usage of makeup (e.g. skin looks unhealthy as person definitely dipped too far inti the chemical section)… shoes which have not a single speck of dust on them.... Shiny white teeth which were obviously bleached... Hair that gets immediately corrected when it moves... These small details are what make me nervous and paranoid.

It's obvious that such a person defines themselves on their look.

A person who just wants to feel pretty is another vibe... The trouser can have wrinkles, they can smile, they don't pay attention to their gesture / moves, etc.

@IntrusionCM I got comments from both women and men on why I don't do my nails or wear makeup. At least in some professions, this fake beauty you describe is actually a requirement. For example, for fight attendants - you are actually required to wear quite heavy makeup.

But even if it's not officially a requirement, what many people consider as a professional look for a woman would include nails, hair and makeup on point.

From the girls/women I know, those that are truly confident don't layer 0.5kg of foundation on their faces.

looking “professional” matters a lot, as ppl tend to judge by the covers.

If you’re tucked away in some server room or the like, where no clients or similar ever glances, it probably doesn’t matter much.

@NickyBones fight attendants with heavy makeup? You mean WWE, lol?

@electrineer US airlines, I think Virigin was the first, dropped the mandate for women flight attendants to wear makeup like 3 years ago. But in Asia, it is still required. It's like that stupid rule that they must wear heels. I think this is still in place, at least in the pre-take-off period.

I remember Goldberg doing fairly well in the WWE without makeup :)

I don't have a dress code that I know of, we just dress up in casual clothes, and not necessarily even nice looking ones. Safety is actually the only concern, shorts might do in the office but not in the lab where you'd also wear a lab coat. I definitely don't work at a fashion show.

Sales and upper management might dress up smart casual or even a full suit for all I know.

@NickyBones I was commenting on your typo ;)

@electrineer ahhhhh I really had to look for it :)

@NickyBones I have to add, certain jobs, like the flight attendants you mentioned, are horrible in this regard

but engineering seems more chill, sometimes I go to work in band shirts, despite most guys in the department wearing the nicer buttoned up shirts

definitely, but not for being pretty. i look the part for a nerd and people just assume I'm smart without even talking to me. my boss literally told us he picked me cause i looked like a guy from the team (very smart guy, nerdy af).

I'm also sure i benefit from other stuff like racism and ableism, that's a given.

Charisma man, It's all about how you speak, looks barely Matters. Sure first impressions help which is why you should dress nice for important stuff, but then It's all about how charismatic you are

Tall, nice looking, sociable… I won’t say that hasn’t helped me get to where I am. However, it also has gotten me called on my own bullshit a few times. You can’t talk yourself out of implementing an algorithm in an interview, no matter how well you schmooze hr and the business types.

Yes, I do. I am, in person, very charismatic and can fit in any social circle, this is something that I noticed during my high school years, once I reached high school I turned "hot" I guess? I have always been an introvert, I prefer being left the fuck alone at home playing videogames, guitar/bass or watching tv. But HS forced me into a different type of status, same for college. Then later on I was told by female friends that I had to embrace the fact that I was attractive because it could be used to my advantage.

My current position would not have been granted had I not been appealing to the previous manager. Which was herself a highly attractive woman. We clicked because we were both young and driven for higher positions.

Now, I am a department head, and whilst I have shown a large amount of technical prowess, I know that i would not have gotten far had it not been because of a mixture of charisma and looks.

@AleCx04 continuing, to this day, if the director knows that a meeting will involve a large amount of executive women, he asks me to be a part of it. He does this because he knows I chat them up and because I am charismatic even tho it drains the life out of me. He also sends the most handsome tech to work with them (good friend of mine and a really good looking dude, tall and fit whereas I am short and fit lol) because he knows that it brings brownie points to the department to send us both to such dealings.

Funny enough, the homie that looks sexy af is also very introverted, we might both very well be psychotic and are not aware of it, but yes looks play a part for the both of us, and I do not mind. rich people born in wealth get far in life because they have been raised with a silver spoon, I see no issues with taking advantage of me being attractive on the same issue.

Shit, even my wife tells me to use it to my advantage

@NickyBones lol, I mixed up what was required during pre take off period. Like makeup is required at pre take off. But during the flight they remove the makeup and the attendants start getting uglier as the flight continues. Sorry, not sorry.

@AleCx04 Wow, that's an extremely honest introspection on your part. I am not sure a lot of people in tech are willing to consider that they got to where they are not solely because they are so technically skilled.

@Demolishun Why should they be pretty? The male flight attendants are not wearing makeup at all. I can totally see the bags under their eyes and their not perfect skin.

I don't mind though. As long as they serve the food/drink without spilling, don't make unnecessary announcements when I am sleeping and maintain the order on the plane, I am very happy.

@NickyBones I call it social engineering, there is truth to having technical merit, and I applaud those that went up based on it. But I still think that a combination of both charisma and technical proficiency are sure ways to have a pleasant experience in any profession.

Nah, I was into games and computers since I was like 7. At that point in time I did not care about my looks at all. I kinda ended naturally gravitating towards this stuff without much effort, though programming was intimidating at first and I always considered myself too stupid to do it.

Also, I'm a average looking at best. I'd be surprised if anyone in my work life ever considered me because of my looks.

yes.
being ugly as fuck man, people in interviews judged me based on what i know and can do.

I don't think it has played a role despite not being the most beautiful human being.

@PonySlaystation don't lie. You're the most beautiful human being to ever live.