Looking good Quote by Max Barry
““In the sciences, looking good was usually a negative. It implied you wasted time on outdoor activities instead of building something useful. Even using hair product or makeup implied misguided priorities. Like you thought how things looked mattered, instead of how they worked. We liked to look at attractive people. We expected it of our movie stars and TV characters. But we did not respect it. We knew physical attractiveness was inversely correlated with intelligence, because look at us.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The End of the World” (fictional)
The passage critiques superficial emphasis on appearance in science, suggesting it distracts from functional achievement and equates attractiveness with lower intelligence.
In simple terms: Looks matter less than usefulness; beauty linked to lower intellect.
Key Takeaway
Value substance over style in scientific work.
Themes
science
culture
appearance
intelligence
values
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
social commentary
cultural critique
When to use this quote
- Hiring decisions
- media representation
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
Social bias
beauty standards
scientific priorities
Questions to Reflect On
- Do appearance standards affect scientific credibility?
- How can merit be emphasized over looks?
A Different Perspective
May overgeneralize attractiveness‑intelligence link; cultural variance.
