This is a paper that I wrote for a course on writing. The Idea was that I would go to a place and observe what was happening, hopefully I would notice something interesting happening and write about the subject. Though personally not my finest work, though many days reading and revising the article I got quite a good grade for this. This is an adaptation of the original work, without a word limit and additions and refinements to my ideas. I hope that this may be an interesting read for y'all, thanks!
1 The low hum of the air conditioning unit, the dark varnish of the sturdy hardwood floors, and the faint dusty scent of dry books fill the room. Bookshelves tightly packed with books, cover to cover, the spines subtly screaming for your attention through their covers. Bookshelves are decorated with quotes and summaries. In the thriller section, you may find a chalk outline like the ones found at crime scenes. These decorations evoked a sense of discovery and excitement in me when I visited an independent bookstore near Maxwell Hawker Center.
2 I found workers meticulously cleaning the store and its books, even sanding down the sides to keep them from yellowing; ensuring that they look pristine and in mint condition. Looking at the effort given to maintaining the presentation and appearance of these books, one might think that they are wasteful or obsessive. However, the consumer is unaware of the ongoing war for their attention. Asian patrons comb the aisles, scanning the spines of books, reaching for what catches their eye. After finding something intriguing, they turn to the back cover of the book, sometimes reading the synopsis. Hardly anyone skimmed through the books for its contents, many made their judgment just from its superficial exterior.
3 I found this markedly strange, I thought the main value of books came from the contents inside. Patrons forwent evaluating the written material inside, for the graphics and summary on the cover. Any short synopsis on the book does nothing to inform the reader about the author's writing style or ideas that they may want to convey in their book. This anomaly in behavior does not seem to make much sense, as people would surely want to make an informed choice about the books they intend to purchase. Otherwise, they may purchase something that does not satisfy them. Has the truism “Do not judge a book by its cover” been forgotten? Why do we still choose objects by their appearances, and what perpetuates this superficial judgment of appearances in society?
4 When judging the value of an object, we can use the metaphor of an iceberg. The visible section of the iceberg represents the outer value of an object, the portion that can be observed. In contrast, the submerged section of the iceberg, while not visible, is significantly larger. The inner value of an object could represent its utility or sentimental value, the essence of the object. Since most often the utility of an object is what is most important to us. Logically, we would assume that the goal of judging the appearance of an object is to seek its inner value.
5 Kathleen Rowald (1984) explains why we judge appearances from the perspective of an individual. Their paper in the Home Economics Research Journal, concludes that people derive "common meanings" from physical traits that they observe. Common meanings being a set of beliefs that many people share, these beliefs are not limited to surface level conclusions but could also be about matters much deeper. Thus, people would judge appearances to find common meanings. Which could be used to make decisions. Furthermore, Rowald also asserts that people "project aspects of themselves... as they form impressions on the basis of physical appearance." (Rowold, 1984). Suggesting that we attach part of ourselves onto what we observe.
6 Let us use a metaphor to explain Rowold’s ideas. When looking at bananas, a fruit, we might have the conception of it being healthy when eaten. This could describe our association of "common meanings" to fruits. At the same time we associate part of our character to the banana, perhaps our trait of being healthy or unhealthy. These 2 phenomena happen simultaneously when we observe the banana, and would suggest that the common meanings shape the inner values that help us make decisions.
7 While Rowald's findings explain the behavior from the perspective of an individual, Ji et al. looked from the perspective of societies. They proposed that culture, language and religions have a part to play in relating inner and outer values.
8 In their paper published in 2023, Ji et al. found that differences in the 3 aforementioned aspects change how we relate inner and outer values. Ji et al. looked at western societies, suggesting that a culture of individual expression pushes people to align their individual beliefs with their actions and appearance. This can be seen in the prevalence of phrases like "Actions speak louder than words", "You are what you eat". Such phrases enforce the expectation for people to act and present themselves in a way that is aligned with what values they hold. This expectation could also be applied to objects, and not only people. Hence, people may similarly expect objects' inner values to be reflected in their outer appearance. Encouraging people to judge things by their appearance.
9 In comparison, Ji et al.'s analysis on Asian societies suggests the opposite. They realized that in Asian societies, where people place societal needs above individual needs, individuals may act or appear in opposition to the values that they hold. These individuals would act in a way that serves their community at the detriment to themselves and sometimes against their own beliefs. The constant conflict between how they act and what their values are, would remind them that there is a weak relationship between inner and outer value.
10 It could be concluded that Ji et al.l goes further than Rowold's initial explanation. Rowold looked at the issue from an individualistic perspective, that objects give rise to common meanings. Ji et al. not only looked from the individual, but also the circumstances of the person making the correlation and conclusion. Their proposition that the way cultures interact with us, gives rise to a more potent and nuanced discussion about the way we judge appearances and how we relate inner and outer values. Understanding both Ji et al. and Rowold's arguments shows us that judging appearances is a deeply ingrained action. Not only as a way to gain personal benefit and understanding, but also presents itself as a societal expectation as Ji et al. suggests. Perhaps the reason we are so familiar with the phrase "Do not judge a book by its cover" is entirely because we are so prone to falling for this fallacy?
11 Given the well-rounded combined arguments of Rowold and Ji et al., one would be surprised at why I still observed the Asian customers still choose what books by their appearance? Asians should have a weaker correlation between inner and outer values and hence not be prone to judging appearance? Both sources had similar assumptions - that people judge things logically. Perhaps an argument could be made that our judgments are flawed and irrational. Perhaps we do not judge to find inner values, and act entirely on outer values?
12 Building on the initial framework of Ji et al. and Rowald, we can identify two sets of information when observing the object: information about the object - the outer value shaped by common meanings and our beliefs, and the values that were projected onto the object by the observer. Previously we used these values to form a gauge of the inner value of an object, instead we could compare the two values. When comparing the two, it could result in resonance where both are of similar qualities. Alternatively conflict would result from opposing values. The resonance or conflict directly drives action, and is completely unrelated to inner values.
13 When judging an ugly banana we may identify that an ugly banana is unhealthy due to our culture and beliefs. Simultaneously, we may impart our value of being healthy to the banana. Comparing these two values, we see a conflict between what the banana represents and who we are as a person and may be unmotivated to consume it. This could be in spite of the inner value of the ugly banana being just as nutritious as an unblemished banana.
14 Although my perspective suggests that judging appearances is an irrational behaviour, I think that it is here to stay. Sometimes it is the only way for us to catch a glimpse into the value of an object. I think that it is important to learn how we judge appearances, identify how our cultures, beliefs, and values shape these judgments. Leading to a greater understanding of who we are and how we perceive the world. There is no need for us to be as impartial to appearance as a courtroom judge, but a little bit of introspection could help us see things more holistically.
[1] Ji, L.-J., Lee, A., Zhang, Z., Li, Y., Wang, X.-Q., Torok, D., & Rosenbaum, S. (2023).
Judging a book by its cover: Cultural differences in inference of the inner state based on the outward appearance.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(1).
https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000413
[2] Rowold, K. L. (1984).
Sensitivity to the Appearance of Others and Projection as Factors in Impression Formation.
Home Economics Research Journal, 13(2), 105–111. i
https://doi.org/10.1177/1077727x8401300202
I haven't actually edited it yet... Need to get on it soon!