All the same to me: outcomes of aesthetic labor performed by frontline service providers

Abstract

Aesthetic labor practices involve strategically controlling human aesthetics in an effort create a predefined physical appearance profile that becomes part of the value proposition. Retail and service management often implements aesthetic labor by trying to create a matching look among all visible service providers. Social comparison theory provides a general theory that helps explain the way consumers may react to more or less similarity in appearance among service providers. Three studies examine aesthetic labor in service settings. Study 1 tests a theoretical structure suggesting a process by which aesthetic labor in the form of a similar appearance among service providers affects outcomes including self-congruence, affect, hedonic value and future patronage intention. Study 2 adds explanatory power to Study 1 by demonstrating the important role played by authentic fit among service providers. Study 3 explores the impact of uniforms as an aesthetic labor tool and suggests that uniforms may not always enhance perceptions that employees belong together. The research overall demonstrates some counter-intuitive findings including the fact that looking alike is only an effective aesthetic labor strategy to the extent that it drives perceptions of genuine belonging.