My experience of getting a job at the store

Getting a job is not a simple matter today. There are over 6 million people unemployed in the United States. I can relate to this because I have got rejected from multiple jobs. I remember going in got my job interview at the mall being confident I would get the job because I had everything they wanted and more, but then when I noticed everyone else there, they all looked like models. Being rejected from that job made me realize that beauty is necessary in the job industry. Marshal Cohen is a chief industry advisor of the NPD group. Cohen has written two books about retail trends. He believes that is is necessary to hire solely attractive people in the retail industry today, and I disagree because I think retail would become more successful with more diversity in age, race, religion, and beauty.

Many of the moderately priced clothing stores you see in your typical mall like Hollister, American Eagle, and Tillys don’t seem to be very diverse. I believe upscale stores are more diverse today, and that is why they are making more money. Kenya Hunt explains, “ we’ve gone from having no diversity to now not just racial diversity, but diversity of the world” (Hunt). This is showing how higher brands like Michael Kors and Versace are hiring people from any age, race, religion or size, and there brands are selling better than ever. While stores like American eagle is not making as much money for their brand because of the lack of diversity.

There are some brands today that are remarkably discriminating to workers and customers. Gabby Noone states, “ In a world where it’s so easy to hate your own body, hotness will always be a successful marketing ploy” (Noone). She later goes on to interpret how she let down a job offer from a clothing store for teens because it is one size fits all. This shows how brands are so close minded that they are marketing to teens as if they are one size. Noone states, “ In order to fit into the conventional ideal of a cool teen, I had to become an adult” (Noone). This proves that stores are not using people they hire, as the people they are actually trying to sell to. There is a multitude of jobs that are not seen by the everyday public. If people believe that only attractive people should be in the retail industry, then these unseen jobs should be kept for unattractive people.

In Sue Shellenbarger’s article, Mr. Hamermesh says, “ looks are only one of many things that affect how much we earn, including education, age, health, company size, and so on” (Shellenbarger). He is saying that if you are unattractive do not go into public jobs. It seems to be that retail industry believes if you are not a model, then you are incompetent in a job at a simple clothing store. Hamermesh ends his statements by arguing that, “ research suggests it [plastic surgery] isn’t a good investment” (Shellenbarger). It appears that this means that there is no way to fix the jobs you can obtain. The United states claims to have freedom of religion, but it appears to not pertain to the clothing industries. Matt O’Brien explains “ Hollister, the spinoff of Ohio-based Abercrombie and Fitch that she [Hani Khan] says fired for wearing a hijab at work” (O’Brien).

In the world today people are still getting fired for their faith. Someone’s personal beliefs should not affect the hiring or firing of someone. Matt O’Brien also says, “ In the broad minded bay area, no one ever argued it” (O’Brien). This confirms that the retail industry is judging people for something like religion, that has been acceptable everywhere else in someone’s life. Now that we can see that retail industries should be more inclusive, I think it is important to take a closer look at the stores you shop at. It is essential to remember that making a company diverse can help. Making companies more accepting to age, race, size, and disability can make companies sell to a bigger crowd.