"Don't judge a book by its cover."這句解one should not judge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone，即「人不可以貌相」，或「人不應以貌相」。相關的一句是「不要以貌取人」，即不要根據一個人的外貌來判別他或她的素質才能。
這些智慧之言耳熟能詳，但大家心里都明白，現實世界中，相貌是相人的重要因素，自覺也好，不自覺也好，我們天天都在以貌取人，別人亦會以同樣的態度對待我們。
外表吸引力偏見
Gordon Patzer在Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined就指出，相貌對每個人的影響要比想像的大和深：
For a long time Americans, like people of most other cultures, have allowed what they see of a person to strong influence(影響) what they feel and believe about that people.
他觀察到："Almost from the moment of birth, each one of us is judged - silently, unconsciously(不自覺地、無意識地), and nearly instantly - on the basis of our height (or lack of it), our weight and bulk, the shape and symmetry(對稱) of our facial features, the length and style of our hair, our mode of dress, our grooming(打扮、修飾) - everything that goes into the mix of qualities known as 'physical attractiveness'."
身高、身形、面容，以至髮型、衣着，全都是我們用來判斷別人和別人判斷我們的因素。總的來說，大家着意的，是physical attractiveness(外表的吸引力)。Judge a book by its cover當然是不公平，但漂亮有價，漂亮的人處處獲得優待，卻是現實，這種態度，是所謂的"physical attractiveness bias(偏見)"。PA bias就是對「不漂亮」的歧視。
Sometimes referred to as "lookism" - treating people in ways biased by their perceived individual level of physical attractiveness - the "physical attractiveness phenomenon(現象)" has been studied in depth for decades by social scientists of many disciplines.
PA affects the way nurses treat newborns(初生嬰兒) in the same way that it shapes the manner in which parents act and react with their children. PA influences a child's self-image(自我形象) and becomes a significant factor in how teachers evaluate(評價、評判), assist, and grade pupils from kindergarten to graduate school.
就算最要講公平公正的法庭，偏幫「型男型女」的態度亦影響審判的公正性：
Juries(陪審團) tend to attach more credence(可信性、相信) to the arguments of a winsome(惹人喜愛的) attorney than a less enticing(有吸引力的、迷人的) counterpart.
簡單說，律師有型或漂亮，說話都較有影響力。
缺乏指定特質
但好看的外表卻也是一把「有辣有唔辣」的「雙刃劍」(double-edged sword)。說的是"baby face" - a smooth round face like a baby's，娃娃臉。Baby face的人永遠看來比實際年齡年輕，這是很多人夢寐以求的容貌，為了「青春常駐」，每年花在駐顏的消費不計其數，但baby face卻不利事業發展。
有研究發現，baby face給人和藹可親的感覺，但亦被視為"lacking in certain traits(特質) that can be essential for career progression, or working in some professions entirely"。
For example, the same research that identified the bias in favour of baby-faced applicants for teaching positions also found that mature-looking(看來成熟穩重的) people were generally preferred for the position of director(總監、董事), which called for dominance(支配地位) and the ability to make harsh decisions(嚴苛的決定). Perhaps as a result, people who look young for their age tend to have lower-status jobs instead which lack this kind of authority.
文︰子慧
作者是資深傳媒工作者，歷任中、英文報章管理層。
子慧 華洋書莊
