ESSAY: Going For The Look.

In the society we live in today, many companies use image as a way to attract customers into their stores. They use this method to lure customers. They hire specific people who can only help raise the number of customers. But these days, the employees are not the definition of what it’s really meant to be. To us, the customers, we see employees as people who help us and provide us with what we really need. To the business industry, they’re just a “model” to sell the merchandise. In the article, “Going for the Look, but Risking Discrimination,” Marshal Cohen believes that employees are one way to advertise the products, but I completely disagree with that. Everyone shops because they’re looking for new clothes, items and what not. We buy the things we like and things that are helpful for our daily life. We don’t just buy anything and we don’t buy things, just because someone else looks good in it.
When I go shopping, I could care less of how and what the employees are. They can be a male, a female, or a transgender. They can be Asian, African America, Mexican, or American. They can be short, tall, skinny or fat. They may or may not have the best appearances, such as having a nice body, flat stomach, nice curves, nice eyes or hair, has tattoos and piercings everywhere, or even have special needs. As long as I get a good service care, then I’m pretty content with the workers. What they do and how they look can’t change the quality of the item I want and they certainly can’t make a specific product better or worse. The way an employee looks like can’t always get a customer to buy their clothing. People buy clothes and shop at where they want to go at places that fit their style. Everyone has a different taste in clothes. If they like something they see, they’re likely to buy it. We all look different in different clothing. And if someone else is wearing something they like, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’ll look nice on them as well. We buy clothes that we tend to look decent in, not others. Having an employee that has the “look” does inspire us to get the same look as them, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll actually buy the clothing.
One of my favorite stores is Forever 21. Not because their employees has the “look” to work there, but because their clothes are actually affordable. Some of their really cute clothes come in the most reasonable price for me; therefore I shop there more often than any other places. But that’s not the only reason why I go there, but their clothes attracts my attention, making me want to go into their stores and see what else is in there. When it comes to Abercrombie and Fitch, they have topless guys outside their store, attracting girls to go in. I mean, sure it gets my attention and I eventually get dragged in there and honestly, they do have a nice body, but it doesn’t make me want to get something from there everything. Yes, I do like their clothes, but it’s not something I’d always want get. Take a look at their price. A simple colored tank top there can be up to $15, which is unnecessary. I can go anywhere to buy something like that for $5 or less. Can the employees at Abercrombie make everything cheaper in there? No, they can’t.
Another reason why I rather shop at Forever 21 is because I get better customer service there. People there are often walking around asking if you need any help, a bag to hold all your clothes, start a fitting room early and what not. They’re more welcoming to the customers, which everyone would want. I don't always get the same service at Abercrombie. Most of the time, they'll just welcome us in the front and ask if we're finding everything okay and that's about it. They're not always asking questions unless you do yourself.
Everyone should have an equal opportunity of getting a position for a job as well. Not everyone is born with “good appearances” and not everyone’s attracting to one another. They’re genetics and it’s not something you can change. Of course, it’s not illegal to hire specific people for the job, but it is discriminating. “If you’re hiring by looks, then you can run into problems of race discrimination, national origin discrimination, gender decimation, age discrimination, nation and even disability discrimination,” says Olophius Perry, direction of the Los Angeles office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Getting discriminated for something you did not choose to get is unfair and judgmental. Employees who are chose to work may not have the skills to work as well. Giving good service care takes skills and choosing anyone from the main street that has the “look” is not always a good idea. Everyone should have the equal opportunity to work in a position in whichever job they prefer.