A Newsweek survey of mostly male hiring managers found that 61 percent said women improve their chances of landing a job if they dress to show off their figure.

They also rated appearance more highly than education in hiring decisions.

The survey results led Newsweek to suggest that people can turn to plastic surgery as a method of increasing their earning power. It's a conclusion with little supporting evidence, as this blog argued recently in the post "Want higher pay? Don't go to plastic surgeon."

The survey results provoked outrage among women. Appearance-based discrimination hits women hardest, Newsweek senior writer Jessica Bennett said.

Eighty-four percent of managers told Newsweek they believe a qualified but visibly older candidate would make some employers hesitate, and while ageism affects men, too, it's particularly tough for women.

As Stanford law professor Deborah Rhode puts it, silver hair and furrowed brows may make ageing men look "distinguished," but aging women risk marginalisation or ridicule for their efforts to pass as young.

"This double standard," Rhode writes, "leaves women not only perpetually worried about their appearance — but also worried about worrying."

In an unscientific survey of this blog's readers, beginning two years ago (see below), two-thirds of respondents said they were affected by appearance-based job discrimination. Forty percent said they were discriminated against, while 27 percent said they benefited from their looks.

American Apparel ad Companies occasionally get into hot water for extreme appearance-based discrimination. American Apparel, for example, has come under fire for making hiring decisions on the basis of applicants' photos and allegedly dismissing employees that the chief executive considered ugly.

"When you see the women that work there, you see they all have the same look," a former executive told Bloomberg Businessweek.