Daniel Akst summarizes the research on beauty in Looks Do Matter — and makes an amusing observation:
The paradox, in such an age, is that the more important appearances become, the worse most of us seem to look — and not just by comparison with the godlike images alternately taunting and bewitching us from every billboard and TV screen. While popular culture is obsessed with fashion and style, and our prevailing psychological infirmity is said to be narcissism, fully two-thirds of American adults have abandoned conventional ideas of attractiveness by becoming overweight. Nearly half of this group is downright obese. Given their obsession with dieting — a $40 billion-plus industry in the United States — it’s not news to these people that they’re sending an unhelpful message with their inflated bodies, but it’s worth noting here nonetheless.
Again, read the whole article for a good summary of the research on beauty and how much it matters.