A Study on the Concept of “Lookism” : Discrimination based on Appearance

The purpose of this paper is to explain the problems revealed by the concept of ‘lookism’and to explore the significant implications of this concept for studies on discrimination based on appearance. I classify the previous studies on lookism into three groups.The first group raises the issue that appearances are evaluated in situations where appearance should not be evaluated. The second group argues the disproportionate distribution of beauty by social categories such as race, class, and gender and so on. The third group shows that appearances valued in the labor market are organizationally constructed, focusing on ‘aesthetic labour,’ The results of my paper are as follows;the concept of‘lookism’is used quite differently in general society and in academic research.It is therefore necessary to examine which of the above three groups is suitable for the use of ‘lookism’in the general public.