Article Critique of Daniel S. Hamermesh's Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful

Daniel S. Hamermesh is an established Professor in Economics, having taught at Princeton, Michigan State and Texas, whose expertise include applications of labour economics (to beauty). He also appears on national television programmes to discuss economic issues. Hence, he has the relevant knowledge and competency in writing this text. The source publisher, Princeton University Press, is credible as it is based from an established educational institution. Hamermesh (2011) discusses the economic effect beauty has on a company's profits, asserting that having a favourable pool of executives ranked by looks and ensuring that they specialize in tasks that leverage on differences in their looks will raise sales and profits (Hamermesh, 2011, P.97). He first states how appearances can affect employer's hiring decisions (Hamermesh, 2011, P.93), then discusses why good-looking workers raise the firms' bottom lines (Hamermesh, 2011, P.94) which is only applicable when they are in positions capable of inspiring their co-workers (Executives). Finally he evaluates how differences in those executives' looks can be exploited to raise sales and profits. Although some of his arguments are supported by credible evidence, others are supported by mere assumptions. This weakens his thesis as it exposes his arguments to fallacies. Furthermore, the prominence of assumptions made throughout cripples his otherwise structurally coherent thesis. Hamermesh claims that beauty grows into an asset that is shared by the worker and the company (Hamermesh, 2011, P.95). He supports this by assuming that a good-looking worker joining a company will help to build up a team of other workers, consequently spurring them to greater productivity. While this support seems logical, it is just a hypothetical justification and the assumption constitutes a generalization that all workers charmed by their co-worker's appearance will have increased productivity. Contextual knowledge of the real life working