Is mary the 'fall guy'?

"Researchers also identified a "fall guy" phenomenon whereby alpha pupils gain kudos by having a best friend who is more disruptive at school, while avoiding facing the discipline that is meted out to the friend.

"Some pupils are able to maintain popularity with peers in spite of their high academic achievement," said Professor Becky Francis, from Roehampton University, joint author of the paper. What appears to be a fundamental facilitator of this "balance" is their physical appearance, and for boys, their physical ability at sport. Of course, notions of 'attractiveness' are socially constructed, but it remains the case the some pupils are blessed with features that conform to such constructions and other are not.""

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