A recent study of American and German workers which showed, to absolutely not a single damn person's surprise, that skinny girls make more than fat girls, also showed, somewhat more surprisingly that thin men make substantially less than their huskier peers. In fact, even men considered overweight continue to earn more per pound than their lighter friends up until the level of "obesity" at which point the trend reverses. The study found the ideal weight for baller status was 207 pounds:
The study is the first look at the effects of being very thin on men vs. women. Separate studies of 11,253 Germans and 12,686 U.S. residents led by Timothy A. Judge of the University of Florida found very thin women, weighing 25 pounds less than the group norm, earned an average $15,572 a year more than women of normal weight. Women continued to experience a pay penalty as their weight increased above average levels, although a smaller one — presumably because they had already violated social norms for the ideal female appearance. A woman who gained 25 pounds above the average weight earned an average $13,847 less than an average-weight female.Men were also penalized for violating stereotypes about ideal male appearance, but in a different way. Thin guys earned $8,437 less than average-weight men. But they were consistently rewarded for getting heavier, a trend that tapered off only when their weight hit the obese level. In one study, the highest pay point, on average, was reached for guys who weighed a strapping 207 pounds.
One theory is that people who care enough about what other people think about them to conform to the pervading "standard" of appearance are probably better workers in general. Another theory could be that since most bosses and CEOs are old dudes, they promote all the skinny, attractive girls, and the average looking guys less likely to bang all the hot girls. Guess the real losers here and the skinny guys with overweight wives. Bummer.
