I’m attractive, so i speak up: a moderated-mediation model of self-perceived attractiveness, perceived impact, and voice
摘要
Self-perceived attractiveness is commonly believed to boost confidence, yet its behavioral implications in the workplace remain virtually unexamined. Drawing on status-expectation theory and idiosyncrasy-credit model, we propose that employees who consider themselves attractive are more likely to perceive themselves as having greater impact on organizational outcomes, and are thus more likely to engage in voice behavior. We further argue that this pathway depends on appearance instrumentality—the belief that attractiveness functions as a valuable social currency—such that self-perceived attractiveness leads to perceived impact, and ultimately to voice, but only among employees who place strategic importance on appearance. We tested the model using two-wave survey data collected from full-time employees in South Korea (N = 153). The results revealed that self-perceived attractiveness positively influences promotive and prohibitive voice through perceived impact. This indirect effect was stronger among those high in appearance instrumentality; for those low in appearance instrumentality, self-perceived attractiveness had no significant effect on perceived impact or voice. The study advances appearance literature at work by shifting the lens from observer ratings to actor self-views, extends voice literature by introducing an appearance-based antecedent and its boundary condition, and highlights the malleable nature of “beauty capital” in the era of digital self-presentation.