Social scientists and researchers have concluded that the physical appearance of a person definitely impacts their life experiences, the way they operate in social settings, as well as access and opportunities; but it’s a little more complicated than just the surface-level look or aesthetics.

It is not shocking to anyone that people who are conventionally attractive enjoy many perks. This is called the “halo effect,” where at first sight, an extremely attractive person is perceived to have a lot of positive personality traits, whether or not they actually do.

The majority of studies on appearance and inequality are based on highly individualized and subjective assessments of beauty. Most of the time, a research team rates photographs of people on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is deemed to be unattractive, 2 is deemed to be below average for age and sex, 3 is deemed to be average for age and sex, 4 is deemed to be above average for age and sex, and 5 is deemed to be staggeringly handsome or beautiful.

This is where the research shows the major difference in life experiences between “1”s and “5”s. Historically, it is known that more attractive people are more likely to be employed faster, approved for loans, and more integrated in high society. It even goes as far as helping criminals with reduced sentences, as attractive conflicts receive lighter sentences for their crimes.

While this research proves that physical and outer appearance, as well as levels of attractiveness, can significantly impact success, there is still work we need to do in order to gain a more holistic understanding of what it means to be successful.

This argument is only relevant if our definition of success is one that is entangled in money and status. However, beauty is not really a predictor of overall happiness, well-being, and life satisfaction. Yes, if you look a certain way, you may have a lot of opportunities open up for you, and a lot of people wanting you to be a part of their lives, especially if you are in the fashion industry, but that doesn’t always lead to a happy and content life.

But one way in which your appearance can also impact your success is if your self-care practice revolves around caring for your skin and beauty, making it reflect on other areas of your life.

Beauty and success may go hand in hand, but they are not always synonymous. This just means that we have to expand our understanding of these two notions in order to allow for a variety of expressions.

With that being said, the phenomenon of cellular beauty makes more sense.