More and more men are undergoing cosmetic procedures.

Especially those in highly visible leadership roles.

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung recently wrote: “Something is shifting in the male world. Men suddenly feel the pressure to look better. While women have long felt the evaluative gaze on their bodies, men were for a long time largely immune to this kind of judgment.”

According to the so-called beauty premium effect, attractive people are more likely to be perceived as competent, confident, and leader-like in professional contexts. The effect is real. It operates quietly, unconsciously, and quickly. Many men pursue certain beauty ideals—such as full hair, defined jawlines, straight teeth, fewer wrinkles, and more. And the beauty industry offers a procedure for nearly every one of these goals.

Researchers attribute this growing body awareness partly to Zoom dysmorphia—the phenomenon in which people start evaluating their faces the way a distorted camera image shows them, rather than how others actually see them in real life.

Constant self-observation during video calls shifts attention from performance to appearance. In endless Teams or Zoom meetings, you see yourself on screen the entire time and suddenly every wrinkle or small imperfection feels like a major problem. Minor asymmetries begin to look like a professional risk. To be honest, I’ve caught myself doing the same—thinking more about how I look on screen during a dull online meeting than about the conversation itself.

At the same time, the spotlight effect shows that we greatly overestimate how much other people think about our appearance. Especially when we appear frequently in video calls, we may feel constantly judged. Yet it is often not the imperfection itself but the insecurity about it that weakens our impact.

Some respond with surgical optimization. That can bring short-term relief.

Studies show that satisfaction with specific features often increases. What often remains unchanged, however, is the deeper sense of self-worth. For some, this becomes a cycle: after one correction comes the next.

So what is the solution? In the end, it is a very personal decision, and there is no right or wrong. Yes, beauty can enhance impact.
But it doesn’t replace inner work. Lasting success comes where people are willing to invest in themselves: in learning, emotional maturity, and decision-making ability. A sharpened mind carries further than a smoothed face. Competence ages more slowly than attractiveness. And character still matters when the first impression fades.

This post was published by Wolfgang Jenewein on LinkedIn on January 20, 2026. Zum Original-Beitrag