The (female) graduate: choice and consequences of women’s clothing

Abstract

This research investigates how female students choose their graduation outfit andhow clothing affects observers’ judgments. In Study 1, we manipulated the students’graduation outfit so as to look professional or sexy. Female peers, adults, and professorsformed a first impression about the students, their thesis work and guessed theirgraduation scores (thesis points and final mark). All participant groups judged theprofessionally dressed students as more competent, as having put more effort intheir thesis, and as having obtained better scores than when the same studentsdressed sexy. In Studies 2 and 3 we replicated previous findings by using photosportraying real students in their actual graduation outfits. We found that sexy clothing,considered inappropriate for the occasion, affected estimated and actual graduationscores negatively and that this effect was mediated by perceived incompetence. Resultsare discussed with respect to women’s evaluation on the basis of their appearance.