Team Debate: Looking good is a moral duty

IntroductionVanity and narcissism are often condemned in our society, and rightly so. They are examples of distorted and extreme behavior. Unfortunately, appearance obsession is all around us in advertising, music videos, and the beauty industry, and it can almost seem as if trying to look good is the height of superficiality and the opposite of moral behavior. This isn't true, however. There are gluttons, but eating appropriate and healthy meals is still better than starving yourself. There are creepy, stalker guys, but it's still better to care about people than it is to be indifferent to everyone. Similarly, although some people obsess about their looks to an unhealthy extent, we should still take appropriate responsibility for the impact of our appearance on ourselves and others. To win this debate, PRO will show that making an effort to look good aligns with mainstream moral values. ArgumentMoral duty: personal responsibility and caring for othersMoral systems differ between societies, but there are some common themes. A study of major religions and secular organizations found four moral categories that were "universal", including the following:1. Self-respect, but with humility, self-discipline and acceptance of personal responsibility.2. Respect and caring for others (i. e. the Golden Rule) (1)These moral values are certainly familiar to us; we will now describe the ways that looking good fits this moral framework. Self-Respect - Looking good makes us behave betterGetting dressed to go out in public is a ritual. We dress in different ways for different situations. Fixing our appearance is preparation for, and acknowledgement of, our membership in something greater than ourselves - human society. Our understanding of how we're perceived primes us towards relating to people in a particular way. Studies have shown that having an attractive avatar makes people more friendly in online environments (2). In the real world, outfit styles can directly affect people's self-confidence (3) and even their beliefs about their own personalities (4). Preparation of appearance is preparation of intent. Walking out the door looking good is our commitment to society - it's the framing of our moral selves. Looking good improves the moral behavior of othersHumans are very sensitive to our social and physical environments. According to broken windows theory, even just one example of social deviance in the environment (a broken window) is enough to prompt other people to deviate from good behavior (5). One example of disorder could be a man with a swastika tattoo on his scalp - or some other physical expression of social deviance. Examples of incivility and disorder can negatively affect everything from arson (6) to sexually risky behavior (7). In contrast, an attractive, well-maintained environment full of people dressed respectfully creates an environment that inspires us to behave well. Therefore, it is our moral duty to dress in such a way. More specifically, studies have shown that people are more likely to be generous (8), helpful (9) and informative (10) when approached by a well-dressed stranger rather than a badly-dressed one. By looking good we bring out the best in others. The Golden Rule: Looking good helps others directlyOur clothing and general appearance send clear and rapid signals to other people about who we are, our competencies, and the nature of their interaction with us. The way we look can have a direct and positive impact on others. For example, when teachers dress formally and carefully, not only were students less likely to misbehave, but they also learned more. (11) Doctors in white coats were judged as more competent and trustworthy than those dressed in other types of outfits. (12) Since patients' trust in their doctors is directly related to the effectiveness of treatment (13), this really matters. When it's our duty to help others, we need to take responsibility for the effect of our appearance. (1) . http://personal.tcu.edu...(2) . http://vhil.stanford.edu...(3) . http://cqx.sagepub.com...(4) . http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com...(5) . http://www.theatlantic.com...(6) . http://link.springer.com...(7) . http://link.springer.com...(8) . http://www.tandfonline.com...(9) . http://www.amsciepub.com...(10) . http://www.amsciepub.com...(11) . http://www.tandfonline.com...(12) . http://www.pec-journal.com...(13) . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...