美女并非无往不利。美国研究人员调查发现，应征一些需要“男子气概”的”阳刚”职业时，譬如工程师、安全主管、狱警等，美貌反而成为一些女性的弱势。

    A new study has suggested a disturbing gender bias when it comes to job applications -- beautiful women were instantly dismissed from being considered for some positions.

    Researchers from the University of Colorado found that attractive women were unlikely to be hired for jobs considered masculine, such as construction supervisor, prison guard, car salesperson or tow truck driver. Their study appears in the latest edition of the Journal of Social Psychology.

    Attractive women did, however, have an advantage over their less attractive female counterparts in jobs deemed feminine.

    Men face no such barriers -- attractive men always had an advantage over lesser-looking men seeking work, regardless of whether the job they are after is a seen as masculine or feminine.

    The study researchers, led by Stefanie Johnson of the University of Colorado’s Denver Business School, asked participants to pair jobs ranging from lingerie salesperson to tow truck driver with photos of applicants they considered suitable for the job.

    In categories like director of security, hardware salesperson, prison guard and tow truck driver, attractive women were completely overlooked even though appearance was considered unimportant for the job. 

    Even in jobs where appearance was considered important -- such as car salesperson -- attractive women were ignored. Instead, they were slotted into positions like receptionist or secretary.