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30 November 2005
Tight Skirts And Management Don’t Mix 
An article in Psychology of Women Quarterly confirms what we've all known for years, while clothes maketh the man, clothes can unmaketh the woman - at least for women in management positions. While physical attractiveness can help people get ahead, sexy self-presentation (high-heels, a tight skirt, low-cut blouse) has the opposite effect for businesswomen. But not all businesswomen were affected negatively; it seems the effect was limited to those in high status positions. The article cites the example of the tight skirt, which was viewed as inappropriate for both managers and receptionists, but it was only the former that evoked hostile emotions and were deemed less intelligent. "A female manager whose appearance emphasized her sexiness elicited less positive emotions, more negative emotions, and perceptions of less competence on a subjective rating scale and less intelligence on an objective scale," said the authors of the study. To arrive at their findings, the participants in the study were shown a video of a businesswoman discussing her general background and hobbies. While the scripts and actress remained the same, her dress and job were changed. The "sexiness" manipulation had no effect on judgments of, or emotions toward, the receptionist. But the sexy manager was viewed as less competent as compared to her neutrally attired and more typically professionally dressed counterpart (wearing flat shoes, slacks, and a turtleneck). "Although various media directed toward women… encourage women to emphasize their sex appeal, our results suggest that women in high status occupations may have to resist this siren call to obtain the respect of their co-workers," the article concludes. Source: Psychology of Women Quarterly
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