Image is the representation of an object or a person. It is the first thing others can see on one. Image is like beauty, the outer beauty that people see on one. It is subjective. Especially in the modern world, how one perceives another is usually due to the image one portrays. Thus I agree that in the modern world, image is everything to a big extent.
Image can help one to judge a person. It presents what kind of person oneself is. As we know, 'first impression lasts'. People usually measure one by his image. How well one presents oneself can leave an everlasting effect or impression to another. For example, if one goes for an interview sloppily, with unkempt hair and shirt all creased up, his boss will have a bad impression on him. He may think that that person is lazy and untidy and hence, his work wil also be as messy as him. In the end, he probably may not get into the next round of interview and perhaps, a high probability of not being appointed a post.
Image can affect one's choice. When people look at things, it is natural that they always start by looking at the package, at how the object is presented to them. Usually, when we buy a gift for someone, we will see whether the object is pretty before thinking whether it is useful or not. This has already shown that image is a deciding factor to one's choice. Another example is the size of the person. In the modern world today, beanpole woman is seen as intelligent while plump women are often discriminated as they are viewed to be less intelligent than average. Thus slim woman tend to get a higher chance of a better job than plump women. In work or interview, these scenarios can often be seen. Thus most people perceive slimness as a way to be accepted and obesity as a stigma in society. Hence this shows that image affects one's choice.
So why in olden days, image may not be everything? Perhaps people then believe more in one's capabilities than image(though we cannot dey that during Victorian times, plumpness is viewed as attractive). People then were poorer and more practical. They know that one's intelligence is shown through one's hardwork and capabilities, not just through image. In the long Chinese drama serial 'Walking Out", it showed that though those so-called 'bao fa hu' (people who stroke rich just by selling land left to them by their ancestors) stroke rich by selling land, changing their image and identity immediately, it was not until a while that they had spent away every dollars and cents which can last their descendents for decades, hence changing their identity and image back to one again. This shows that how good one's image is, is not everything in those days. Probably to them, hardwork is then everything.
Though image is everything in the modern world, we cannot judge a book by its cover. Image is no quality in things themselves. It merely exists in the mind which contemplates them. Image is the outer beauty one can see, but it may not reflect the inner beauty of the person. In other words, what is out may not be what is within us. This is because looks can be deceiving. A person who is beautiful may not be that clever than a person with an average look but is brainy. Hence lesser emphasis should be place on image.
Nevertheless, image is everything to a big extent in this modern world. Superficial as image can be, it usually helps one to judge others, affects one's choice and can also in turn affect relationships between people.